Korail Mugunghwa Review | How NOT to travel across Korea
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- A rather uncomfortable trip across the Korean Peninsula with Korail aboard their ultra-cheap Mungunghwa-ho service. I don't like to give trains a bad review but unfortunately, Korail's Mugunghwa fell far too short of my expectations even at such a low price.
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Date of Travel: 25 January 2020
Class of Travel: Economy Class (2nd Class)
Cost of Ticket: ₩28,600 ($24.23, £18.67,€22.20)
Origin: Seoul, South Korea
Destination: Busan, South Korea
Other info:
Korail tickets typically go on sale 1 month before your desired date of travel with the exception of tickets for travel for the week around Lunar New Year. Be sure to check online for the specified dates that tickets for travel around Lunar New Year go on sale.
The website, station and train signage and departure boards are all displayed in both Korean and English. In addition, the on train announcements are made in both Korean and English.
The train between Seoul and Busan is usually hauled by a class 8200 electric locomotive as the entire route between Seoul and Busan is electrified.
Mugunghwa and ITX-Saemual trains operate on different lines than the Korea Train Express (KTX) trains do. This is to allow the KTX trains to operate at a much higher speed.
When the first Mugunghwa trains first started operating in the 1980s, they were the highest class of train operating in South Korea. As the years have gone by, lower classes of trains have been retired form service and newer ones introduced,. As such, Korail's Mugunghwa-ho is now the lowest class of train operating between Seoul and Busan.
As with most things in life, you get what you pay for!
True! Pay a bit more money and you'll get a much better experience.
@@DylansTravelReports
Seen worse in the UK. Some LNER trains on the East Coast Line can get pretty dirty.
The trains looks nice to me. Nice trains bro.
Yeah, seems *almost* comparable to getting a coach in the UK over a high speed train.
Don Hyon Also some regional train in Italy are much worse than the train in the video
Thanks Dylan! I'm going to make an assumption here.... and that is, that because your train was fully booked during a national holiday, your carriage was rolled out of the sidings and added to the train as a late addition. That might explain why it was of an older generation with poor ventilation, no wifi, had not been cleaned, seat recline mechanism was faulty and had a flat wheel. On the other hand, the refurbished carriages seem pleasant. But, I guess for the price, it's a winner as that's quite a train journey for little money. Thanks for the report.
Tbh I hadn't considered that.
@@DylansTravelReports do a review on first class
I am Korean.
To give you some information, there is a fast free Wi-Fi in all train stations and trains in Korea. However, only some Mugunghwa train cars are strangely not supported for free Wi-Fi. (All the Mugunghwa trains I've been on so far had Wi-Fi, and not long ago, I was honestly very embarrassed to know this. It's ridiculous that there's a place where Wi-Fi isn't working in Korea, even on a train! And unfortunately, the train was really a few old passenger cars in Korea.)
But within this year, it was announced that KORAIL would install Wi-Fi in train cars without Wi-Fi.
Hui, KORail also needs to buy _new_ passenger cars and _new_ passenger locomotives for this Mungwha route if they seriously expect people to pay the low price mentioned for it (I suggest they get the new Siemens Charger passenger locomotive, as that's what Amtrak [United States] and VIA Rail [Canada] are going to be getting soon.) Also, they need to improve the cleaning service!
Thank God! Please don't visit my country India. I beg please. Or else an Indian rail vlog of yours could bring upon shame on our entire nation. I wish trains in India were at least like this Korean class.
This means you are not yet travelled in indian railways
Yep 😁
@Chaudhry Vikrant ror except for a few trains. This train is literally better than most of the trains running here including few durontos.
Indian railway has improved a lot and it is doing excellent. Just think that daily approx. 1.5 crore people travel in train in india and it is something equal to population of any small country. And in this heavy duty rush , it is very hard to manage approx. 1 lakh+ km tracks. So Indian railway is doing excellent at its place.
@@waterroof3683 see am talking about cleanliness ,punctuality and fascilities .in this aspect our railway is far far behind any other country .if you would have told our railway is better than bengladesh and Pakistan's I will agree 💯 percent but otherwise indian railway has to improve alot
@@Akkhu18 bhai I am coming straight to the point. Ye har jagah bolna jaroori rhta h kya ki abhi tumne india m travel nhi kiya.Country ko appreciate nhi kar skte to atleast defame mat karo. Har jagah comparison karna h. Population compare kar lo aur logo ki mentality bhi yha delhi mumbai m log padhe likhe gawar ki tarah harkat karte h.sorry bhai agar bura laga ho to but i was just expressing my views. And u are expressing urs.Both are right.👍
This reminds me of the horror flick Train to Busan.
Cliff Padilla true it may be slow and awful but it might be the only transportation running when the zombie apocalypse hits
yeah but the train in Train to busan is a KTX-I, which is the best Korean train imo
sai173 like the French tgv
@@LeonardRambeau the KTX-I is based off of the TGV Reseau so yea
sai173 not réseau. Réseau in French mean network. So the name of the train is just tgv
wait till u see the chinese sleepers, i live in shanghai and the bathrooms can make u throw up.
