Choo Choo Train

South Korea's Subway System

My friend and I opted to use the bus on our way to our hotel since we are not so familiar with the subway system yet.  And we just followed the directions we find convenient to us on how to get to our hotel based on their website.  

As tourist, you have to remember first the address of your hotel or guesthouse, the complete address if possible and directions on how to get there. 

Once settled, it’s best to check out first the location and the direction of your desired tourist destination.  Who knows, maybe the place you want to go to might just be a few meters away from your hotel and can be reached on foot.

According to http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/TR/TR_EN_5_1_4.jsp

“Subway systems offer a convenient way of exploring metropolitan cities in Korea. With some guidance, anyone will be able to use the metropolitan subway systems with ease. Each subway station has a name, number, and color, which represents the Subway Line. Transfer stations, where two or more Lines intersect, are marked differently – usually a larger circle – on a subway map. By looking at the subway map, you can determine your departure and arrival stations.”

In using the subway map, find out first the line and the exit nearest to your hotel.  When you are underground, you should remember your exit number so as to avoid getting lost.  During our travel, my friend had put the job on me regarding our destinations and itineraries.  

Despite all my research, we still failed to get the right exit in going back to our hotel because I did not completely understand all these stuff.  Plus, I never paid attention to the exit numbers on the signboards.  I did not know then its significance.

What I like about the subway stations are some of the facilities it has like the vending machines for cold drinks and coffee as well as the locker areas.  Stations in the city uses glass walled panels with sliding doors.  This ensures safety of the people who are using the train and prevents accidents.

When you have become familiar with your line and exit numbers, the next thing to find out is how to get to your destination. It is also important to take note the transfer stations that you need to take.  You should also study the shortest or the most convenient way to get to your desired place.

When we went to Lotte World in Jamsil, we took the subway Line 2 since the nearest station to us is Euljiro 1 (il) station.  We just waited for the train to reach Jamsil Station.  After swiping off the Tmoney card, we got lost because we didn’t know exactly which way was the right exit. It’s not like the LRT or the MRT where there are just two exit points. So we searched for signboards with Lotte.  Soon we found our way leading to an information booth where the assistant told us the exact location of Lotte World’s entrance.  

inside the train

HELPFUL

Inside the train, there is a list of stations or route.  Other trains have maps with light indicators as to what station the train is heading. Making things easier for subway passengers are the monitors and public announcements regarding the stations in at least two sometimes three languages - English, Korean and Japanese.

What I like in the subway city line is the glass wall and sliding doors that provide safety for passengers.  No room for people with suicidal tendencies or similar possible accidents.  here's how it looks:  

glass wall and sliding doors dividing the area of waiting
passengers and the train provide safety and security for the riding public