Kim Tae-seung, chief executive of Korea Railroad Corp., known as Korail, said the merger of Korail and SR Corp., the operator of the SRT high-speed rail service, was aimed at improving public convenience.
Speaking in opening remarks at a parliamentary audit of Korail held at the National Assembly on the 13th, Kim said the company would "do its utmost to ensure that the gains from the high-speed rail merger translate into tangible benefits for the public." He added, "We will make sure people can use more trains at lower fares and feel that the merger was indeed the right decision."
Kim said daily seating capacity has risen by 16,000 seats since the merger and that ridership has increased by about 10%. "We will prepare without disruption for the launch of KTX services from Incheon and Suwon, and introduce new high-speed trainsets on schedule," he said. When Rep. Eom Tae-young of the People Power Party said there were concerns that the merger was intended to strengthen the union's right to collective action, Kim replied that he found the characterization difficult to accept.
Korail plans to develop new businesses, including station-area development and overseas projects, while pursuing management efficiency and improved finances at its merged affiliates. On rail safety, the company will establish new standards through a shift to artificial intelligence.
Referring to the death of an employee at Uiwang Station in August, Kim said the company would "thoroughly analyze the cause of the accident and work to ensure that such an accident never happens again."
On the breakdown in Chuseok holiday train ticket sales, he acknowledged that "a setback in the project to expand the reservation and ticketing system caused great inconvenience to the public." Asked about disciplinary action against those responsible, however, he said the company would "review the cause and the process once again."
Kim also agreed with criticism that fare evasion is not being properly managed during periods of heavy demand such as holidays. "There are areas where we fail to properly prevent fare evasion, and even though we have imposed penalties of twice the fare, the drop in the fare evasion rate has not been that large," he said. "We will draw up more fundamental measures."