Oh dear 😂
Hygiene in China is an afterthought - unfortunately.
Compared to india and Chinese train facilities, Korean train facilities are heavenly.
@@Cain-x thus the Corona pandemic gifted
What class of train? Or exactly, which route?
All in all, despite the shortcomings, 6 mins late didn't seem too bad. Other than Japan, most places I've been in South East Asia and Australia seems to struggle with punctuality when it comes to long distance rail.
Even Japan have some delays. You can see them on some RUclips videos. I also experienced it when riding Shinkansen there. My train got delayed for 5 minutes due to luggage stuck between PSD and train door.
You do know that South Korea is not in South East Asia - it is in North East Asia!
@@charlottenixon1471 yes I know that. I've never been to South Korea, just sharing my experiences in places I've been to that struggles with punctuality worse than 6 minutes.
Amtrak:
Are you challenging me???
😂 Imho, Amtrak is way better lol.
@@DylansTravelReports you must be American
Good Putin He’s British.
Well, I am just surprised South Korea has such a relatively subpar train service, being an East Asian country and all.
Arif Akyuz So am I, I travelled with the KTX and several commuter trains a few years back, they were all of excellent quality... didn’t expect such a low quality service like the Mugunghwa in South Korea .
I took a Mugunghwa from Seoul to Mokpo in August 2019 with a similar duration as your journey. My carriage was unrefurbished, however it was clean, and maintained in very good condition. The air conditioning seemed to work well and I cannot recall any issues with ventilation. There was no wifi or electrical outlets, but I wasn't expecting any. I found the legroom ample and the seats very comfortable. I cannot comment on the lavatory or cafe car, as I did not visit either. Overall, I have no complaints and found the experience exceptionally enjoyable. I am sorry you're unable to say the same about your train.
Maybe it didn't help that my train was full.
I think after the introduction of high-speed trains they kept the original diesel-hauled trains, to offer a low-fare service. Good thing to do with older rolling stock still available that is not at its end of life. Kind of Flixtrain in Germany.
I'll be trying Flixtrain soon so I guess I'll be able to compare them for myself.
I'd say that this train is the one that working-class locals use. Tourists are expected to use the more expensive, faster ones! Perhaps the unrefurbished, dirty, badly-functioning car you were in was one that was pressed into service because of the holiday passenger load and is not ordinarily used.
I've travelled on daggier trains in Malaysia (before the new trains were introduced), Thailand, & in Vietnam. In fact, the condition here looks similar to some of the older inter-city state services in Australia... especially the ones servicing small towns.
@@jonathantan2469 in Malaysia it will be a higher second class because of seat can be setup to heading or facing foward...
@@jonathantan2469 yup. Now Malaysia using ETS for West Coast, except Johor state. They still undergoing double track electrification. For East Coast, they still using diesel locomotive train on single track. But now a new rail track is on construction for East Coast, but under different company.
Trains in the video are generally widely used. This train still runs all over Korea 🥲
I'm korean. that train is good.
In India (Korean 3rd Cass) would be the first class 🤣🤣
I have travelled widely in all forms of transport and let me tell you that IR is not all that bad keeping in view the huge population it serves and the primitive levels of hygiene of most people
@@busettychandra just pointed out a fact the Korean railway is better than indian and while watching the video I was amazed with thier system and with their service level .In india you won't get Korea's 3rd class economy even though ur traveling first class in india
@@eboy8526 but korea didn't have trains like palace on wheels, maharajas express etc. And why are you talking about indian railways their are many countries like bangladesh, pakistan, sri lanka, nepal, africa etc which have wrost service. So don't talk about our own country.
@@kunalmathur4591 Palace of wheels are only for the rich a normal middle Class can't accommodate the cost nor me . But in this video the u can just see how a normal korean middle class family can enjoy this much luxury. We don't need to mention the cleanliness and the punctuality of Indian railway😂 .
Bro let me remind you one more thing, distance between Seoul to busan is 330 km approx and the price of ticket is 1700 Indian rupee aprrox. And about cleanliness i think we are much more responsible for that,and about punctuality then bro you do have to do some research about the traffic on indian railways and why a special freight corridor is being constructed.
You'll know what real struggle is once you travel aboard an Indian sleeper 😂😂
This is luxury.
During Covid times
The Un-furbished car kinda looked like Indonesia’s executive before 2016, for me except for the poor ventilation.
anyong hi kaseyo
It's still look shining and good unlike in Indonesia though and sound proofed
Azhar Darmawan, meh, they both look the same.
@@CarstenHazz air quality play a very important role. If it is poor, moist and hot. Doesn't matter how it looks it will feel far less premium and uncomfortable.
I've traveled business class from Surabaya to Yogyakarta and it was quite good tbh, especially for the price
Well I'ma Korean.
The Mugungwha train is very slow. Also, Its very unconfortable.
I can only recommend Mugungwha if you are traveling short distances such as Seoul-Dajeon.
