S-Train (aka Namdo Sea Sightseeing Train ()) is a South Korean

tourist train ''Tourist Train'' (Italian: ''Treno popolare'') is a 1933 Italian comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Marcello Spada, Lina Gennari and Carlo Petrangeli. The film portrays the comic adventures of a group of summertime traveller ...

operated by Korail. The train began operations in 2013 and transports tourists through southern South Korea.

Overview

The train began running on September 27, 2013, and travels two routes, one from

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

Yeosu Yeosu (; ''Yeosu-si''), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea an ...

South Jeolla Province South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

and another from Gwangju in South Jeolla Province to

Masan Masan is an administrative region of Changwon, a city in the South Gyeongsang Province. It was formerly an independent city from 1949 until 30 June 2010, when it was absorbed to Changwon along with Jinhae. Masan was redistricted as two distric ...

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

. The double routes operate at the same time from different directions and meet at the Hadong station in

where passengers can transfer to the other train. One of the stops is Suncheon, with nearby

Suncheon Bay Located in Suncheon, Jeonnam in South Korea, Suncheon Bay is a coastal wetland, composed of a long stream, a wide tideland and a wide field of reeds. Due to its natural coast, it is the habitat of migratory birds and plants and animals. It is t ...

, hosts of the

2013 Suncheon Garden Expo Korea The Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013 () was the first of its kind to be held in Korea. The Expo focused on green technology development such as solar energy, sustainable garden development and electronic transportation. It showcased green technologi ...

. The letter "S" in the name stems from "south", the "S" shaped route along the curvy shape of the South Sea of Korea,"slow", "sea" and "sightseeing". The train is distinguished with its slow travel pace. Boseong tea field

The train has five cars set up for different functions, including family occasions, tea drinking, party events, sports and leisure. Small spaces between cars are storage for bicycle riders. The traditional Korean tea ceremonies include a talk, and the tea served comes from the regions of Boseong and

Hadong Hadong County (, ''Hadong-gun'') is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is on the far-west side of the province, bordering South Jeolla Province. The county office is located at Hadeong-eup. History The county of Hadong was call ...

, which are among the train stops. The exteriors are coloured in blue and pink, representing the ocean and the pink

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controv ...

flowers of the southern regions. The turtle-themed train, with the nose of the train painted like the head of a turtle, is a tribute to 16th century naval commander

Yi Sun-shin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi fough ...

, famous for his deploying of turtle-shaped warships. In April 2014, the train was used by the pop duo

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male pop duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as DBSK, an abbreviation of ...

, for a fan trip, to celebrate both their ten-year anniversary and that of Korail's

KTX Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...

rail system.

Operations

*Seoul~Yeosu Expo:

Seoul Station Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of most ...

Yeongdeungpo station Yeongdeungpo station (Station 139) is a ground-level railway station in Seoul, South Korea. The station is located in Yeongdeungpo Dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and is a stop on the Gyeongbu Line, Honam Line and Seoul Subway Line 1. The station is inte ...

- Suwon station - Cheonan station -

Seodaejeon station Seodaejeon station, meaning "West Daejeon station", is on the normal speed Honam Line, 161 km south of Yongsan Station. History The station opened on November 1, 1936 and KTX trains on the normal speed Honam Line began services on April 1, ...

Iksan station Iksan station is on South Korea's high-speed KTX railway network, 243 km south of Yongsan station. History The station opened on January 1, 1915, and KTX trains on the Honam Line began services on April 1, 2004. The most notable incident ...

Jeonju station Jeonju Station (; ) is a railway station of Jeolla Line, located in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, South Korea. KTX, ITX-Saemaeul, Mugunghwa-ho, S-Train stops at this station. Jeonju Station's feature is station built as Hanok style. Timeline Platform ...

- Namwon station -

Gokseong Station Gokseong station is a KTX station in the county of Gokseong, South Jeolla Province, on the southern coast of South Korea. It is on the Jeolla Line. History The station opened on October 15, 1933, and KTX trains on the Jeolla Line began services o ...

- Guryegu Station - Suncheon station -

Yeosu Expo Station Yeosu Expo station (Ko: 여수엑스포역) is a KTX station in the city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is on the Jeolla Line. KTX, ITX-Saemaeul, Mugunghwa-ho, and the S-Train stop at the station. It is registered as Yeosu- ...

*Busan~GwangjuSongjeong: Busan station -

Gupo station Gupo station is a station on the Gyeongbu Line It is located in northern Busan, South Korea, and was opened on 1 January 1905. Many trains stop here. It is also connected with the subway station Gupo station on Busan Metro Line 3 via an overhea ...

Mulgeum Station Mulgeum station is a railway station on the Gyeongbu Line located in Mulgeum-ri, Mulgeum-eup, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. It is the starting point of the Yangsan Line. Mugunghwa-ho and ITX-Saemaeul stops on 40 one-way trips, 20 up and 2 ...

- Samnangjin Station - Jinyeong station - Changwonjungang station - Masan station - Jinju station - Bukcheon station - Hadong station - Gwangyang Station - Suncheon station - Beolgyo Station - Deungnyang Station - Boseong Station - Myeongbong Station - Neungju Station - Hwasun Station - Nampyeong Station - Hyocheon Station - Seogwangju Station -

GwangjuSongjeong Station GwangjuSongjeong Station (formerly Songjeong-ri Station) is a station in Gwangju, South Korea. It is on the national high-speed KTX railway network, 341 km south of Yongsan Station. History The station opened on November 1, 1914, and the ...

:*Approximate travel time: 5 hours 30 minutes.

References

External links

S-Train at Korail
{{Korail Tourist train Services Passenger trains of the Korail Tourist trains in South Korea