South Korea's KORAIL and SRT Merge, Cutting KTX Fares by 10%

The Fair Trade Commission approved the corporate merger of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and SR (SRT), ending a decade‑long competition system in high‑speed rail. From September, KTX and SRT services will operate under the single KTX brand, with fares aligned to the lower SRT level – a 10% reduction for three years.

The integration plan calls for a 6% increase in seat capacity (over 15,000 seats on weekdays and 17,000 on weekends) and more daily trips (about 402 on weekdays and 457 on weekends). Mileage accrues at 5% of the fare, matching the existing KTX program, and other discount and ticketing services will be unified. A combined booking app, “KORAIL+,” was launched to handle reservations for the merged service.