Be careful:
Some lines(such as Janghang line) only operate Mugungwha trains.
I'd agree.
시간이 느리다는게 단점이지 제 체감상으론 좌석은 KTX보다 무궁화호가 훨씬낫은것 같습니다.
@@s-train1764 고건 맞는말이죠.
이분이 덜컹거리는 승차감을 싫어하시는 모양입니다.
@@하루-m4x1t 님 이 영상의 베댓에서 와이파이 안 되고 더럽다는 거는 좀 아니지 않나요? 깔끔하고 와이파이도 다 잘 되는데 제가 잘못 해석 했나요?
@@hui_east 무궁화호는 일반적으로 와이파이가 안됩니다. 그리고 저분은 운 나쁘게 구형객차 걸리시고 리미트객차를 못타보신거 같습니다.
Honestly not going to lie, I always tried to book ITX whenever I could, roomier seats and not as expensive as the KTX, but for a lot of Koreans living outside the major metros, the Muganghwa is the only way to get around, I never thought it was all that bad especially for the price, but when I was there in 2019 it looked like there either replaced or started renovating some of the cars.
I lived in Korea so watching this brings back so many memories 😭
As a traveler, you have to avoid longer distance travels around the Seolnal(lunar new year) and Chuseok(Korean Thanksgiving) season, because the situation in the video will happen.
Yes, not the best planning I admit.
I am from India and it looks to me like one of our best trains. It's a fine train, I don't know what you are complaining about.
My main complaint would be the heat.
that's because you're used to poor trains and Dylan isn't.
@@DylansTravelReports get on car 4
Thank you for suffering through this crappy train ride to bring it to us! I appreciate the effort.
You're welcome!
Locomotive was an EMD export unit, not sure if it was built under GM ownership or later. Being capable of 93 mph isn't bad for what is essentially an adapted freight unit. Compare that train to taking a bus on what I'm guessing would be an even longer, more cramped trip. That would probably be the comparison for the target audience of this service.
As a seasoned traveler you know that in almost any country the low priced transportation is for the average local. A tourist should beware of using these lower class of train, bus,etc. Waiting for the next one which will be better BUT not up to snuff. Use the first class trains, always worth it. Thanks for posting and thanks for trying it out for us. So we don't !
You're welcome!
Even average local Koreans usually don't take this train unless the journey is within 1-2 hours. Mugunghwa is for a city to another city in the same province or nearby area
Dylan rides the Soul Train! I paused at the moment when you showed that in-the-vestibule-sink. What a hideous, uterus-pink thing that was. I only wish you had taken the sleek high speed train with the pointed snout. But a good show, as ever. Thanks.
Thanks. I wish I'd taken the high speed train but it'd sold out for both the outbound and return due to the Lunar New Year.
That’s why you ride the ktx. That’s what I always do when I go visit my relatives.
If it hadn'd have sold out, that is what I've taken.
Thanks for a great video and welcome to S.Korea. I'm also a huge railfan just like you and at the same time interested in any vehicles including aircraft.
It was so impressive that you've traveled approximately 220miles with the regular train(Mugunghwa-ho train). To tell you the truth, sometimes flight from Seoul(GMP, not ICN) to Busan(PUS) has a similar fare with that train.(On weekdays) In addition there's also a red-eye train heads to Busan that departs from Seoul Cheongryangni station(청량리) around 9p.m.(Near from Sinseol-dong station) I recommend you to ride this train next time when you travel across S.Korea.
Thanks for the info! Will have a look into that. Hooefully will be back to take KTX as well.
Mugunghwa was not meant to be the top tier train in South Korea even before the KTX era began. Before KTX existed the top train was Saemaeul.
.... which were super-comfortable - and looked akin to the British 'Blue Pullmans'.
In India, this train would qualify as a flagship train with state of the art coaches. Seriously.
I'm here just after watching the movie Train To Busan ..❤️
I love to watch your videos every Friday^^!
Btw you don’t need to say Hangang river like this cause ‘gang’ means river in Korean. So “Han river” is appropriate to say👌🏼
Thanks! Ah that makes sense as I saw the river being given 2 names when I searched it up so I assume that was the Korean name and I assume Ichon-Dong river would be the other name?
@@DylansTravelReports ichon is a name of the Seoul's neighborhood. We usually call those small neighborhoods by unit of "dong(동)". That rail bridge is located at the part of the Ichon neighborhood.
Not gonna lie, these facilities still seem much more nicer than some trains down here in Victoria, Australia. A lot of our loco-hauled stock consists of carriages from the 50s, either built as a saloon variation of what was originally a compartment-style design from the 1930s or built as suburban EMU carriages and converted to loco-hauled in the 80s.
Which line in Vic?
@@ImanuelSihite - Geelong/Warrnambool lines
- Ballarat line shorts to Bacchus Marsh
- Bendigo line shorts to Kyneton and Swan Hill intercity services
- Seymour/Shepparton lines
- Bairnsdale line
The first type of carriage (Z) I mentioned can be usually found attached to the country (away from Melbourne) end of a consist, whilst the converted EMUs (H) run in consists of the same type. Best time to spot is at peak hour.
