Airport Railroad
The Airport Railroad was initially announced in 1998 as the Incheon International Airport Railroad, abbreviated to IREX (Incheon Airport Railroad Express). It would link the existing Gimpo International Airport to the then-under construction Incheon International Airport. This was part of the plan to transfer the majority of international services from Gimpo to Incheon. Gimpo had been facing overcrowding problems since the 1980s, and its lack of space to expand meant that a new airport needed to be built.
After delays, construction started in 2001, after the opening of Incheon Airport.
The line and the company were renamed to AREX (Airport Railroad Express) in June 2006. The first phase of the line from Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 to Gimpo International Airport opened on March 23, 2007.
The platform at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1.
By I, Nesnad, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2243443
Initial ridership was far below expectations. In 2008, ridership was around 16,000 passengers a day, only 7% of the forecast 230,000.
In 2009, Korail acquired a 88.8% share of the operating company. It was renamed to Korail Airport Railroad, while the line kept the AREX name.
Phase 2 of the line opened on December 29, 2010. It extended the line from Gimpo Airport to Seoul Station. Ridership rose sharply after this section opened: as early as the first week, average daily ridership more than doubled, from 27,210 to 58,000.
After delays, Gongdeok Station opened on November 29, 2011, between Hongik University and Seoul Station.
The city of Incheon requested that three additional stations be opened at Cheongna International City, Yeongjong, and Yongyu, to support the real estate projects there. Originally planned to open with Phase 2, delays with their respective projects prevented these stations from opening on time. Cheongna International City opened on June 21, 2014. Yeongjong Station opened on March 26, 2016. A temporary Yongyu Station platform was opened in 2011, but this was replaced with a permanent station on February 3, 2016.
Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 opened on January 18, 2018.
From https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2018/02/09/take-a-look-inside-incheon-airports-new-terminal-2/
The line was extended to Incheon Airport Terminal 2 on January 23, 2018.
On September 29, 2018, Magongnaru Station opened between Digital Media City and Gimpo International Airport. This completed the current line. The line is marked aqua blue on maps.
All trains operate between Seoul Station and Incheon Airport Terminal 2. While Yongyu Station is considered part of the system, no trains stop there at this time.
Express trains only stop at Seoul Station, Incheon Airport Terminal 1, and Incheon Airport Terminal 2.
Some all stop trains originate and terminate at Geomam.
The current line is 63.8 km (39.6 mi) long. All track is on the left-hand side.
All stations feature screen doors.
There is a single depot at Yongyu.
Fares originally started at 3,100 won ($2.52) for a ride from Gimpo Airport to Incheon Airport, for both all stop and express trains. This increased to 3,500 won ($2.84) by the end of 2010. By the opening of the second phase, fares were set at 13,300 won ($10.80) for express trains and 3,700 won ($3) for all stop trains.
By 2018, fares were set at 4,950 won ($4.02) for all stop trains and 9,000 won ($7.31) for express trains.
The platform at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2.
By *Youngjin - 자작, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71339683
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all express services were suspended on April 1, 2020, along with a partial suspension of all stop service. The suspension will last for three months. Express trains temporarily ran on the all stop service from June 1 to June 5, 2020.
Future plans for the line will see a direct connection to Line 9 at Gimpo International Airport. This would create a long line that would provide through service from Incheon Airport to the Gangnam area. Trains on both lines will also be extended from six to eight cars. This connection will not open until 2023.
AREX 2000-series train 2-13.
From https://www.befreetour.com/en/detail/362-arex-incheon-airport-express-train-one-way-ticket-in-seoul
You can read more about the trains running on this line here.
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