At about 3:30 p.m. on the 23rd, the waiting area at Sindorim Station on Lines 1 and 2 in Guro-gu, Seoul. A person surnamed Park, 54, kept moving feet in the cold. Park said, "They call it a platform, but it feels like a freezer, so I came down to the underground passage," and noted, "I plan to go up when the train is about to arrive."
The temperature measured inside a Line 1 train that day was about 18 degrees, but once on the Line 1 platform, it dropped to minus 1.5 degrees. The passage connecting platforms where Park stayed was at least around 3 degrees above zero. Not only Park but other citizens also waited in the concourse with their faces wrapped in hats and scarves for the train to arrive.
◇ The platform is a freezer… "Feels like minus 10 degrees"
As a severe cold wave hovering around minus 10 degrees continues, subway riders in Seoul are voicing complaints that "the inside of the subway stations, including platforms and concourses, is excessively cold."
Heating operates inside trains to meet the standard temperature, but for open-air stations, the impact of exposure to the cold is significant.
After measuring the temperatures of platforms and concourses at three locations on the 22nd—Line 1 at Sindorim Station operated by KORAIL, and Line 2 at Hongik Univ. Station and Seongsu Station managed by Seoul Metro—the platform temperatures ranged from minus 1 degree to 5 degrees above zero. There was little difference from the outdoor temperature at the same time (minus 2 degrees).
Around 3 p.m., the Line 1 platform at Sindorim Station was minus 1.5 degrees. Citizens were shaking hot packs or tightening scarves to endure the cold. The Line 1 area of Sindorim Station is an outdoor station with a structure that lacks facilities to block the wind.
With strong gusts created by trains passing on both tracks every one to two minutes, the perceived temperature dropped even lower. When shown a thermometer, one citizen said, "Because of the wind, it feels like minus 10 degrees."
The passage under the platform was just as cold. The concourse temperature measured around 3:30 p.m. was 3 degrees above zero. It was so cold that you could see your breath, and it was hard to stay long without winter gear such as gloves, hats, or hot packs.
An employee, identified as A, working at a shop in the passage said, "It's bearable during the day, but after evening it's too cold," and added, "It's practically no different from working outdoors." About 30 people waiting for trains clustered near the passage leading up from the concourse to the platform to avoid the cold.
Seongsu Station, which has an aboveground structure, was similar: when the outside temperature was 0 degrees, the platform was at 2 degrees above zero and the concourse at 5 degrees above zero. A notice on the windbreak door installed on the way up from the subway entrance to the concourse asked people to "please close the door," but most were left open, letting the wind in as is.
Because of the low temperature, a flower shop in the concourse posted a notice saying, "It's so cold outside that the flowers are freezing." Nearby stores also installed their own windproof curtains to cope with the cold.
Hongik Univ. Station, an underground station, was no different. Without separate windbreak doors at the entrances, the cold outside air flowed straight in and the chill was palpable. Both the platform and concourse hovered around 4 to 5 degrees above zero. A college student, a person surnamed Park, 22, said, "The station is so cold that I stay at a cafe and move to match the train's arrival time."
◇ Heating missing from the design… "We can't afford construction and electricity costs"
However, with Seoul Metro and the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), the operators of the Seoul subway, already suffering massive deficits, there are concerns that it will be hard to shoulder even the station heating expense. In the end, the issue is "money."
KORAIL alone posted a deficit of 148.9 billion won in the first half of last year (January to June), and Seoul Metro's estimated net loss last year exceeds 700 billion won. With no fiscal leeway, additional facility investment and operating costs are bound to be a heavy burden.
Structural limits are also significant. According to Seoul Metro, there are no separate heating facilities installed in stations on Lines 1 through 8 of the Seoul subway. There are no standards for indoor station temperatures, and heating facilities were not considered when the subway was built. Currently, only the temperature inside trains is maintained at 18 to 20 degrees under a notice from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. A company official said, "To install heating, a large-scale construction would be necessary, such as tearing out piping for ventilation facilities."
Stations managed by KORAIL are in a similar situation. Many stations, like Sindorim, have outdoor platforms, making it practically difficult to install heating facilities. As an alternative, customer waiting rooms are considered, but they can only be installed when the headway is 15 minutes or longer, which is hard to apply to most Seoul subway stations where trains run at short intervals.
In this situation, public opinion is divided. A person surnamed Jang, 56, who uses Daebang Station on Line 1, said, "The wait isn't long, so I can endure the cold for a short while," and added, "It's enough if the temperature inside the trains is properly managed."
Meanwhile, Seoul Metro says it will expand customer waiting rooms as a realistic alternative. It has been installing customer waiting rooms (Metro Shelters) equipped with HVAC units and heated seats, mainly at some aboveground stations, and as of January this year, 25 facilities are operating at 12 stations. In Feb., 12 more will be added at seven stations, including Daerim, Nowon and Dongjak.