Rail in Straya = Very sad story
You are just facilitated enough to call it filthy...have a train ride in any developing countries and that may change your definition of "filth"
Yes, but South Korea is hardly a developing country. Historical and political sensitivities aside, would you find a filthy train in Japan? Also, in most of Europe, I'd say that cleanliness is a given. (I stand to be corrected here.)
I am Korean.
To give you some information, there is a fast free Wi-Fi in all train stations and trains in Korea. However, only some Mugunghwa train cars are strangely not supported for free Wi-Fi. (All the Mugunghwa trains I've been on so far had Wi-Fi, and not long ago, I was honestly very embarrassed to know this. It's ridiculous that there's a place where Wi-Fi isn't working in Korea, even on a train! And unfortunately, the train was really a few old passenger cars in Korea.)
But within this year, it was announced that KORAIL would install Wi-Fi in train cars without Wi-Fi.
Dylz, this makes Australia's best trains seem like slums. As previous posters have noted, you get what you pay for. Same as in Japan. If you skimp, you get a similar standard, regardless of where you are. The same rule applies to many situations. KTX, on the other hand, is quite a quality experience. Korea really is a wonderful place to visit, and dare I say, to live in.
This economy class is the UK's first class!
On Northern rail maybe 🤷♂️
I really wanted to feel the good old days of the Flying Scotsman :D. If only i ever lived on that era and not just watching documentaries about it :)
I am surprised they use a diesel locomotive when the entire route seems electrified
Yes, so was I! The vast majority of services use an electric locomotive though.
There are whole electric facilities maintenance going on every night around 1am to 5am. Most of Main line's electric lines doesnt supply power during that time. So, if train departs from Seoul late at night after 8pm or train returns from Busan to Seoul after 8pm should pulled by diesel locomotive. In this video this train departs Seoul earlier than 8pm but when it comes back to Seou,l it departs from busan later than 8pm. So it uses diesel locomotive.
@@kmhk5976 wow I never heard of such a regime...! Thanks
Bobspineable yep, thats the point of the mugunghwa class.
To add to that, the train was probably pulled out from storage for lunar new year, during which if you didn’t book a month in advance, you’d be hard pressed to find any ticket of higher class.
@@DylansTravelReports Is it just the camera angle or does the 7400 look like it has its own pantograph on it?
Oh man you reminded me my journeys through these trains back in 1996,97
Love the EMD locomotives
I appreciate you taking the time to review this train. Better yet, I appreciate the fact that you were honest & transparent.
The 무궁화 trains in Korea are the most affordable in Korea. They go from Seoul to Busan, but they take over six hours to get there. It’s good if you need to travel from say, Seoul to Pyeongtaek, but aren’t good for long distance.
4:28 Don't open the door.
All trains are automatic doors, and the doors are not open because they are currently being prepared.
Strange though bc when I pushed the button, the door opened.
@@DylansTravelReports It's for employees or emergency use.
I've experienced riding Mugunghwa Train from Daejon to Ulsan in 2006, after using KTX from Seoul and then from Ulsan back to Seoul using direct Semaul train.
It looks much better than the trains in Indian subcontinent, however. And here, most trains take way over 6 hours, even with Electric Locos.
Vijay Srinivas I would disagree . Trains in India for a similar distance and same company configuration would be far cheaper ! Almost half the price , so it would be unfair to compare . And even then you’d get complimentary food and a tray table atleast .
@@d_1012
Agreed
The only nice part that I saw on this train was the locomotive itself... surprisingly has an EMD 645 prime mover which produces such an amazing sound!
I love these sound and diesel "fragance".
Oh man, come to India. You will get deep appreciation for Korean railways.
Eighteen pounds? That's cheap for a long-haul train journey!
well that sure surprised me! I expected everything to be modern, modern, modern in Korea and as squeaky clean as a K-Pop group. The cafe car on most trains is usually an escape where you can go to pass part of the trip away from your seat -- but not if it's filled with standees who neglected to make a reservation! It was interesting to see Korea, anyway, thanks for the post! everywhere is a little bit more inviting in the summer, it seems, but even in summertime a dirty bathroom is a dirty bathroom :)
What the camera didn't pick up os when I opened the door to the café car, the shock I got at just how many people were standing in there.
Much of Korea is more like working-class down-and-out "Parasite" than Shiny BTS.
You should thank god that this"""""" train to busan have no zombies"""***""""
I'm so sorry for your experience with Mugunghwa train in Korea. As a Korean guy who regularly rides train, I also think Mugunghwa is just for a short distance journey(and I'm also sick and tired of its long-overdue renovation). In Korea, Mugunghwa is positioned as the slowest 'express service' and the only reason I ride it is when there are no seats or I don't want transfers between different grades. For budget travelling between Seoul and Busan, I prefer riding a bus tbh(more frequent and has 1-2 seat config, but ridiculously unfriendly for foreigners so I help my friends when bus ticketing all the time).
