Seoul extends bus and subway hours, incentivizes taxis on New Year's Eve

The late-night transportation extension comes as the city government plans to host a countdown event from Bosingak Pavilion to Sejong-daero in Jongno District, central Seoul, starting at 11 p.m. on Sunday and concluding at 1 a.m. on Monday.

Commuters take a bus near Jonggak Station in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Wednesday. The sign on the bus reads the bus will operate longer on New Year's Eve with a countdown event set to be held in the area. [YONHAP]

Buses and subways in Seoul will operate beyond midnight on New Year's Eve.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday, 173 routes, covering subway lines No. 1 to 9, Ui-Sinseol Line, and Sillim Line, will be extended and operate through 2 a.m. on the New Year, which falls on Monday.

The late-night transportation extension comes as the city government plans to host a countdown event from Bosingak Pavilion to Sejong-daero in Jongno District, central Seoul, starting at 11 p.m. on Sunday and concluding at 1 a.m. on Monday.

Buses will also run past midnight, but only 38 routes passing temporary bus stops near the event sites will be added due to road restrictions during this period.

Sejong-daero in downtown Seoul will be partially restricted from midnight on Sunday until 7 a.m., expanding to Saemuan-ro from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and five major roads in the area, including Cheonggyecheon-ro, until 7 a.m. Monday.

The city government will incentivize taxi drivers to pick up passengers from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Monday within 300 meters of six stations near the event site, including City Hall Station and Gwanghwamun Station, so that event participants can safely go home.

A total of 119 employees from Seoul Metro, the capital's subway operator, will be dispatched to eight subway stations near the venue.

From 11 p.m. on Sunday to 1 a.m. on Monday, subways will pass through Jonggak Station without stopping to prevent overcrowding-related accidents.

Fourteen public bicycle docking stations around Sejong-daero and Jonggak will be temporarily closed. Timely information on transportation near the event site can be obtained from the city government's transportation information center, Topis, or by calling 120.

Meanwhile, the city government announced plans to increase operations along subway lines No. 4, 7, and 9 to minimize platform overcrowding during rush hours.

Three additional routes will be added to subway line No. 4, one route to line No. 7, and five routes to line No. 9. These newly added routes are expected to reduce overcrowding levels from eight to 20 percent, averaging at 150 percent. A total of eight routes are anticipated to be added by early next year.

According to the city government, platform congestion levels last year remained at 148 percent on subway line No. 4 and 147 percent on line No. 7. For subway line No. 9, the congestion level is projected to decrease to as low as 159 percent if all eight routes are added next year. Five additional routes along line No. 9 will operate as early as Saturday.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]