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This image provided by Seoul Metro shows the plan for the new stairway at Seongsu Station. (Seoul Metro) |
Two extra sets of stairs are to be installed at Seoul's notoriously crowded Seongsu Station, the Seoul Metro said Thursday, in a bid to resolve overcrowding issues in the popular area.
One of the new stairways will be installed next to the existing stairs leading to Exit No. 2, and the other next to the existing stairs leading to Exit No. 3, according to Seoul Metro's officials. Construction of the new stairs at the Line No. 2 station will be completed before October next year, by which the station will have six exits instead of its current four.
The average number of daily users for Seongsu Station was 78,018 in 2023 -- only a fraction of the most crowded stations such as Gangnam and Jamsil Stations, which had over 180,000. But Seongsu has shown one of the biggest increases of foot traffic among the city's subway stations, marking an increase of over 10,000 compared to in 2022.
Seoul Metro noted that an average of 18,252 people are estimated to have used Seongsu Station during evening rush hour alone -- over twice the 2014 figure of 8,786. About 57 percent of them use Exits No. 2 and No. 3.
The rise in the number of users is largely due to the surrounding Seongsu-dong area gaining popularity among younger people here, as a number of trendy stores and eateries are located there. Overcrowding has become a particular issue around Exit No. 3, which leads to the densely-populated area called Seongsu-dong Cafe Street.
Despite the spike in users, the station still only has four exits. In comparison, Gangnam Station has 12 and the relatively new Sinnonhyeon Station -- which has slightly more daily users than Seongsu at 79,649 -- has eight exits.
