Suyang Metropolitan Subway

The Suyang Metro icon

The Suyang Metropolitan Subway, more commonly known as the Suyang Metro, is a metropolitan railway system consisting of 21 rapid transit and commuter rail lines serving the greater metro area of Suyang, Haesan. While the vast majority of the system's 385 stations are located in Suyang proper, the metro also provides service to satellite cities in Namhae, Sinhan, and Sugang provinces. The metro is rated the most efficient in the IDU at passenger processing, has topped lists for metro cleanliness, and has been consistently listed as a top 3 metro system by various rating services. In 2023, it had the highest passenger volume of any rapid transit system in the IDU, with over 3.14 billion passengers.

History

Originally the Suyang Metro was proposed by Henri Lagarde in 1977, as part of his national modernization initiatives. At first, only domestic Haesanite engineering talent was contracted, but the team had difficulty designing the Coastal Line (now Line 1) due to its proximity to the sea and difficult soil conditions. Additionally, construction was heavily slowed down due to tidal effects; at high tide the conditions were nearly unworkable and crews had to stop work in order to prevent the loss of life. In response to the mounting problems of his prized project, Lagarde offered extraordinary stipends to international engineers who would help construct the metro. Eventually, it was Legionite engineer Andreas Maier who would develop an ingenious system of berms and retaining walls which would help ease construction and ensure the safety and security of the metro. Line 1 was finished in 1981; Lagarde would not live long enough to see it in operation.

By democratization, the metro was a relatively small system consisting of 21 stations on three lines in an I formation. The rapid growth of the city and its population over the ensuing decades would lead to successive wave of expansion. By the turn of the millenium, the system stretched over 85 stations on 6 lines, with Lines 7 and 8 in the works. The Monetary Crisis of 2004 halted development for a period, but the Choi government would heavily support infrastructure development as part of its economic recovery programme, and the Suyang Metro was one of the largest beneficiaries: the metro would more than triple in size over her 15 years in office. Energy by local officials and a surging population further away from the city center due to favorable immigration trends have been significant factors in the metro's recent growth and current prominence. The most recent expansion, of Line 5 to Jinyun, was completed in October 2023, and more projects, including the development of Lines 21 and 22, a maglev express to Munseong, and renovations of Line 6 and 7's stations, are planned for the coming years.

Lines and Branches

The Suyang Metro has 20 lines managed by the Suyang Transport Authority and one high-speed maglev line managed by Haecheol. Line 13 is counted as one line since there is no transfer at Eunha, instead trains alternate their final destination between Jikji and Ashley. Line 2 has an express option, only stopping at Coastal Station, Central Station, Choejaseong, Hwajeong, Seongcheon, Nageunho, Jeongeok, Sucheon, and Seowon.

The route map of the Suyang Metro as of December 2023

Line	Color	Termini (District/Province)		Year Opened	Stations	Operator
	Blue	Seoyeon (Sinhan)	Munseong (Namhae)	1981	32	Suyang Transport Authority
	Red	Coastal Station (Haeyang)	Seowon (Sugang)	1982	22	Suyang Transport Authority
	Yellow	Namwon (Yeongwon)	Taesan (Dong)	1984	29	Suyang Transport Authority
	Violet	Seohae University (Haeseomun)	Suyang Light (Haeyang)	1988	25	Suyang Transport Authority
	Green	Port Owens (Owens)	Jinyun (Sinhan)	1987	30	Suyang Transport Authority
	Navy	Naju (Haeseomun)	Amri (Yeongdeok)	1994	28	Suyang Transport Authority
	Orange	Coastal Station (Haeyang)	SNI Terminal 3 (Nelson)	2001	23	Suyang Transport Authority
	Black	Coastal Station (Haeyang)	Yeonjun (Dong)	2001	19	Suyang Transport Authority
	Lavender	Cheolsan (Sinhan)	Quincy (Solesly)	2007	30	Suyang Transport Authority
	Light Blue	Bay - SSE (Haeyang)	Yuju (Yuju)	2007	20	Suyang Transport Authority
	Pink	Central Station (Jung)	SYH Terminal 2 (Sinhan)	2009	12	Suyang Transport Authority
	Burgundy	SNI Terminal 3 (Nelson)	Seora (Yeongdeok)	2012	35	Suyang Transport Authority
	Sky Blue	Coastal Station (Haeyang)	Eunha (Eunha)	2013	19	Suyang Transport Authority
	Sky Blue	Eunha (Eunha)	Jikji (Eunha)	2018	6	Suyang Transport Authority
	Sky Blue	Eunha (Eunha)	Ashley (Namhae)	2022	11	Suyang Transport Authority
	Grey	Namseon University (Haeseomun)	Ancheon (Yuju)	2015	24	Suyang Transport Authority
	Lime	Pyeonghae (Yeiongwon)	Nageunho (Nageunho)	2017	24	Suyang Transport Authority
	Turquoise	Nageunho (Nageunho)	Bartlett (Solesly)	2017	25	Suyang Transport Authority
	Powder Blue	Charles (Solesly)	Jeongneung (Sucheon)	2019	29	Suyang Transport Authority
	Plum	Heungdeok (Heungdeok)	Eunha (Eunha)	2019	22	Suyang Transport Authority
	Mint	Bay - SSE (Haeyang)	Heungdeok (Heungdeok)	2021	14	Suyang Transport Authority
	Indigo	Port Owens (Owens)	Hamsan (Dong)	2022	11	Suyang Transport Authority
	Peach	Central Station (Jung)	Hanyeong Station (Sinhan)	2015	10	Haecheol

Stations

See also: List of Suyang Metro stations

There are 385 stations in the Suyang Metro system, and 498 without consolidating transfer stations. Station signage is always listed in Haean and English, most stations have French as well, and large stations or those with interchanges also have Rén and Mizu listed. Train announcements are in all five languages. Stations have arriving train information listed on color LCD screens. In recent years, the Suyang Transport Authority has partnered with app developers and the search engine Chatgi to make that information available to everyone through the Chatgi mobile app. The vast majority, about 85%, of stations are handicap accessible, and plans are underway to complete the conversion by 2025. Several stations also have transfers available to Haecheol and other local railway services to connect the metro with the broader Haesanite railway infrastructure.

Fares and ticketing

The Suyang Metro has used contactless ticketing since 2006, and fully phased out magnetic paper tickets in 2012. The card, now branded as "Haesan Go," is valid on public transport across the nation, including metros, tram systems, buses, and taxis. The Suyang Metro operates on a unified fare system with other Suyang, Seowon, Munseong, and Seoyeon public transit systems, meaning that transfers to buses, the Munseong Tram system and Seowon water taxis are highly discounted or free within 30 minutes of leaving a Suyang Metro station. Currently fares cost 𐋃200 for any trip within 10 km (6.2 mi), with every additional 5 km (3.1 mi) costing an extra 𐋃25. The Hanyeong Maglev has a similar fare system when applied within Suyang's limits, but charges a flat rate of 𐋃600 for any trip to the airport or Hanyeong proper, regardless of origin.