South Korea: The first such metro car was launched on the busiest Line 4 in Seoul last week.
The reconfiguration removed 40 seats (only two remained), creating an additional 12.6 m2 for passengers and increasing the capacity from 160 to 200 people. Additional supports and handles were installed.
The converted Seoul seatless metro car with extra handrails. Source: SMG
A year-long pilot project involves replacing each fourth or seventh car in a train, produced by local Hyundai Rotem and Daewoo Heavy Industries in 1990–2020. The congestion level inside trains is expected to fall from 193% to 153%. Eventually, such metro cars are planned to operate on other lines.
At the same time, the witnesses noted that there have already been cases when passengers in such a car left it at the next stop to enter a seated car.
