Trains
Korea built a topnotch train system over the last half-century. Along with conventional trains, it developed a high-speed rail network that zooms passengers up and down the peninsula.
In the past, a friendly attitude could get you and your bike on board any of Korea’s trains. But nowadays most conductors turn cyclists and their bikes away.
Let’s explore which trains in Korea allow full-sized bikes (road, MTB, hybrid) on board.
Check out the timetables and lines that allow full-size bicycles aboard.
How to book a ticket for you and your bike using Korail’s smartphone app and website.
Listings of train stations on Kakao Maps. Open and zoom in.
Are Bikes Allowed on Trains?
Most of the trains in Korea do not allow assembled, full-size bicycles on board. Only select ITX-Cheongchun and limited ITX trains have designated “bicycle seats” where passengers can board with their ready-to-ride road, mountain, or hybrid bicycles.
However, almost all trains in Korea allow folding-bicycles in their collapsed positions or disassembled bikes packaged in travel bags or cases and stored in luggage compartments.
The Trains of Korea
Five types of trains roll on Korea’s railroad tracks.
- ITX (medium-speed) — Select routes allow full-sized bikes.
- Mugunghwa-ho (slow-speed) — bike carriages discontinued in 2022. Only folding bikes or packaged full-size bikes in travel cases or bags are allowed.
- KTX (high-speed) — only folding bikes or packaged full-size bikes in travel cases or bags are allowed.
- SRT (high-speed) — only folding bikes or packaged full-size bikes in travel cases or bags are allowed.
- Subway Trains — full-sized bikes on certain days. Read more here.
Would you like to take a train with your assembled, full-sized bike? ITX trains are the only type of train in Korea that offers bike cradles for road, mountain, or hybrid bicycles.
- All ITX-Cheongchun (ITX-청춘) trains, which travel from Seoul to Chuncheon along the Bukhangang Bike Path, provide bicycle cradles.
- It may be possible to find an ITX-Saemaeul train with “bicycle seats.” This class of train replaced the bike-friendly Mugunghwa-ho trains.
One caveat. You must book a designated “bicycle seat” before you arrive at the train station. The ticket assigns you a bike cradle for your bike and a passenger seat for your butt.
How can you find out which trains offer bike cradles? Two options:
- Check Korail’s smartphone app or website beforehand.
- Reference my train timetables. They list all the bike-friendly trains in Korea.
ITX-Saemaeul
The ITX (Intercity eXpress) is Korea’s new class of conventional trains. They run faster than older Mugunghwa-ho trains (165 km/h vs. 140 km/h). But they’re slower than Korea’s high-speed trains (305~330 km/h).
Compared to Mugunghwa-ho, ITX trains include more amenities, wider seats, and make fewer stops. They run on most of Korea’s major rail lines, including Gyeongbu, Honam, Jeolla, and Gyeongchun Lines. And they visit more cities than the KTX and SRT.
ITX and Bikes
There is only one ITX-Saemaeul train that accepts full-sized bikes: the ITX-Cheongchun. More below.
All ITX-Saemaeul trains allow collapsed folding bikes and full-size bikes packaged in a bike travel bag or case and stored luggage compartment.
ITX-Cheongchun
The ITX-Cheongchun is the only bike-friendly ITX train in Korea. It runs on the Gyeongchun Line, journeying from Seoul’s Yongsan Station (용산역; map), to Chuncheon City (춘천시; map).
The ITX-Cheongchun runs parallel to the Bukhangang Bike Path beginning at Cheongpyeong Station (청평역; map). It follows the certification bike path to Chuncheon Station (춘천역; map), the end of the line.
Unlike the Mugunghwa-ho workhorses, tourists flock to the ITX-Cheongchun to escape Seoul and explore Chuncheon, a pastoral city filled with parks, lakes, and romantic sights.
The ITX-Cheongchun also operates Korea’s only double-decker trains. Besides updated amenities, the train travels at 180 km/h (112 mph).
ITX-Cheongchun and Bikes
Want to cycle the Bukhangang Bike Path? The ITX-Cheongchun is one the simplest ways to get there.
The bike path travels along the top third of the cycling course. And the ITX-Cheongchun’s final train station lies 15 minutes closer to the Bukhangang Bike Path’s northernmost certification center (stamp booth) than the nearest intercity bus terminal.
(Starting the Bukhangang Bike Path in the south? Take Seoul Metro’s Gyeongui–Jungang Line on the weekend. Or hop on an intercity bus and travel to Hanam Intercity Bus Terminal.)
Each ITX-Cheongchun train has eight bicycle cradles (자전거거치대). Four in the first car. Four in the last. Cradles accommodate bikes of any size: road, MTB, hybrid.
You want to buy a ticket at the station? Wait a minute!
You must reserve a designated bicycle seat in advance. This special ticket gives you a seat in a passenger car and an assigned bike cradle in an adjacent dining car.
How do you book a seat? Use my train timetable listings and read my guide on booking a train ticket. It explains how to use the Korail smartphone app or website.
Seoul Metro’s Gyeongchun Line
Is it too difficult to book a “bike seat” ticket on a Korail train? Then ride on the Seoul Metro’s Gyeongchun Line (경춘선; map).
This regional line uses the same tracks as the ITX-Cheongchun. It travels from northeast Seoul’s Cheongnyangni Station (청량리역; map) to Chuncheon Station.
