Korea Railroad Corp., also known as Korail, is expected to post massive operating losses this year, as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has reportedly decided to review integrating it with Supreme Railways.

SR operates the SRT, new high-speed trains that began operation in December last year, connecting the southeast metropolitan area with other parts of the country. The new trains have been cited as one of the reasons behind Korail, the national railroad operator, suffering a deficit this year.


According to sources quoted by Yonhap News Agency, the opening of the SRT resulted in the KTX, bullet trains run by Korail, seeing an average drop of 30,000 passengers per day.

Korail went into the black in 2014, which continued for the next three consecutive years. Profits created from the express rail operation are shared to operate other ordinary railways.