Climate Card to expand on Suin-Bundang Line, reaching 504 stations in total

The Climate Card will be usable at 10 additional stations along the Suin-Bundang Line, which connects Seongnam in Gyeonggi to Seoul, starting in the latter half of next year.

A person tags the Climate Card pass at subway terminal in Yeuido station. [NEWS1]

The Climate Card will be usable at 10 additional stations along the Suin-Bundang Line, which connects Seongnam in Gyeonggi to Seoul, starting in the latter half of next year.

The Climate Card is a transportation pass offering unlimited use of most buses and subways, as well as Seoul Bike, in Seoul for 65,000 won ($44) a month. It was launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Jan. 27.

This expansion follows a business agreement signed between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seongnam City Government on Friday.

As part of this agreement, Climate Card users will have access to several stations within Seongnam on the Suin-Bundang Line. This includes Gachon University station, Taepyeong station, Moran station, Yatap station, Imae station, Seohyeon station, Sunae station, Jeongja station, Migeum station and Ori station.

About 120,000 passengers on the Suin-Bundang Line are expected to benefit from the change.

“Since Seongnam City is closely connected to life in Seoul, including commuting, the inclusion will significantly enhance transportation convenience,” a city official said.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government previously partnered with eight other Greater Seoul cities, including Gimpo, Namyangju, Guri and Goyang, to include stations in those cities in the Climate Card Pass.

With the addition of Seongnam, the pass can now be used at a total of 504 subway stations — 397 in Seoul and 107 in the Greater Seoul area.

“Uijeongbu, Namyangju, Guri in the northeast of the metropolitan area, Goyang in the northwest and Gimpo in the southwest, along with other key cities in the east, south and north of the metropolitan area, are now all connected thanks to the Climate Card Pass,” said the Seoul Metropolitan City official.

Since its launch, the pass has been used by around 700,000 users each month. It was recognized as the most beloved policy of the year in a survey conducted by the Seoul City Government from Dec. 3 to 9.

Gyeonggi also offers its own transportation pass, the Gyeonggi Pass, for residents of the region, including Seongnam. The pass is valid on all modes of public transportation, including the Shin-Bundang subway line, metropolitan buses and the GTX (Great Train Express). It provides a 20 percent refund on public transportation costs.

BY HAN EUN-HWA, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]