No Seats on the Subway? Line 7 Starts Trial Runs Tomorrow! https://www.mbn.co.kr/news/society/5026540 In an effort to alleviate congestion during rush hours, the Seoul Metro Corporation announced today (15th) that starting tomorrow (16th), one car of a train on Line 7 will operate without seats on a trial basis. Previously, since January, the Seoul Metro Corporation has been trialing the removal of seats in one car of Line 4 trains. The seatless car on Line 7 will be themed 'Enjoying a Seoul Journey on Line 7.' The corporation explained that they plan to decorate the train interior with symbolic illustrations representing nature, youth, and IT to provide visual enjoyment for passengers and enhance visibility. While the general seats will be removed in the trial run of the Line 7 train car, the 12 seats designated for the elderly and other passengers with special needs will remain unchanged. For passenger safety in the seatless train car, the corporation plans to install 30 support poles, 12 backrests, and 36 handrails. https://www.segye.com/newsView/20240227510029?OutUrl=naver This follows a similar test on Line 4 that began in January, where seats were removed from one car to see if it would help with crowding. The plan to try seatless trains on the busy Lines 4 and 7 was first announced last November. Due to safety worries and negative feedback, it was first limited to Line 4. Since last month, one car on a Line 4 train (either the fourth or seventh car) has been running without seats during the morning commute to test its effect on crowding. The Seoul Metro Corporation added safety features like support poles, handrails, and lean-on seats to prevent accidents. They believe that seatless trains could reduce crowding by up to 40%. President Baek said, "We got the idea from city buses that removed seats near the doors. After testing on Lines 4 and 7, we'll decide if we should fully implement this." https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/003/0012310481 The decision to expand the trial to Line 7 came after analyzing online feedback, which was about 70% positive and 30% negative. In an interview with Segye Ilbo, President Baek Ho said, "Since people responded well to the seatless trains on Line 4, we're preparing to expand this to Line 7. We plan to introduce it by April after necessary preparations. #SeoulMetro #SubwayInnovation #Line7 #RushHourRelief #SeatlessTrain #PublicTransport #UrbanMobility #CommuterLife #SeoulJourney #SmartTransit #의자없는열차 #서울교통공사 #지하철 All rights reserved Stay14 Bespoke
