The Subway

We are not unfamiliar with subways, having lived in Montreal for a year, but the Seoul subway is really something else.  It is HUGE - but oh so easy to use.  That's because all the station names are written in their Korean name, and their "English" name (that is, the Korean name written using English letters).

We live close to the end of the "pink" line #8.  So far we have travelled on Line #2 (green), Line # 6 (brown), Line #5 (purple) and Line #4 (dark blue).  I wonder what they will do when they run out of colours!

We have purchase a Transit pass, called "T" money.  We refill it at the subway (or 7-11 or some other convenience stores) and then swipe it on our way in, and out of the subway.  

Once in the subway system it is possible to transfer from one line to the next.  Sometimes it is a bit of a walk!

Here we are travelling from the green line to the pink line through an underground tunnel.  Sometimes there are several flights of stairs involved as well.  It is easy to find the right direction.

The platforms are HUGE and the trains are very long.  Amazingly we have not yet counted the number of cars on a train (shock).  It is not possible (as in Montreal, or Vancouver) for a person to "fall" onto the tracks.  There are glass walls with doors which match up with the train.

Once inside, the cars are very spacious, and VERY clean.  There are videos playing in the cars showing how the cars are steam cleaned and the upholstery cleaned, and we believe it!

The doors between cars open and it is possible to walk from one end of the train to the other.  Of course, this is Seoul, home to many millions of people, many of whom would be taking the subway on any given day...so the stations and the trains can be crowded.

The basic cost of an adult fare is 1050 Won - which is around $1.00 (actually, $0.93).  If the trip is extra long (like when we come out of the metro after having been downtown, and have used at least 2 metro lines), there is a charge of 100 Won, or 200 Won added to the cost.  In all it is a pretty cheap way to get around!!!