There is no separate SRT since 1 September 2026. Korail merged it into KTX, so one app, KORAIL+, sells every high-speed train. Seoul, Yongsan and Suseo are still three different stations, so check the station name on your ticket. We read Korail's English booking pages and press releases on 11 October 2026, and its English pages again on 12 October 2026.
The SRT is now part of KTX
Korail published three press releases about the merger in September and October 2026. We read all three on info.korail.com.
Note: 1 September 2026: KTX and SRT high-speed services merged, and KORAIL+ searches every high-speed train in one go, whatever the station (Korail press releases, 2 and 18 Sep 2026)
Price: KTX fares fell to the old SRT level, about 10% lower on average (Korail press release, 8 Oct 2026). Seoul to Busan went from ₩59,800 to ₩54,400 (Korail press release, 5 Aug 2026, read 4 Nov 2026)
Note: Korail said the former SRT trains became KTX-Sancheon, so check the train number and the destination before boarding (Korail press release, 2 Sep 2026)
Booking: Booking went from 7 steps to 4 in the app. Korail plans to go from 7 to 10 languages in November 2026 (press release, 8 Oct 2026)
What we saw on Korail's English booking page on 11 October 2026 fits that. Suseo to Busan trains for 12 October showed as "KTX" and "KTX-Sancheon". Seoul to Busan trains showed as "KTX".
| Detail | Our earlier guide said | Korail now says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| App | Korail Talk, and a separate SRT app | One app, KORAIL+, for all high-speed trains | Korail |
| Tickets | Korail tickets are not valid on the SRT | One booking, any high-speed train | Korail |
| Fare gap | SRT about ₩7,000 cheaper than KTX | KTX fares fell to the SRT level, about 10% on average. Seoul to Busan is ₩54,400 | Korail |
| Seoul Station pilot | A February 2026 pilot let SRT use Seoul Station | Search covers Seoul, Suseo and Yongsan together | Korail |
Which station: Seoul, Yongsan or Suseo
Korail's English station list marks Seoul, Yongsan and Suseo as KTX stations. They are in different places, and your hotel decides which one saves time.
Subway: Seoul Station to Myeongdong is two stops on Line 4. We did not time the ride from Suseo or Yongsan to the centre, so check Naver Map for your hotel
Note: Korail's 8 October 2026 release names the Gyeongjeon, Jeolla and Donghae lines as Suseo routes whose ridership grew since the merger. Our search also showed Suseo to Busan trains
Note: Sample from Korail's English search, run 11 Oct 2026 for 12 Oct: Seoul to Busan, the seven KTX trains among the first ten results, 05:13 to 06:57 departures, 2 h 37 min to 2 h 58 min. Suseo to Busan, first ten trains, 05:30 to 09:20 departures, 2 h 11 min to 3 h 3 min
These are samples of early trains. Compare your own date.
KTX, KTX-Sancheon and KTX-Eum
Note: KTX-Eum: 14 trains, 381 seats each, 105.5 m long, top speed given as 286 km/h (Korail English train page, undated)
Getting there: Routes: a December 2025 report of a Korail announcement says KTX-Eum serves the Jungang line from Cheongnyangni to Busanjin, with 8 of the 16 weekday trips continuing to Seoul Station, and also Gangneung to Busanjin and Seoul to Andong. The timetable may have changed since
| Detail | One source says | Another says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| KTX-Eum top speed | Korail English train page: 286 km/h | Korean Wikipedia's KTX-Eum article, read 15 Oct 2026: 260 km/h in service, 286 km/h design speed | 260 km/h in service. Korail did not say which speed its page means |
We did not find what Korail calls the upper class on KTX-Eum. For the booking steps, see our booking guide.
First class: what we could and could not confirm
Korail's English booking list shows "Economy class" and "First class" as two buttons on each KTX. A train that has no first class shows a dash instead.
Note: Seen on Korail's English search, 11 Oct 2026, for 12 Oct: First class showed "Sold out" on all ten Suseo to Busan trains we saw, and on three of the seven KTX trains from Seoul. The list shows First class, not a dash, on both KTX and KTX-Sancheon
Price: Our earlier estimate, from before the 1 September 2026 cut, was about ₩84,000 first class for Seoul to Busan. Korail now gives ₩54,400 for the trip without naming the class, and we did not find a current first-class fare
We did not check seat width, extras or the exact price gap. Do not count on first class being available on a busy day.
Before you board
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Read the train number and the destination. The train type no longer tells you where it goes.
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Read the departure station on your ticket.
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Korail says it pays 75% of the fare back for a delay of 90 minutes or more that is its fault, and the full fare for 120 minutes or more (press release, 8 Oct 2026).
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 11 October 2026: Korail's English booking page and the train list it showed, its English station list, its English page on KTX-Eum, and Korail press releases of 2 September, 18 September and 8 October 2026 on info.korail.com.
Not checked: whether the old SRT app and website still sell tickets, the first-class price gap, seat size, the KTX-Eum routes and times today, which line or station best matches your hotel, and the subway ride from Suseo or Yongsan. We stopped using Korail's search after the site said it had detected unusual activity, and we did not try to get around that. We did not buy a ticket.
Re-checked on 12 October 2026 only through news reports of the merger (Korea Times, 31 August 2026, and Asiae, 2 September 2026). We did not re-open Korail's booking search.
Re-checked on 4 November 2026, for the fare:
- Korail's press release of 5 August 2026: from 1 September 2026 the KTX fare from Seoul to Busan is ₩54,400, down from ₩59,800, and Yongsan to Gwangju Songjeong ₩42,000, down from ₩46,800. The release does not name the seat class.
Korail's live fare search showed a block for unusual activity on 4 November 2026, so we did not see the fare for a single train.
So, the Seoul to Busan fare is Korail's own figure, and the first-class fare is still not confirmed.