(Might be) Fun fact: in terms of fares, Mugunghwa's rate is quite cheap; first 40km costs less than 3USD(1.6 GBP to be exact), then 0.054USD/km(0.04GBP/km) as of 2021. That shouldn't justify poor maintenance status, but it's hard to deny it's dead cheap.
I agree
In general, if you want to take a cheaper option from Seoul to Busan, people will normally take the bus. Mugungwha is not for long-distance travel...
The train with the lowest fare is the commuter train.(Adult:1000won=0.85USD/Kid:500won=0.4USD)It runs between Gwangju and Gwangju Songjeong.
This train is like gatimann express from india her top speed is also 160 km per hour,that means we are 40 years behind,man.although we are upgrading the tracks and will introduce shrinkansan too let's see what happens, actually this train is alright when we will have faster trains we should also introduce cafe cars.
Earlier cafe cars were there in Rajdhani Express etc. Now replaced by pantry car in India. Let there be more Vande Bharat type trains at least.
@@anupammitra4791 were those pantry cars were same as these can we purchase any beverages,chips,snacks and all, from that??
Mugunghwa class has many problems but it still reminds my youth experience 🙂
I'm getting Train to Busan vibes
Same
Tips for Mugunghwa as a Korean
1.the slowest train at the moment
2.The number of stops other than subway stations
3.Usually, the 3rd car is a disabled passenger car.
4.Busan Seoul 5 hours and 30 minutes
5.Busan Dongdaegu 3 hours and 30 minutes
6.The slowest section is Bujeon [Busan]Cheongnyangni[Seoul], which takes 7 to 8 hours
7.Type of electric locomotive, diesel locomotive, RDC [appearance: subway]
8.Limit carriages are the latest, classic, and bomb oldest.
9.General Passenger Car:72, Minicafe Companion:52, Special Room [Janghang Line],64.
10.Using Haitai or Saemaeul passenger cars in the special room
11.The Mugunghwa train runs until 2027.
12:Vehicles with view of the rear compartment only have a power train in front of the direction of progress.
Thanks for the info 😁
Additional information
1. Seats with tables (excluding some trains) 1,2,3,4,69,70,71,72 (1,2,3,4,49,50,51,52/private room in case of accompanying mini-cafe I don't know special room/I'm just in the first and last line)
Some cars seem to have small tables for personal use, but it looks like they all went by sightseeing trains.
2. The outlet seats are the same as the table seats (except for some trains) 1,2,3,4,69,70,71,72 (1,2,3,4,49,50,51,52/private room in case of accompanying mini-cafe I don't know special room/I'm just in the first and last line)
There is a continuous railway from the UK to South Korea, one day i hope i can travel there by rail. As for this train, seems reasonable to me, strange how they use a diesel locomotive for this stretch as its fully electrified. And those wheels will damage the rails if the flats don't get sorted out.
What is the rail called and what cities does it drive through
@@BLACKSTA361 Through North Korea across the Russian border and them the Transsiberian Railway to Western Europe. The track physically exists but there are (obviously) no trains between North and South Korea.
@@irtbmtind89 ah okay. Thanks for explaining
It's a much better public transportation, please don't complain. Some countries don't even have a good railways to travel. Just enjoy the ride
How Korail is still operating those outdated train class that had seen better days... is mystery. Korail runs on very low and tight budget and this low-end class is not quite profitable, nor it fits Korea's current standard for a... service quality.
Howevet when this class was first introduced, it was very decent mid-high end service, which featured great seat spaces, which it is still servicing even nowdays. However Korail is no longer upgrading amenities for this train class as, it is now lowest-end train class in S. Korea.
Oddly, more up-to-date trains have far less comfortable seats as they have adapted contemporary day's bad economy :v They features far better amenities though.
Mugungwha is keep running as a symbol of the good ol'days. As classic Saemauel Class, which once was the flagship (it had dedicated lounge cars and bedroom cabins) was replaced with ITX-Saemauel, which features FAR less comfortable seats, to provide better speed. Mugungwha is effectively an only train that still features ol' large-spaced seats...
"low budget" "ktx" quit complaining you guys have better trains then us
- your neighbors across the water, america
Actually it's a kind of classic-style slow long-distance train. KORAIL still does not implemented modern regional system - which is still planning. Still passenger patterns in rush hours are just like regional trains (e.g. Seoul Yeongdeungpo to Suwon, Gumi to Daegu is super-crowded as hell by commuters)
Note that Mugunghwa coaches will be suspended in a few years b/c they are too old - currently most of them are 20-30 y/o. Thanks to most of trunk lines that are renovating for high-speed operation over 200 km/h, there will be EMU-250s and ITX for new intercity services, and new EMU-150s (planned) for new 'regional' services like Nuriro.
It's always a shame to see old trains retired, even if they are in dire need of improvment.
Dude.. You chose economy "and you received economy". You get what you pay for. Anyways its still has to be better than riding the subways in New York :)
I think most trains are better than the New York subway tbh.
