SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul Metro’s transport revenues have fallen for two consecutive years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The operator of the city’s vast subway system said Thursday its transport revenues stood at 1.15 trillion won (US$961 million) last year, down 3.27 percent from a year ago, following a 27 percent decline to 1.19 trillion won in 2020 from 1.64 trillion won in 2019.
The number of subway passengers in Seoul totaled 1.95 billion last year, up 0.9 percent or 16.6 million from a year ago. This figure, however, is down 27 percent compared to 2.67 billion in 2019.
The subway station with the heaviest ridership last year was Gangnam Station, which kept its top spot for two straight years. The daily number of passengers at the station averaged 93,824 last year, followed by Jamsil Station with 76,419 and Sillim Station with 74,818.
Gangnam Station, however, saw the sharpest decline in passenger traffic. Its daily passenger traffic declined by 6,290 on average last year, followed by Jonggak Station with a drop of 5,263 and Gangbyeon Station with a decrease of 3,304.
“Gangnam and Jonggak stations are not only commercial districts but also business districts congested with businesses. The stations saw passenger traffic decline sharply due to the increase in the popularity of working from home,” Seoul Metro said.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
