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AREX Airport Railroad West Sea Train 서해바다열차 timetable experience

AREX Airport Railroad West Sea Train 서해바다열차 timetable experience

Today Ill talk a little bit about taking the AREX West Sea train. Be warned, this post probably could be a lot shorter, but I just love talking about trains.

AREX takes you to islands on the West Sea

Many of those who live in Korea may know about the Airport Railroad Express (AREX), which takes passengers from Incheon Airport to the downtown area of Seoul in 53 minutes. What they dont really know is that there is one more station past Incheon Airport Station called Yongyu Temporary (Yongyu Imsi in Korean) Station that is temporarily open from April 14 to November 25 on Saturdays and Sundays.

Yongyu Temporary Station drops passengers off 50 meters away from the beach. Once arriving at Yongyu Temporary Station, visitors can easily travel to such places as Eulwangri, Wangsanri, and Seonnyeobawi beaches by a ten-minute-bus drive. From Jamjin Dock, which is ten minutes away from the station, it is also easy to travel to islands including Muuido (Muui Island), Somuuido, and Silmido by ferry.

[AREX takes you to islands on the West Sea]

Taking the West Sea Train (??????)

Being fairly busy guy, Im often without the luxury of taking over-night trips around Korea, so Im always on the lookout for interesting little excursions that can be done in a day. The article Ive quoted above is a bit old, from 2012, but the information is generally still accurate even now in 2015 (though you might want to double-check the dates, as this seasons timetable lists such trains only through to August 2015).

I took advantage of this special train the other week. Sure, you can take the Airport Railroad to Incheon Airport at any time, then switch to a local bus, or else walk from the airport to the shore area. But, there was something a bit exciting in getting off at the stop beyond the airport, a stop that relatively few people even know exists. Its very convenient, letting you off just about a block from the seaside area at ???, at the end of Yeongjongdo island (the airport island), a short walk from the ferry terminal to Muuido (???).

Not all trains dispatch passengers there, of course. Usually the line ends at the airport, so if you fancy it, be sure youre on the right train by checking the timetable below. This "special" train wont appear any different than a normal AREX train; it simply is a normal train, but if you get on as featured in the timetable, they will announce, once you arrive at the airport (???????), that that is not the last station; that it will continue on to ?????.

AREX West Sea train timetable. Source: AREX Twitter feed

Stay on, and you can enjoy all the interesting little quirks that accompany the trip like:

• Train employee telling everyone to please move to the front car
• The undisturbed flowers growing alongside and among wide beds of multiple lines of track
• The little station-indicator map light flashing red at the airport station bulb even though all other LED bulbs are lit, and imaging it not quite understanding what is going on. 
• Exiting the train onto a temporary stairway platform, like youd imagine in old times. No automatic platform guard-doors here! No platform! 
• The satisfaction of "beeping out" in a little office room in front of the main station, that nonetheless has all the set-up of an actual station: turnstiles, man behind a windowed desk, card recharger, etc. 

Yongyu Temporary Station (?????)

You exit at Yongyu temporary station (?????), which is really just a temporary platform at the end of the line. Yongyu Station does exist itself, but is technically a stop along the Incheon Airport Maglev Train line (???? ??????), so (for now?) the AREX line terminates just behind Yongyu station, and sadly, you wont exit through that station itself. For the list of stations along the Maglev line, see here.

This "temporary station" isnt on any maps, but Ive embedded the location in the map below (or click here). Weirdly, Yongyu Station (???) doesnt currently show up in a Google Maps search, despite it being clearly visible on the maps image tiles.




Here are a couple photos I took of the temporary station, which is really just a platform at the end of the line.



You can see many more photos of this station area, including the "mini-station" where you "beep out" with your card, here.

And coincidentally, as soon as I exited, the Maglev train floated by overhead, presumably to welcome me. It has a sort of Mr. Rogers Trolley vibe, and I half expected it to chime-talk to me. I cant wait until it opens fully and I can take a ride. Here are a few photos I took as it passed.

Additional Info

The Airport Railroad Twitter feed, though in Korean, in a good way to come across other neat day-trip possibilities like this. I just love the earnest way they promote the service. They really know how to tug the heartstrings (or stomach?) of a guy stuck at his computer on a Saturday night, pretending to get work done. For example, from today:

<???? ??> 30?(?) 12:00 ?? ??, ???? 19:47. ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?????.

— ???? Airport Express (@AirportExpress_) May 30, 2015

<Sea Train info> Sat. 30th, 12:00. Currently cloudy, sunset time 7:47pm. How about walking along the beach with your lover, then having a nice hot bowl of seafood-soup noodles? The Incheon Airport Railroad West Sea Train runs all the way to Yongyu. 

Keep an eye on the Airport Railroads English-language Facebook page too for other trip ideas.

You can see more about this particular service here, about the line generally here., and about Korean public transport issues generally here. Who knows, you might even see a Big Bang member riding the rails with you.

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