Seoul Subway Line 5
Subway line in South Korea
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Seoul Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, dubbed the violet line, is a long line crossing from west to the east across the Seoul National Capital Area, South Korea. It is one of two subway lines in Seoul to cross under the Han River (the other being the Suin-Bundang Line), which is done at two points (between Mapo and Yeouinaru, and also between Gwangnaru and Cheonho). The main line runs through to Hanam Geomdansan Station while the branch line from Gangdong Station terminates at Macheon Station. In 2019, Line 5 carried an annual ridership of 334 million or about 915,000 passengers per day.[2] It is the only line so far to have no above-ground stations, though it initially shared this distinction with Line 6 before the construction of Sinnae station.
| Line 5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 4th Generation Line 5 train | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | 5호선(五號線) O Hoseon | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 57 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Rapid transit | ||
| System | Seoul Metropolitan Subway | ||
| Operator | Seoul Metro | ||
| Daily ridership | 944,969 (2024) | ||
| Ridership | 345.86 million (2024) (  3.3%) | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 15 November 1995 | ||
| Last extension | 2021 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 58.9 km (36.6 mi)[1] | ||
| Number of tracks | 2 | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary | ||
| |||
Line 5 has a different station sign design compared to the first four lines; its station signs have purple or blue arrowhead-shaped designs with their station's number printed in the top, the Hangul name in the centre, and the English and Hanja names on the bottom, with an arm pointing out of the end of the arrowhead indicating the next station, with the straight part of the arrowhead holding the previous station's name. This design would be repeated in Lines 7 and 8, while a similar design with a chevron-shaped sign would be employed in Line 6.
The total length of this line is 58.9 kilometres (36.6 mi). Upon opening, it was among the longest underground railway tunnels of any kind constructed. Today it is the 8th longest continuous underground subway tunnel in the world, just behind Chengdu Metro Line 6, Qingdao Metro Line 1, Guangzhou Metro Line 18, Guangzhou Metro Line 3, Moscow Metro Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line, Beijing Subway Line 10 and Beijing Subway Line 6. Line 5 is also the first subway and passenger railway line in the Korean Peninsula to directly serve an airport, when the line was extended westward to Banghwa via Gimpo International Airport in 1996.
History
The line was built 1990–1996 and is an important east–west link connecting Gimpo Airport, the Yeouido business area, downtown Seoul, and the Gangdong residential districts.
In 1996 Line 5 was implemented with Automatic train operation. However, it was deemed that a driver would be necessary in case of a breakdown of the automation system, therefore each subway train has one driver on board.
It was the world's longest underground railway line for 9 years until Guangzhou Metro Line 3 came into operation in 2005.
In December 2010 the line is recorded as having the third highest WiFi data consumption in the Seoul Metropolitan area. It averaged 1.67 times more than the other 14 subway lines fitted with WiFi service zones.[3]
The main branch of the line was extended to the city of Hanam with a total of 5 stations spanning 6.5 km. The extension opened in two stages; the first opened on August 8, 2020, and the other opened on March 27, 2021.[4][5]
Tourism
In January 2013, the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, which operated the line at the time, published free guidebooks features eight tours as well as recommendations for accommodations, restaurants and shopping centers. These guidebooks were printed in three languages: English, Japanese and Chinese (simplified and traditional). They were distributed from information centers on this line.
The tours are designed with different themes for travel along the subway lines, e.g. Korean traditional culture. The destinations range from Jongno 3-ga Station to Anguk Station and Gyeongbokgung Station on line No 3 showcasing antique shops and art galleries of Insa-dong.[6]
In the summer of 2013, the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation to display water parks that are located near stations operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation on the LCD screens both inside the train, and on the station platforms.
Stations
Current Routes
- Banghwa — Hanam Geomdansan (main line)
- Banghwa — Macheon (Macheon branch)
Main Line
Macheon Branch
| Station Number |
Station Name English |
Station Name Hangul |
Transfer | Distance in km |
Total Distance |
Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
548 |
Gangdong (Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital) |
강동 (강동성심병원) |
 (for Hanam Geomdansan) |
0.8 |
40.5 |
||||
P549 |
Dunchon-dong | 둔촌동 | 1.2 |
41.7 | |||||
P550 |
Olympic Park (Korea National Sport Univ.) |
올림픽공원 (한국체대) |
 |
1.4 |
43.1 |
||||
P551 |
Bangi | 방이 | 0.9 |
44.0 | |||||
P552 |
Ogeum | 오금 |  |
0.9 |
44.9 | ||||
P553 |
Gaerong | 개롱 | 0.9 |
45.8 | |||||
P554 |
Geoyeo | 거여 | 0.9 |
46.7 | |||||
P555 |
Macheon | 마천 | 0.9 |
47.6 | |||||
Rolling stock
Current
Seoul Metro
- Seoul Metro 5000 series
- 1st generation – since 1994 (Retired)
- 2nd generation – since 1996
- 3rd generation – since 2018
- 4th generation – since 2021
- (Future) 5th generation – since 2024
- (Future) 6th generation – since 2026
Seoul Metro 5000 series EMU (2nd generation)
Seoul Metro 5000 series EMU (3rd generation)
Seoul Metro 5000 series (4th generation)
Seoul Metro 5000 series inside (4th generation)
Ridership
| Seoul Subway Line 5 Ridership[7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Ridership | Change (%) | Remarks |
| 2026 | 177,906,025 | - | Updated as of June 2026 |
| 2025 | 347,960,248 | 0.6 |
Highest on record |
| 2024 | 345,858,654 | 3.3 |
|
| 2023 | 334,884,000 | 8.7 |
Restoration of 2019 ridership |
| 2022 | 308,022,000 | 11.6 |
|
| 2021 | 276,001,000 | 6.7 |
Extension from Hanam Pungsan to Hanam Geodamsan opens for service |
| 2020 | 258,551,000 |  22.6 |
COVID-19 pandemic
Extension from Sangil-dong to Hanam Pungsan opens for service |
| 2019 | 333,836,000 | 1.6 |
|
| 2018 | 328,528,000 | 0.2 |
|
| 2017 | 327,891,000 | 0.0 |
|
| 2016 | 327,935,000 | 6.3 |
|
| 2015 | 308,501,000 | 1.2 |
|
| 2014 | 312,163,000 | 0.9 |
|
| 2013 | 309,511,000 | 0.8 |
|
| 2012 | 307,046,000 | 1.9 |
|
| 2011 | 301,380,000 | 1.7 |
|
| 2010 | 296,458,000 | 1.4 |
|
| 2009 | 292,496,000 | 2.0 |
|
| 2008 | 298,451,000 | 0.4 |
|
| 2007 | 297,274,000 | 0.9 |
|
| 2006 | 300,028,000 | 1.8 |
|
| 2005 | 305,608,000 | 2.1 |
|
| 2004 | 312,313,000 | 1.8 |
|
| 2003 | 306,868,000 | 1.9 |
|
| 2002 | 301,195,000 | 0.3 |
|
| 2001 | 301,992,000 | 47.8 |
Vast network expansion of Seoul Metropolitan Subway[9] |
| 2000 | 204,351,000 | 28.0 |
|
| 1999 | 283,667,000 | 43.6 |
|
| 1998 | 197,538,000 | 3.1 |
|
| 1997 | 191,521,000 | - | |
Notes
- The ridership is calculated based on boarding and transferring passengers (a+c). The data tallies between the two sources but the Seoul Metro source is more granular. The ridership data is derived from the 서울교통공사 수송실적 (Seoul Metro transport performance) data/report.
See also
