Final preparations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics are being put in place.
Other than the venues for competitors and spectators, a convenient and reliable transportation
system is crucial to ensure the Games are a success,... especially as PyeongChang is
in a relatively remote part of Korea.
Our Cha Sang-mi guides us through the various ways to get to... and around... the alpine
city.
(Stand-up) "With the Olympics only a matter of weeks
away, one of the fastest ways to get to PyeongChang is to take this high-speed train.”
This was a test run for a new KTX line that will open to the public in December.
Some one-and-a-half million people, including athletes and spectators from around the world,
will descend on PyeongChang for the Olympics early next year.
However, since the competition venues are over 2-hundred-and-70 kilometers away from
Korea's main gateway -- Incheon International Airport -- having excellent transport links
is essential.
That's why Korea has been upgrading rail, road, and air links in time for the games.
Introducing the new KTX first...
Jinbu Station is the main station for the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster, where all the
snow sports, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies will be held.
(KOREAN - 1) "Sixteen trains a day will depart from Incheon
International Airport to PyeongChang.
Eight of those will stop at Seoul Station; the rest will be non-stop.
It takes one-hundred-10 minutes to get from the airport to Jinbu Station on a non-stop
train.
"
Apart from those, there are another 35 trains a day that will depart from Seoul station.
Getting to the venues for ice sports at the Gangneung Coastal Cluster will take just 16
minutes by train from Jinbu to Gangneung Station.
For those choosing to travel by car or bus, new expressways have been built, connecting
Korea's major cities to PyeongChang.
(KOREAN - 2) "The Second Yeongdong Expressway opened to
complement the existing Yeongdong Expressway.
Since expressways now connect East and West, drivers can now take a different route.
This is definitely a groundbreaking change for the local traffic network."
Apart from the official opening of Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport in January,
the committee has been working on the regional Yangyang airport to reduce congestion on the
roads.
These transportation links got us to PyeongChang and Gangneung.
But, how do we go that extra step and get to the competition venues?
(KOREAN - 3) "Those coming by rail or road can take the
'spectator shuttle bus' to the Olympic venues.
The distance from the transportation hub to the venues is 10 to 20 minutes."
For those opting to drive, the PyeongChang Organizing Committee has almost completed
eight large parking lots.
(Stand-up) ed: Steve "Although preparations are going well, there
are many pitfalls that the organizers must be wary of,... from the risk of heavy snow,...
to extra traffic during the lunar new year vacation, which falls during the games."
Traffic volume is expected to peak between February 15th and 18th as Koreans criss-cross
the nation to be with their family for one of Korea’s biggest national holidays.
(KOREAN - 4) "Assuming the maximum number of people who
visit the Olympics will be around 1 million, we are going to see a roughly eleven percent
rise in traffic volume in Gangwon-do Province.
We need to prepare with this figure in mind."
The winter weather is also unpredictable.
Gangwon-do Province is known in Korea for its heavy snowfall during January and February.
(KOREAN - 5) "When a heavy-snowfall watch is issued, we
will mobilize all our prepared human resources and equipment to remove snow from the roads."
Experts say that, considering the scale of the event, Korea’s public and private sectors
have to come together to ensure a successful Olympic Games.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.