Daegu Metro () is a

metro system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a tu ...

that serves primarily the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n city of

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

. It encompasses the three lines operated by Daegu Transportation Corporation (DTRO)—Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3—as well as the Daegu–Gyeongbuk Line (

Daegyeong Line The Daegyeong Line () is a commuter rail service of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway system which connects the cities of Gumi, Daegu, and Gyeongsan. Services are operated by Korail on the existing Gyeongbu Line. History The line opened for servic ...

), a commuter rail operated by

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation () is the national railway operator in South Korea. It is branded as KORAIL () and changed its official Korean name () in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, ...

. The system serves as the backbone of public transportation within the city and is gradually expanding into the surrounding

Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

region. As of 2015, the number of average daily passengers is 186,992 people for Line 1, 177,984 people for Line 2, and 69,127 people for Line 3.

History

The construction of Daegu Metro was recommended to the city after the City of Daegu conducted the research in 1985 to find the ways to improve the city's transit. Following the establishment of the committee to oversee the new metro transit construction in September 1989, the study was conducted from 1989 to 1990 to evaluate whether the construction project was feasible. The guidelines for the metro transit's construction and operation was approved in January 1991. While the guideline focused on solving the traffic issues due to the overpopulation of the downtown area, it set the consequent goals of improving the city with more efficiency resulting from shorter commuting times, cleaner environment with reduced auto traffic and energy expense, larger outreach to bring the transit to those outside the urban area, and improved transportation capacity. The

opened in 2023, marking the beginning of regional rail integration into the subway system.

Line 1

The construction of Daegu Metro Line 1 began in December 1991 and the first 10.3 km long section between Jincheon and Jungang-ro began on November 26, 1997. After the second long section of Line 1 between Jincheon and Ansim opened on May 2, 1998, the extension was made to Daegok towards south in May 2002. The southern extension was made from Daegok to Seolhwa in 2016, making Line 1 long with 32 stations. The most recent extension was made in December 2024 from Ansim to Hayang, making Line 1 long with 35 stations. The line serves its function to connect the southwestern area of the downtown to the city's east.

Line 2

The construction of Line 2 began in December 1996 and was completed on October 18, 2005, with the long section between Munyang and Sawol. In June 2007, the line was extended to connect the three newly built metro stations in the neighboring city of

Gyeongsan Gyeongsan (; ) is a satellite city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Its western border abuts the metropolitan city of Daegu, and much of Gyeongsan lies within the Daegu metropolitan area. Numerous universities are located in Gyeongsan, ...

. Another construction to add the long section to the line from Sawol to

Yeungnam University Yeungnam University () is a private research university located in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, South Korea. The university's predecessors, Taegu College and Chunggu College, were founded in Daegu in 1947 and 1950 respectively. In 1967, the two ...

of Gyeongsan was completed in September 2012. As of now, the line is long with 29 stations.

Line 3

The construction of Line 3 was completed between Gyeongbook University Hospital's Chilgok campus and Yongji on May 17, 2009. The most recent extension was made on April 23, 2015, with the entire line being long with 30 stations. Being operated as a

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

system with

monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

s, the line is also commonly referred as Sky Rail.

Line 4 (Future Plan)

The construction of Daegu Metro Line 4 was approved and is on track to begin by 2026. Initially named the ''Expo Line'', it was renamed to ''Daegu Metro Line 4'' during its planning period in 2023.' The line will operate via the

Automated guideway transit An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more dri ...

, and aims to connect Dong-gu to the heart of

Suseong District Suseong District () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea#Gu (District), ''gu'' (district) in southeastern Daegu, South Korea. It is one of the most prosperous and high-density areas of Daegu, the site of the city's most extensive hagwon ...

. Line 4's color will be sky blue.

Line 5 (Future Plan)

Daegu Metro Line 5 is planned to begin operation by 2032. Although the line was originally scheduled to be a

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

line, the current plan aims to construct Line 5 as a

. Line 5 is planned to be represented by the color green.

Daegyeong Line

The Daegu–Gyeongbuk Line is a metropolitan rail line connecting

Gumi Gumi or GUMI may refer to: * Gumi, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran * Gumi, Nepal, a village development committee in Surkhet District, Bheri Zone, Nepal * Gumi, North Gyeongsang, a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea ** Gumi Un ...

, while penetrating central

. The line is operated by

. The line is the second metropolitan commuter line outside the Seoul Capital Area, following the

Donghae Line The Donghae Line () is a railway line connecting Busanjin station to Samcheok station in South Korea. The literal meaning of its name, the "East Sea Line," reflects its position along the nation's East coast. It merged with the Donghae Nambu ...

Busan Metro The Busan Metro () is the urban rail system operated by the Busan Transportation Corporation of Busan, South Korea. The metro network first opened in 1985 with seventeen stations, making Busan the second city in South Korea and third in the Kor ...

Lines

Fare

For transit card users, the fare is 1,500 won for an adult, 850 won for teens, and 450 won for children. When using pre-paid tokens, the fare is 1,700 won for adults and teens, and 500 won for children.

Rolling stock

Daegu Metro lines are segregated, each with its own distinct vehicles. Lines 1 and 2 use the same railway technology (rapid transit), while Line 3 uses an entirely different system (monorail).

Accidents and incidents

On 28 April 1995, a

gas explosion A gas explosion is the Combustion, ignition of a mixture of air and flammable gas, typically from a gas leak. In household accidents, the principal explosive gases are those used for heating or cooking purposes such as natural gas, methane, propan ...

occurred during the construction of Line 1 near the District of Sangin. 101 people near the site, including 53 students, were killed and 143 people were injured. On 18 February 2003, the

Daegu subway fire On February 18, 2003, an arsonist set fire to a Daegu Metro subway train as it arrived at Jungangno station in central Daegu, South Korea. The resulting blaze, which spread when a second train stopped at the same station, killed 192 people an ...

broke out when an arsonist set fire to a train during the rush hour, killing 192 people and injuring 148 people. The incident raised great concerns and consequent awareness in the public safety of the metro transit, prompting the city to replace the subway car's internal materials to be more

flame retardant Flame retardants are a diverse group of chemicals that are added to manufactured materials, such as plastics and textiles, and surface finishes and coatings. Flame retardants are activated by the presence of an combustion, ignition source and pr ...

, placing the emergency gas masks and respirators within the subway cars, and improving the safety guidelines. In December 2008, the Daegu Safety Theme Park opened with the goal to educate and raise awareness of the public metro safety to the city's people as well as visitors.

Network map

References

External links

Daegu Transportation Corporation – official website

{{Rapid transit in Asia Transport in Daegu Underground rapid transit in South Korea Train-related introductions in 1995