G-Train aka West Gold Train () is a South Korean tourist train 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 train began operations in 2015 and transports tourists from

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

along the coastal areas of the West Sea.

Overview

The train opened on February 5, 2015, and runs from Yongsan Station in Seoul to Iksan Station in

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of Sout ...

and back again. The train travels to several stops located near tourist points, seven of which are Asan Hot Springs in

Asan Asan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 400,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs an ...

, Sudeoksa Temple in

Yesan Yesan () is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Famous people from Yesan include independence fighter Yoon Bong-Gil. Sudeoksa, a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, is located on the southern slopes of Deoks ...

, Namdang Port

Hongseong Hongseong County () is a county in South Korea, and the capital of South Chungcheong Province. The current governor is Lee Yong-log. The original name of the city is ''Hongju''. Symbols * The flag represents the Joyang Gate along with the west c ...

Daecheon } Boryeong (; ), commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Boryeong is known around Korea for its beaches, particularly Daecheon Beach, and the annual Boryeong Mud Festival around July. The city's beach-mu ...

Beach and mud fields in

Boryeong } Boryeong (; ), commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Boryeong is known around Korea for its beaches, particularly Daecheon Beach, and the annual Boryeong Mud Festival around July. The city's beach-m ...

, the National Institute of Ecology in

Seocheon Seocheon County () is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River. Administrative divisions Seocheon county has two major centers, Janghang-eup and Seocheon-eup. Seocheo ...

, a cultural heritage street, and nearby islands at

Gunsan Gunsan (; ), also romanized as Kunsan, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is on the south bank of the Geum River just upstream from its exit into the Yellow Sea. It has emerged as a high-t ...

and the

Iksan Jewelry Museum The Iksan Jewelry Museum is a museum in Iksan, South Korea. It was built to provide cultural space related to Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three K ...

Iksan Iksan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan County (''Iksan-gun'') in 19 ...

. The letter "G", in the name, stands for "gold", a reference to seven "golden" destinations on the West Coast, where the train stops. And the exterior of the train is decorated to symbolize those seven regional destinations, with seven shiny jeweled patterns. The train has five passenger cars, some with heated foot

jacuzzi Jacuzzi is an American private company that manufactures and markets hot tubs, pools, and other bath products. It is best known for the Jacuzzi hydrotherapy products. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California. It is the largest hot tu ...

s with seats facing the windows in the cafeteria section, the "Footbath Café", for drinking tea. One car has nine rooms, which seat six people, with heated floors,

ondol (; , ; ) or ''gudeul'' (; ) in Korean traditional architecture is underfloor heating that uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor. In modern usage, it refers to any type of underfloor heating, or ...

style, like the traditional

hanok A (; name in South Korea) or ''chosŏnjip'' (; name in North Korea and for Koreans in Yanbian, China), is a traditional Korean house. were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty. Korean architecture conside ...

floor heating, common in Korean homes. Activities on the train include an amateur comedian's show, and ecological programs offered by the National Institute of Ecology. West Gold Train 07

Operations

*Started running: February 5, 2015 *Stations: Yongsan Station - Yeongdeungpo Station - Suwon Station - Asan Station - Onyangoncheon Station -

Station -

Station - Gwangcheon Station -

Station - Janghang Station -

Station - Iksan Station

References

External links

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