Line 1
When Line 1 first opened, the name only applied to the underground section between Cheongnyangni and Seoul Station. All other services were considered regional lines operated by Korail. While the surrounding Korail services continued to expand, the original Line 1 remained the same.
A news broadcast commemorating the line's opening. There are English captions in the video.
At the time of its opening, the 9 stations on the metro line created a system of 37 stations on national lines, with a northern terminus at Seongbuk Station (now Kwangwoon University Station), a western terminus at Incheon Station, and a southern terminus at Suwon Station. This system ran on parts of several major national railways, including the Gyeongin Line and the Gyeongwon Line.
On December 9, 1978, a new branch opened on the Gyeongwon Line, diverting from the existing line at Yongsan and rejoining at Cheongnyangni.
On April 20, 1985, the Gyeongwon Line was extended to Chang-dong on Line 4. It was extended a further six stations to Uijeongbu the next year. On October 5, 1987, it was extended to Uijeongbu Bukbu (now Ganeung).
The opening of the 1986 extension of the Gyeongwon Line to Uijeongbu.
On October 25, 1988, the Ansan Line opened as a southward branch, diverting at Geumjeong and ending at Ansan. It was extended past Geumjeong to Indeogwon in 1993.
A map from the early 1980s showing the state of the system. The underground portion is marked in red, and the regional lines are marked in blue. Line 2, marked in green, is also visible here.
By skinnylawyer from Los Angeles, California, USA - Early 1980s Seoul Subway Map, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17907488
In 2000, it was decided that all surrounding Korail lines and the subway would be merged into a greater Metro Line 1. This added hundreds of kilometers of track to the original subway length and significantly expanded the services of the line.
On April 30, 2003, the line was extended southward to Byeongjeom. The Ansan Line service was transferred to Line 4.
On January 20, 2005, another southward extension opened, stretching eight stations from Byeongjeom to Cheonan. On December 16 of that same year, the Gyeongwon Line branch at Yongsan was separated and renamed to the Yongsan-Deokso Line (predecessor to the Jungang Line, and today the Gyeongui-Jungang Line)
A northward extension to Soyosan opened on December 15, 2006. A spur line to Gwangmyeong also opened, with trains branching off at Siheung (now Geumcheon-gu Office).
On December 15, 2008, the line was extended southward from Cheonan to Sinchang on the Janghang Line.
Seodongtan Station opened on February 26, 2010, with trains branching off at Byeongjeom. This completed the current line.
The complete services of Line 1 now run on parts of the following national lines:
The Gyeongbu Line, from Seoul Station to Cheonan (96.6 km,~60 mi)
The Gyeongin Line, from Guro to Incheon (27 km, 16.7 mi)
The Janghang Line, from Cheonan to Sinchang (19.4 km,~12 mi)
The Gyeongwon Line, from Hoegi to Soyosan (41.5 km, 25.8 mi)
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By 안우석 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40389980
This line runs on the left-hand side of the track. Seoul Metro trains can only operate between Yangju and either Seodongtan or Incheon. Korail trains can operate on the entire line.
The current line is 200.6 km (124.6 mi) long. This would make it one of the longest rapid transit lines in the world.
Along with all-stop service, Korail also offers several express services:
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Gyeongin Line
-Yongsan to Dongincheon, making all stops between Yongsan and Guro, then making express stops between Guro and Dongincheon
-Regular express services (introduced on January 29, 1999)
-Faster limited express (introduced on July 7, 2017)
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Gyeongbu Line
-Cheongnyangni to either Cheonan or Sinchang, making express stops between Gasan Digital Complex and Cheonan, running local elsewhere
-Seoul Station to either Cheonan or Sinchang. It skips all stations between Seoul Station and Geumcheon-gu Office, stops at Anyang, Gunpo, and Uiwang, then runs express stops the rest of the way. Seoul-bound trains stop at Yeongdeungpo, while Cheonan/Sinchang-bound trains do not (The reason being a lack of a rasied platform on that side). This service was introduced on September 25, 1982.
-This service was discontinued on December 27, 2019, but was reinstated on January 8, 2020.
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Gyeongwon Line
-Dongducheon or Soyosan to Incheon, making express stops between Dongducheon and Kwangwoon University and running local the rest of the way.
Former express services include:
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A late night service that started at Soyosan, made all stops to Guro, and made express stops to Incheon.
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A service from Yeongdeungpo to Byeongjeom. It would skip all stations from Yeongdeungpo to Anyang, then making express stops the rest of the way. It was introduced on August 25, 2014 and discontinued on December 9, 2016.
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Two faster services, one in each direction, from Yongsan to Sinchang. It only operated on weekends and holidays. It was introduced in 2013 and discontinued on July 1, 2018.
Korail trains are stored at either the Imun Depot, Guro Depot, or Byeongjeom Depot. Seoul Metro trains are stored at Line 2's Gunja Depot.
Line 1 is currently being extended on the Gyeongwon Line, from Soyosan to Yeoncheon. Construction started in September 2014 and the extension is expected to open in November 2021.
You can read more about the trains running on this line here.
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