News
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐น, ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ โ July 2025 โ The Seoul Metropolitan Government has confirmed that starting August 2025, the city’s subway network will undergo a major schedule adjustment. Subway trains on Lines 1 through 8, operated by Seoul Metro, will begin service at 5:00 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than the current start time of 5:30 a.m. In parallel, the last trains will also depart 30 minutes earlier, allowing for essential overnight maintenance and safety inspections.
The schedule change is designed to support early-morning workers, including sanitation staff, airport personnel, and market vendors, many of whom previously relied on early bus services due to the subway’s later start. According to the city, this adjustment is expected to benefit around 23,000 commuters daily.
This move follows the success of the cityโs autonomous night bus pilot program, which launched in late 2024 and has since carried more than 10,000 passengers. The pilot highlighted a growing demand for flexible transit options outside traditional hours and reinforced the cityโs vision of becoming a more accessible 24-hour city.
Currently, the schedule update applies only to lines managed by Seoul Metro. However, the government has initiated discussions with other transit operators, including Korail and the Airport Railroad Express (AREX), to consider synchronizing service hours across the broader metropolitan network.
While the change has been welcomed by many early commuters, concerns have been raised about the impact on night-shift workers due to the earlier last-train departures. City officials explained that the change balances the needs of both early and late travelers, emphasizing that overnight bus services will continue to operate, with plans to expand autonomous bus routes in the near future.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is encouraging commuters to check updated timetables in advance and will provide detailed notices across subway stations and transit apps before the change takes effect.
Official Sources:
– Seoul Metropolitan Government: Autonomous Bus and Earlier Subway Service: https://english.seoul.go.kr/autonomous-bus-and-earlier…/
– KBS World: Seoul Subway Trains to Start Running Earlier: https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm.
– Korea JoongAng Daily: Seoul Metro to Begin Operating 30 Minutes Earlier from August: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/…/Seoul…/2312587
– The Korea Herald: Seoul Subways to Begin and End Operation 30 Minutes Earlier: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10493311