Including the subway here in Toronto?😉
I live in New York City. They're doing everything they can to improve the transit system. It's over a hundred years old and it needs significant upgrades. Normally, I would be like "How dare you disrespect NYC!", however, it's the truth. That's just the local transit system. As far the commuter rails are concerned ( LIRR and Metro North), they need to be upgraded, too. The LIRR has stepped up its efforts but there's still a lot more to do. The same thing goes for Metro North. I can't say anything about Amtrak because I've yet to ride with them.
W H A T NEW YORK IS FINE JUST SOME DELAYS SUBWAY RATS AND KINDA CLEAN PLATFORMS. GET IT RIGHT
The main reason people take the Mugunghwa train is because it's dirt cheap. If you want to go comfortably and quickly, take the KTX/SRT, but if you want to save the big bucks, take the Mugunghwa, especially if you're going short distances.
Good advice!
I live in Romania. The non refurbished Mugunghwa carriage is at same level of quality of our local 1st class Interregio services, that for the account are the fastest services in the country of Dracula, at an astonishing 57 km/h of average speed.
Yup. You were in older passenger carriage of Mugunghwa class. Carriage in front of you is somewhat new carriage. You can tell the difference by the window layout. I usually bring my own lunch box meal from local convenient stores or eat at the station restaurant before boarding the train. Thanks for great videos. Is making me wanting to travel on train right now.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
Dylan's Travel Reports Hey! Thanks for the reply. Loved your Amtrak reviews. Im planning to travel in one of their crosscountry route.
The train is very old. as far as I know, it's the oldest train still opearating in korea
I think it is.
It will retire in 2020~2027 due to old vehicles.
You'll be seeing comments from me in various states of awakeness during my social distancing holiday. Overheated cabins are torturous, aren't they? It was lovely to see South Korea. I would love to show this to my dad who was there on the dime of the US military in the early 1950s. I'm now going to look for your bullet train review!
Oh god. Overheated trains are HELL. Last summer, it was already like 27 degrees out, Celsius of course, and Finland rarely gets temperatures that hot, and I had to get a train home from my grandma’s house. That’s 4 and a half hours. Not only was the AC not working, the heaters were on. After about 3 hours though, the conductor gave me a free upgrade to first class, because that was the only passenger car, not counting the restaurant, where the AC was working.
Having been on a few Amtrak trains, I'd say that train wasn't too bad.....our trains are not so new, not too clean and definitely not so comfortable either! Thanks for another great trip by rail Dylan!
Yeah, but Amtrak gives you a tray table, power outlets, and wifi. And the seats are actually usually quite comfortable.
Thanks! What doesn't come across in the video is just how unbearably warm the coach was. Putting up with that for almost 6 hours was a challenge. If it hadn't have been so warm, I might have been able to overlook the other issues
Almost people who using the Mugungwha train would use it for a short distance in the countryside. There are few people using the lowest level train for long-distance (Busan). I think he has just tried for an experience of travel. The train is not so many, and for Busan, almost Korean people get KTX or Airplane. Next grade Seamaul is also good but only $10 cheaper than KTX. So, I recommend KTX in Korea. The fare of the high-speed train is much cheaper than Japan Shinkansen in spite of similar speed and the same level.
As Tip, For going to Busan, you can get cheaper air-ticket than KTX on the internet if you can find a domestic travel website (ex, Interpark, G-market, Coupang).
I agree with you. The only reason I didn't take a KTX or ITX train on this occasion was due to every other train having sold out on this day because of the Lunar New Year; this was the only available option.
Nice video even if the train wasn't up to standard. When it comes to your trip reports do you do loads of research in terms of what places to go and best deals
Thanks! Most lf the time I do quite a bit of research and booking in advance. Other times, I just throw caution to the wind and see where I end up.
@@DylansTravelReports ahh I see well good work anyway
Hello, i am korean and im learning operating trains in college...(but currently at military service argh...)
1. carriage next to locomotive is not guard's carriage. It is generator car cuz GT26CW-2(7300~7400) cannot supply power to passenger car by its own.
2. Actually ITX and mugungwha have same max speed. Both 150km/h. But ITX is much more faster cuz it has less stops, accelerate and breaks much better.(Well most of Gyeongbu line speed limit is around 130kph. Only few has 150kph limit and there r even 90kph limit around around some mountain areas.)
3. In case of heating...yes. old cars sucks. Their heating system is placed right next ur left or right leg(metal plates with small holes with it). It is extremely hot and unbalanced. New cars have heating system from top. it is OK.
4. There r a lot of different versions even in old cars. What u took is the oldest one. produced early 1990s. Old cars produced mid-1990s and late 1990s have 220v power supply at front and rear.
5. I think what u told flat is not a reason for dodododododo noise. It is rather problem of Coil springs with whole trucks. Mugungwha trains use disc brakes so there r hardly any flats.
