Line 9
Line 9 had its origins on Seoul's 3rd phase of subway construction in 1991. However, construction was delayed due to the 1995 Daegu Gas Explosions and the Asian Financial Crisis. A 1998 review of the plan reduced the scope of the third phase.
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It is a West-East line running along the south bank of the Han River. Its color is gold.
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The line itself was planned to be built in phases, with the first phase beginning construction in April 2002.
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The line opened on July 24, 2009, with service from Gaewha to Sinnonhyeon.
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A map of the system. Express stops are labeled in orange.
(Note: Express trains now stop at Magongnaru)
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From https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_ENG_2_10_9.jsp
The line quickly became infamous for heavy congestion and increasing ridership. More trains were ordered in 2011 to alleviate this and shorten headway. The express train schedule was also adjusted to include earlier and later times.
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On May 21, 2014, Magongnaru station opened between Sinbanghwa and Yangcheon Hyanggyo, providing a transfer with the Airport Railroad (AREX).
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Phase 2 of the line opened on March 28, 2015. It extended the line past Sinnonhyeon to Sports Complex, where a transfer to Line 2 was available.
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With this expansion of service came another spike in ridership. More trains were ordered in 2016.
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Phase 3 of the line opened on December 1, 2018. It extended the line further east, to VHS Medical Center. This completed the current Line 9.
The line remains one of the most heavily congested in the system. In the days after the Phase 3 extension, ridership increased by 6.4%, or about 145,000 people.
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Shown here is the platform at Sports Complex Station.
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From https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/12/281_259832.html
Express trains were gradually extended from four cars to six cars starting on December 30, 2017. All stop trains were also extended in the same manner starting in 2018. By the end of 2019, all trains were six cars long.
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Phase 1 of the line is operated by privately-owned Metro9, making it the first privately-run subway line in Korea. However, Phases 2, 3, and all subsequent phases are operated by Seoul Metro.
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All stations were built with screen doors. Some stations are quadruple-tracked to allow express trains to overtake all stop trains.
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All stop trains run the entire length of the line. Express trains do not stop at Gaehwa, and follow the pattern marked on the map above.
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The current line is 40.6 km (25.2 mi) long. All track is on the right-hand side.
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There is a single depot at Gimpo.
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In 2023, the line will be directly connected to the AREX at Gimpo International Airport, allowing a one-seat ride from the Gangnam area to Incheon International Airport. Trains on both lines will also be extended from six to eight cars.
First batch Seoul Metro 9000-series train 9-02.
You can read more about the trains running on this line here.
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