The regional commuter train allows full-sized bikes on weekends and holidays. However, unlike other subway and regional lines, the Gyeongchun Line lets big bikes ride between 10 AM and 4 PM on weekdays. (All trains permit folding bikes.)
Bikes on Trains Etiquette
Beware when you bring your bike aboard a train! Other passengers may not welcome your gear-toothed contraption.
Follow these simple rules to avoid bumps on your train trip.
- Train doors are narrow. Be careful when boarding and changing cars.
- Let others go first when possible.
- Place your bicycle in its assigned bike cradle and make sure it’s secure.
- Don’t prop your bike against the wall or lean it on seats.
- Take responsibility for smudged pants and scraped legs.
Mugunghwa-ho
First introduced in 1980, the Mugunghwa-ho (무궁화호) class of trains is the oldest still in operation in Korea. Once the most premium class, now they’re the nation’s slow workhorses (140 km/h; 87 mph).
Humble Mugunghwa-ho trains run on older tracks that weave throughout the country, stopping at metropolises, mid-tier cities, and countryside towns.
Here’s the good and bad of Mugunghwa-ho trains:
- They stop at more stations than any other train. This lets passengers reach hard-to-get-to regions around Korea.
- They stop at more stations than any other train. This increases their average travel time.
How slow are Mugunghwa-ho trains? The KTX takes 2.5 hours to travel from Seoul to Busan. Mugunghwa-ho trains take 5.5 hours. More than double the time!
Mugunghwa-ho and Bikes
Mugunghwa-ho trains once operated train cars with bike racks. However, as of 2022, Korail retired aging carriages. So it is no longer possible to travel on Mugunghwa-ho trains with fully assembled road, mountain, or hybrid bikes.
However, you may ride Mugunghwa-ho trains with a collapsed folding bike or full-size bike packaged in a bike travel bag or case and stored luggage compartment.
The following lines cross Korea’s certification bike paths:
- Gyeongbu Line — crosses the Hangang, Ocheon, Geumgang, & Nakdonggang Bike Paths.
- Honam Line — crosses the Hangang, Ocheon, Geumgang, & Yeongsangang Bike Paths.
- Jeolla Line — crosses the Hangang, Ocheon, Geumgang, Seomjingang Bike Paths.
- Gyeongbuk Line — crosses the Saejae & Nakdonggang Bike Paths.
KTX
The KTX or Korean Train eXpress class of trains became the fastest on the peninsula in 2004. Traveling at 305 km/h (190 mph), it became the most convenient way to get from Seoul to any other major metro city in Korea.
High-Speed Railway Lines
The KTX runs along five high-speed railways:
Gyeongbu Line
The Gyeongbu Line (경부선; map; 441.7 km; 90 stations) is Korea’s most trafficked railroad. It connects the nation’s largest and second largest cities. From Seoul Station (서울역; map), the line passes Daejeon, Daegu, and Ulsan Cities on its way to Busan Station (부산역; map) on the southeast tip of Korea.
Honam Line
Near the middle of the country, the Honam Line (호남선; map; 252.5 km; 48 stations) splits away from the Gyeongbu Line at Osong Station (오송역; map) in Cheongju City (청주시; map). It meanders down to Mokpo Station (목포역; map) on the southwest edge of the country. Iksan and Gwangju are two major cities along the way.
Jeolla Line
At Iksan Station (익산역; map) in North Jeolla Province, the Jeolla Line (전라선; map; 180.4 km; 30 stations) forks from the Honam Line. It travels through the center of the country before ending at Yeosu Expo Station (여수엑스포역; map) on the south coast.
Gangneung Line
Opened in 2017, the Gangneung Line (강릉선; map; 223.2 km) is the latest rail line to receive a high-speed upgrade. It travels from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station in Seoul to Gangneung (강릉시; map), a resort city on Korea’s East Coast.
Gyeongjeon Line
The Gyeongjeon Line (경전선; map; 289.5 km; 45 stations) crosses the bottom of the Korean peninsula. It shuttles between Miryang City (밀양시; map) in the southeast and Gwangju City (광주광역시; map) in the southwest.
KTX and Bikes
In days past, kind conductors might have allowed a cyclist to bring their full-size bike aboard. They would’ve asked them to detach their wheels and keep everything out of sight.
But times change. Now, only passengers can carry aboard collapsed folding bikes, or full-size bicycles packaged in a bike travel bag or case and stored in the luggage compartment.
SRT
The Super Rapid Train (SRT) and the KTX have a lot in common.
- They’re high-speed trains.
- They use both the Gyeongbu and Honam Lines.
- Busan Station and Mokpo Station mark their southern endpoints.
How are they different?
- Korail, a public corporation, operates the KTX.
- The SRT is owned by a private company.
- The SRT only runs on the Gyeongbu and Honam Lines.
Two more important distinctions.
- The SRT uses slightly newer trains.
- To stay competitive, the SRT keeps their prices about 10% cheaper than the KTX.
Service begins at Suseo Station (수서역; map), a private SRT station just south of the Han River in Seoul. It then runs along sixty kilometers of private track, 86% of which is underground, and stops at two more SRT-only stations.
- Dongtan Station (동탄역; map) — Korea’s first underground train station.
- Jije Station (지제역; map)
After its third stop, the SRT joins KTX trains on the Gyeongbu Line.
SRT and Bikes
Like the KTX, the SRT enforces strict policies regarding bikes.
- SRT trains do not permit assembled full-sized bikes.
- Passengers may store collapsed folding bikes or full-size bicycles packaged in a bike travel bag or case in the luggage compartment.