Oh and around 10:40 that is the city where i spend my high school for a year and half. Glad u took it )))
Very interesting! Didn't realise that was a power car. We used to have guards carriages and it looked somewhat similar to them so I kind of assumed that's what it was as information on these trains was fairly limited.
Dylan's Travel Reports The 90’s cars are likely only used in service around the two biggest national holidays, because demand spikes HARD during these periods.
Also to note is that we are phaseing out mugunghwa class. We’ve pretty much alnost finished electrifying all the lines nessisary to get rid of diesel engines from regular passenger service
@@thebravegallade731 carriage from 90s r still active all around the country. regardless of national holidays. still can bunch of 90s mugunghwa at depot ready to be linked and depart
On a train in Thailand the Wc was a hole in the floor. It looked like it had never encountered hot water and soap.
I found Thai trains to be cleaner than the Malaysian trains though. However, this was 8 years ago. Malaysia has introduced new electric trains in 2015.
@@jonathantan2469 I had been on Malaysian trains over 15 years ago. My first class room had a bathroom but the corridor was so narrow that we couldn't open our suitcases by more than a few inches. The hot breakfast came shrink-wrapped. I thought we would sleep from Singapore to K.L. but the scrapping noises from the wheels running over the track joints were very loud. However, the return trip paid in ringgits were at half price.
I love how you mention that 'Wifi' is part of basic amenities lol
In India train travel is cheaper. I fear in few years these might change.
Even in Switzerland you could easily land in an Interregio without power outlets, air conditioning, wifi or a tray table. They are upgrading them but it takes time. But you'd pay way more than there.
The ine thing was at least this was cheap.
I got a train to busan 2 ad before the vid...
*I'm scared man...*
😂
Dylan, your comments are valid given what you experienced, but basically, I think you just had bad luck. I think what happened here is a car being pressed into service (that wouldn't ordinarily be used) due to the holiday rush. All of the Mugunghwa trains that I've taken have been clean and functional (though not fancy). Few have been this crowded. For some areas of Korea (including some wonderfully scenic lines), Mugunghwa trains are the only train service available.
Fantastic Video!
Thanks 😁
Hi, I like your train travelling video. There is so much to look of the countryside! Very well filmed and interesting travellers !👍
Greetings and best wishes!
Thanks! Glad you liked the video!
Dylan... you poor, proper British boy! That train looked absolutely dreadful! If you MUST endure "2nd class travel", do it NOW, while you're young. To think, that for a mere 20 pounds you could have saved yourself so much grief (AND 2 hours, besides)., while traveling in modern comfort. Though I'm sorry you had a disagreeable adventure, please know that your video was extremely entertaning and informative, just the same
While I don't have any immediate plans (nor any long-range ones, come to think of it) to EVER go to Korea, I'll be sure and avoid that 1970s relic.
I've only traveled on "2nd class" trains in Europe. Czechia and Romania, to be precise. They're not glamorous, by any means, but they're not quite as gnarly as what you experienced. Perhaps you should, from now on, only do "first class" reviews.
Whatever the case, your video was fantastic - your weekly postings have become one of the highlights of my Friday night after work. Thank you for all your efforts and travels... and... um... yes, perhaps we should confine our reviews to more civilised forms of travel! ("S" used for that word in lieu of "Z" in deference to the fact that you and peoples in your country, spell the word correctly) :)
THANK YOU!
Thanks! There are some very good 2nd class products out there. With a bit of work this could even have been a good one as well. Anyway, glad you're enjoying the videos!
I saw your video on Friday and realized that you were taking a "train to Busan"! I am a zombie film freak and my all-time favorite zombie movie is "Train to Busan". When I saw the movie I wasn't interested in train traveling so I didn't take notice what kind of train it was when I first saw the movie. I went back to watch about half of the movie this evening. The train that the characters were riding on was a KTX first class (at least from the marking of the blue and white modern train with first class designated by the train door entrance). Also in the movie they announced a couple of times a type of "KTX" route number when departing from the station. Being a movie it's hard to tell if they actually used the insides of a KTX or a made up set to look like they were in a KTX. I had a jolly laugh this evening watching part of the movie and thinking that I was watching a video journey on a KTX to Busan but without Dylan in it!!! Sorry that your trip wasn't as pleasant as some of your other trips on trains but I enjoyed your video just to see what it looked like in South Korea! Thanks Dylan!
I've had a lot of people referencing the movie. Think I'll have to give it a watch!
@@DylansTravelReports I got fixated on this KTX train! I watched some videos done by other people about the KTX train from Seoul to Busan. I saw all 3 class sections from different travel videos. I must be use to watching your travel videos because I got rather irritable having to listen to them talk so much and not about the train! I had to watch 3 different videos until I finally got to see what the toilet facilities looked like! In the movie "Train to Busan", it2 was filmed in a second class section and the restroom/toilet areas looked smaller than in the movie! Sorry my comments and reply was so long! I'll try to contain myself in the future!!!🥺
Lol! God forbid the people of 1st class ever have to share their carrige with zombies 😂.
Welcome to Korea
Thanks!
