[O-Train] - Railroad Trip from Seoul to Punggi

Korea offers plenty of breathtaking scenery, though some of the region is less accessible than major cities due to its rugged geography. But, Korea never fails to win in tourism industry because they always provide visitors with lots of convenient options to access to their beautiful country.

On 12 April 2013, Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail)  introduced special railroads V-train and O-train to cater for tourists and locals to enjoy the spectacular views of mountains, cliffs and valleys along the ride.

S-train  also started its operation on 27 Sep 2013 for easier and more enjoyable ways to access the southern regions.

DMZ-train route will start operation on 4 May 2014. Korail will launch more tourism-specialized trains such as G-train for the Western coast, and B-train for the Eastern coast, which are currently in their pipeline.

Our railroad trip with O-train from Seoul to Punggi

Our V-train and O-train routes plan.

Check this link for full V-train and O-train time schedules. 

So sad that we only took O-train, as V-train tickets were sold out. I couldn't changed our schedule as I'd booked hotel on the respective destinations. Do secure your seat earlier to avoid disappointment, as they are really popular not only for tourists, but locals also love to travel with their family and friends.

The O-train, whose name is derived from the round shape of the letter “O” to suggest its circular route, stops by 13 stations including Yeongwol, Mindongsan, Chujeon, Taebaek, Cheoram, Buncheon, Bonghwa, Yeongju, Punggi, Danyang, and Jecheon. 

The train circulates four times a day with two runs going clockwise and another two in the opposite direction. It takes four hours and 50 minutes to compete the entire 257.2-kilometer loop through Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province), Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province), and Chungcheongbuk-do (North Chungcheong Province). 

 7:45 am: Seoul Station (서울역)

Upss~! How to squeeze our big luggage 

on this overhead compartment?!

I checked with train attendant whether there is other place to put our luggage. 

She asked our destination and tickets and moved us to this Couple Room 2. 

Having our breakfast (Sushi, bread, and rice cake) in O-train.

You can purchase food and drink at reasonable price at the cafe.

Observatory room for better viewing

 HD TV screen showing the real time view.

Pretty sunrise reflection on the river

Can you feel the cold outside? 

It's warm inside the train, as the heater just below our seats.

Let's Korail with O-Train

9:44 - 9:59 am: Jecheon Station (제천역)

with waiting room to shield chilly wind

11:34 - 11:44 am: Chujeon Station (추전역)

~the highest station in Korea - 855m above sea level~

O-train stops for 10 minutes at Chujeon Station

best of romantic winter scenery~^^

There are some stalls selling local foods...
We bought makgeolli, grilled cuttlefish and sweet corn ^^

The last photo shoot before the train leaving us :P

Chujeon Station

Do take note on arrival and departure time of each station. Don't miss the train, especially if your belongings still inside the train! Most of the stations only stop for 1-2 minutes. Only transfer stations (Jecheon & Yeongju), and breathtaking panoramic views from Chujeon station stop for about 10 minutes.

11:51 - 11:53 am: Taebaek Station (태백역).

Remaining snow still covering most part of Taebaek mountain.


12:12 - 12:14 pm: Cheoram Station (철암역)
O-train connects to V-train at Cheoram Station

Picturesque landscape of Korean Peninsula

14:09 pm: Punggi Station (풍기역)

For more information on Korail O-train:

www.korail.com 

+82-1599-7777/ +82-1588-7788 (Korean, English)

Stunning Scenery and Scenic Valleys

Related Posts:

~ [S-Train] - Scenic Southtern Explorer
~ [S-train] - Bukcheon Cosmos, Hadong, Suncheon and Deungnyang

~ Quaint Museom Hanok Village (영주 무섬마을)

~ Museom Single Log Bridge (무섬외 나무다리)

~ Yeongju Loess Pension (풍기 황토 펜션)