Seoul Subway Line 5

Seoul Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, dubbed the violet line, is a long line crossing from west to the east across the Seoul National Capital Area, South Korea. It is one of two subway lines in Seoul to cross under the Han River (the other being the Suin-Bundang Line), which is done at two points (between Mapo and Yeouinaru, and also between Gwangnaru and Cheonho). The main line runs through to Hanam Geomdansan Station while the branch line from Gangdong Station terminates at Macheon Station. In 2019, Line 5 carried an annual ridership of 334 million or about 915,000 passengers per day. It is the only line so far to have no above-ground stations, though it initially shared this distinction with Line 6 before the construction of Sinnae station.

Line 5 has a different station sign design compared to the first four lines; its station signs have purple or blue arrowhead-shaped designs with their station's number printed in the top, the Hangul name in the centre, and the English and Hanja names on the bottom, with an arm pointing out of the end of the arrowhead indicating the next station, with the straight part of the arrowhead holding the previous station's name. This design would be repeated in Lines 7 and 8, while a similar design with a chevron-shaped sign would be employed in Line 6.

The total length of this line is . Upon opening, it was among the longest underground railway tunnels of any kind constructed. Today it is the 8th longest continuous underground subway tunnel in the world, just behind Chengdu Metro Line 6, Qingdao Metro Line 1, Guangzhou Metro Line 18, Guangzhou Metro Line 3, Moscow Metro Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line, Beijing Subway Line 10 and Beijing Subway Line 6. Line 5 is also the first subway and passenger railway line in the Korean Peninsula to directly serve an airport, when the line was extended westward to Banghwa via Gimpo International Airport in 1996.

History The line was built 1990–1996 and is an important east–west link connecting Gimpo Airport, the Yeouido business area, downtown Seoul, and the Gangdong residential districts.

In 1996 Line 5 was implemented with Automatic train operation. However, it was deemed that a driver would be necessary in case of a breakdown of the automation system, therefore each subway train has one driver on board.

It was the world's longest underground railway line for 9 years until Guangzhou Metro Line 3 came into operation in 2005.

In December 2010 the line is recorded as having the third highest WiFi data consumption in the Seoul Metropolitan area. It averaged 1.67 times more than the other 14 subway lines fitted with WiFi service zones.

The main branch of the line was extended to the city of Hanam with a total of 5 stations spanning 6.5 km. The extension opened in two stages; the first opened on August 8, 2020, and the other opened on March 27, 2021.

Tourism In January 2013, the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, which operated the line at the time, published free guidebooks features eight tours as well as recommendations for accommodations, restaurants and shopping centers. These guidebooks were printed in three languages: English, Japanese and Chinese (simplified and traditional). They were distributed from information centers on this line.

The tours are designed with different themes for travel along the subway lines, e.g. Korean traditional culture. The destinations range from Jongno 3-ga Station to Anguk Station and Gyeongbokgung Station on line No 3 showcasing antique shops and art galleries of Insa-dong.

In the summer of 2013, the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation to display water parks that are located near stations operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation on the LCD screens both inside the train, and on the station platforms.

Stations Current Routes Banghwa — Hanam Geomdansan (main line) Banghwa — Macheon (Macheon branch) Macheon — Hanam Geomdansan (future)

Main Line StationNumber Station Name Station Name Transfer Distance TotalDistance Location Nusan (2033) 누산 Seokmo (2033) 석모 Janggi (2033) 장기 Gamjeong (2033) 감정 (Goyang branch) Singeomdanjungang (2033) 신검단중앙 Ara (2033) 아라 Pungmu (2033) 풍무 Hyangsan (2033) 향산 Jeonho (2033) 전호 Gangseo Hakang Park (2033) 강서한강공원 Banghwa Gaehwasan Gimpo Int'l Airport Songjeong Magok (Home & Shopping) Balsan Ujangsan Hwagok Kkachisan (Sinjeong branch) Sinjeong (Eunhaengjeong) Mok-dong Omokgyo (Mokdong Stadium) Yangpyeong Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Yeongdeungpo Market Singil Yeouido Yeouinaru Mapo Gongdeok Aeogae Chungjeongno (Kyonggi Univ.) Seodaemun (Kangbuk Samsung Hospital) Gwanghwamun (Sejong Center for the Performing Arts) Jongno 3(sam)-ga (Tapgol Park) Euljiro 4(sa)-ga (BC Card) Dongdaemun History & Culture Park (DDP) Cheonggu Singeumho Haengdang Wangsimni (Seongdong-gu Office) Majang Dapsimni Janghanpyeong Gunja (Neung-dong) Achasan (Rear Entrance to Seoul Children's Grand Park) Gwangnaru (Presbyterian Univ. & Theological Seminary) Cheonho (Pungnaptoseong) Gangdong (Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital) (for Macheon) Gil-dong Gubeundari (Gangdong Community Center) Myeongil Godeok (Kyung Hee Univ. Hospital at Gangdong) (2028) Sangil-dong 554 Gangil 555 Misa Gyeonggi-do Hanam-si 556 Hanam Pungsan 557 Hanam City Hall (Deokpung & Sinjang) (2032) 558 Hanam Geomdansan

Macheon Branch StationNumber Station Name Station Name Transfer Distance TotalDistance Location Gangdong (Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital) (for Hanam Geomdansan) Dunchon-dong Olympic Park (Korea National Sport Univ.) Bangi Ogeum Gaerong Geoyeo Macheon

Rolling stock

Current Seoul Metro Seoul Metro 5000 series 1st generation – since 1994 (Retired) 2nd generation – since 1996 3rd generation – since 2018 4th generation – since 2021 (Future) 5th generation – since 2024 (Future) 6th generation – since 2026

Ridership Seoul Subway Line 5 RidershipYearRidershipChange (%)Remarks2026177,906,025 -Updated as of June 20262025347,960,248 0.6Highest on record2024345,858,654 3.32023334,884,000 8.7Restoration of 2019 ridership2022308,022,000 11.62021276,001,000 6.7Extension from Hanam Pungsan to Hanam Geodamsan opens for service2020258,551,000 22.6COVID-19 pandemic Extension from Sangil-dong to Hanam Pungsan opens for service2019333,836,000 1.62018328,528,000 0.22017327,891,000 0.02016327,935,000 6.32015308,501,000 1.22014312,163,000 0.92013309,511,000 0.82012307,046,000 1.92011301,380,000 1.72010296,458,000 1.42009292,496,000 2.02008298,451,000 0.4Opening of Magok station between Songjeong and Balsan2007297,274,000 0.92006300,028,000 1.82005305,608,000 2.12004312,313,000 1.82003306,868,000 1.92002301,195,000 0.32001301,992,000 47.8Vast network expansion of Seoul Metropolitan Subway2000204,351,000 28.01999283,667,000 43.61998197,538,000 3.11997191,521,000 -

Notes

Seoul Subway Line 5

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