Another great video, Dylan.
Thanks!
Korean train types
KTX-sancheon,KTX Seoul-Busan Express line:2h43m
economi:59800Won
first class:83700Won
Seoul-Busan old line:3h10m
53900Won
SRT Suseo-Busan:2h29m
52400Won
ITX-Samaeul Seoul-Busan:4h34m
42600Won
Mugunghwa Seoul-Busan:5h22m
28600Won
Still looks better than most long-distance trains I’m used to!
Don't let the looks fool you, the heat on that train was unbearable.
I totally disagree with the video. Living here as foreigner since few years and this tourist needs to consider few things before judging :
- Taking the train during the national day is the last thing to do
- None pay for booking a ticket , wonder how come he had to pay for that
- Taking Mugunghwa to reach Busan is the last thing to do when u dont know about Korea but okay, lets admit it
- 24$ for 250km for a train ride is a REALLY good price when you compare with other countries such as Germany,France,Japan
On the description of the video we can see you promote the Shinkansen (who is 5x more expensive than Mugunghwa and 2x more expensive than KTX for the same route) why didnt you ride KTX for this kind of route which is the most logical choice to do , if not you still had the ITX
KTX had sold put way before I was able to buy a ticket (as had ITX-Saemaul for that matter) otherwise, I'd have reviewed KTX.
Dylan's Travel Reports of course it was sold out but what an idea to ride the Mugunghwa during this day + to go to Busan!!?
Because of this video, you might give a bad perception tof the Mugunghwa (which is not designed for this route) to people who have no clue about Korea
@@Criminelsoyeux Regardless of whether this train was full or not, there were still major issues with it. Just my opinion.
For that price, you can travel from Nanjing to Shanghai at 350km/h in China on a high speed train with a second class seat + WIFI .
In India, railways are 100% govt owned and the fares are kept absolutely low.
Infact indian railways incurs massive loss from passenger service but it makes it up through freight.
Hence the passenger service sucks. But in recent years there has been a gradual improvement with the endgame being the privatization of passenger service.
Considering the low price it didn't look that bad at all! The failing ventilation was maybe by accident, and your whole car was perhaps awaiting soon refurbishment, thus they didn't bother. The sink outside the toilet is indeed a bit weird. ^^
I would say it was the ventilation (or lack of it) that was probably the worst part. If that hadn't have been an issue, I might have been able to overlook all the other problems given the price.
Wow based on the first seconds of the vid I guess I was in the same hostel 6 months ago! Nice video!
Nice! Can I ask what hostel that was?
Dylan's Travel Reports sure, Rooming House Korea
This train seems to be very clean and good at this level, the problem is your expectations!
Hi,I'm korean who loves to travel on a train so much
There are many different kinds of train coaches of mugunghwa train.The best train coaches of mugunghwa train is using on mugunghwa train bound for Donghae,Andong.This train coaches have more comfortable seats that KTX's first class seat
Oh man, how I'd love to try out KTX 1st class seats!
Ah... The best in 70's rail transport, TODAY!
I enjoyed all my train rides in Korea.. I Stayed south of Seoul for 3 years.. Experiences are really so subjective.
I know that flat wheels can be bad; but honestly speaking MANY travellers LOVE the sound of flat wheels. It is absolutely fine sometimes😊😊
Yes they sound great but not so great for comfort.
Looks to be about the level of maintenance and comfort as riding coach on Amtrak from Chicago to LA. You’d probably arrive in LA a minimum of three hours late.
New subscriber
Thanks!
BTW, KTX is wifi enabled - just like ICE, TGV and Frecciarossa. You don't find wifi on the local trains in Europe either.
I can only think of 1 local train in Europe that I've been on that doesn't have wifi that being SNCF's TER. I would also like to add that Mungunghwa is still and intercity train due to the distance traveled albeit not as fast but much cheaper than KTX.
Still a lot better than the trains I've travelled on in Egypt and Thailand. I would also say that it's somewhat better than the trains in Greece.
actually this train will be all change to upper group, itx saemaeul til 2028. now it has few wifi cars in this grade which will be used at diesel-only line after 2028. I think they just think equpping wifi service in all cars or renewing all cars to refurbished ones are just a waste of money.
Nice! Thanks for the info!
lounge facility at Seoul station only open to someone who has Korail membership which are anyone can join without any fee.
If only I'd known 😭
Mugunghwa train is subjected to change into newer electric trains. Carriages are not changed since 90s so be my guest.
This is actually better than the older, neglected regional and commuter lines throughout North America. It actually arrived and left on time, which is a rarity in the United States due to woefully poor infrastructure.
Yes but this train is also much slower than what you'll find on the likes of the Northeast Regional in the US.
the reason for the poor maintenance is that the Mugunghwa's train fare is too cheap 400km trip is less then 30 dollor
but there is plan to retire train in 2027
As a "tourist" everyone can't afford to travel in KIX (double the price from Mungunghwa-ho service). It's rather misleading if you say not to travel across Korea by this train despite your uncomfortable trip!