Gangnam station explained

Native Name:강남
Gangnam
Line Name:Line 2
Station Number:222
Mlanguage:
Child:yes
Hangul:강남역
Mr:Kangnam-yŏk
Rr:Gangnam-yeok
Address:804 Yeoksam 2-dong,
303 Gangnamdaero Jiha,
Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Passengers:(Daily) Based on Jan-Dec of 2012.
Line 2: 207,410[1]
Shinbundang Line: 19,856
Operator:Seoul Metro
Shinbundang Railroad Corporation
Lines:
Platforms:4
Tracks:4
Structure:Underground
Years:December 23, 1982[2]
Events: opened
Years2:October 28, 2011
Events2: opened

Gangnam is a station on Line 2 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The station is located within the Greater Gangnam Area between the Gangnam and Seocho Districts of Seoul, South Korea. The station is the busiest station on the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, serving over 70,000 daily passengers on average.[3]

This station serves as a crucial transfer point between Line 2 and buses to all over Seoul and southern Gyeonggi Province. It became the northern terminus of the Shinbundang Line on October 29, 2011 until May 28, 2022 when it was extended north to Sinsa, whereas the southern terminus being at Gwanggyo.

Both stations have two tracks and two side platforms.

History

The station

The area surrounding the station is an important commercial and entertainment district. The station is located at the western end of Teheranno, home to many corporate headquarters and impressive towers, while the area immediately to the north of the station is densely packed with bars, restaurants and clubs. There are also many shops in the subway station below ground. In 2007, the area was the 10th most expensive shopping street in the world with an average rent of US$431 per square foot.[4]

The section of Gangnam Boulevard from exit No.2 of this station to exit No.5 of Sinnonhyeon Station of Line 9 is designated as a smoke-free zone by the Gangnam District office.[5]

Line 2 runs on the right hand track, whereas the Shinbundang Line runs on the left hand track; this is because the Shinbundang Line is a national railway line (which typically runs on the left), while Line 2 is a subway line (which typically runs on the right in Seoul). This can be confusing to tourists making a transfer here, as many tourists are accustomed to riding on either the left-hand track or the right-hand track.

Station layout

GStreet levelExit
L1
Concourse
LobbyCustomer Service, Shops, Vending machines, ATMs
L2
Platform level
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Inner loop← toward Chungjeongno (Seoul Nat'l Univ. of Education)
Outer loop toward City Hall (Yeoksam)
Side platform, doors will open on the right
L3
Platform level
Side platform, doors will open on the left
Southbound Shinbundang Line toward Gwanggyo (Yangjae)
NorthboundShinbundang Line toward
Side platform, doors will open on the left

Passenger load

In 2007, it was the busiest subway station in the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system, with approximately 123,000 daily passengers using it on average.[6]

In a survey conducted in 2011 by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs on 92 Administrative divisions across the country, it reported that Gangnam Station had a daily average of 110,129 people boarding and 114,338 people alighting the subway. Making this the busiest public transit stop, with more than 100,000 people every day.[7]

Vicinity

The headquarters of South Korean skincare and cosmetics manufacturer Skin Food is in the DaeRyung Scecho Tower in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu nearby to this station.[8]

References

37.4979°N 127.0276°W

Notes and References

  1. http://www.ktdb.go.kr/en/web/guest/418 Monthly Number of Passengers between Subway Stations
  2. Web site: http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1381588&cid=40942&categoryId=32190. ko:강남역. Doopedia. 2015-09-02. ko.
  3. News: Boram . Yoon . 2023-05-10 . 서울지하철 강남역 하루 7만명 이용…버스 최다는 고속터미널 . . 2023-09-24.
  4. Web site: New York's Fifth Avenue tops the ranking of the world's most expensive shopping locations . Cushman & Wakefield Inc. . 14 Nov 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080825042438/http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/cwglobal/jsp/newsDetail.jsp?repId=c13400005p&LanId=EN&LocId=GLOBAL . 2008-08-25 .
  5. News: Kwon . Sang-soo . City designates area by COEX as smoke-free . https://archive.today/20121209124604/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2959317 . usurped . 9 December 2012 . 5 October 2012 . . 12 September 2012 .
  6. http://www.moneytoday.co.kr/view/mtview.php?type=1&no=2007080714075187464 Friday and Gangnam station attract the largest number of passengers
  7. News: Gangnam Busiest Subway Station in Korea. 25 April 2012. The Chosun Ilbo. 23 April 2012.
  8. Web site: Skin Food. Skin Food official website. 9 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120925075043/http://eng.theskinfood.com/skinfood/address.asp. 25 September 2012.