Busan Line 1's last old train, which traveled 75 times around the Earth, rides into history

The last of Busan Metro Line 1's older-generation trains, which have served the city for 29 years, is set to be retired from service.

Busan Transportation Corp. announced Friday that it will hold a ceremony marking the final run of a Line 1 legacy train set on Wednesday. The retirement of train set No. 45 will complete the replacement of all older Line 1 rolling stock, with the entire line transitioning fully to new-generation trains.

Train set No. 45 entered service on June 25, 1997, and has since logged approximately 3 million kilometers — equivalent to circling the Earth 75 times, based on the planet's circumference of 40,000 kilometers. On Wednesday, it will depart Dadaepo Beach station at 9:18 a.m. and arrive at Nopo station at 10:36 a.m., bringing its revenue service career to a close.

Busan Transportation Corp. President Lee Byung-jin will ride in the operator's cab for the final run. As the train approaches its terminal at Nopo station, he will deliver a live announcement thanking riders for 29 years of shared journeys and heralding the start of a new era for Busan Metro.

A public commemorative event has also been organized. Citizens wishing to photograph train set No. 45 at Pusan National University station platform, board the train to Nopo vehicle depot and then tour the Line 1 Train Set No. 1 Heritage Exhibition Hall can apply in advance through the Busan Transportation Corp. website at www.humetro.busan.kr.

The Line 1 fleet replacement project — excluding vehicles introduced for the Dadaepo Beach extension — carried a total project cost of 433 billion won ($311 million).

The project proceeded in stages: the first phase in 2017–2018 brought in 40 cars (five train sets), followed by 48 cars (six train sets) in the second phase in 2021, and 200 cars (25 train sets) in the third phase from 2023 to 2025. The final fourth phase added 72 cars (nine train sets), completing a fleet replacement effort that spanned roughly a decade.

With the Line 1 replacement now finished, Busan Transportation Corp. is also pursuing the replacement of older Line 2 trains. The first phase covers 168 cars across 28 train sets. The new Line 2 trains are scheduled to begin arriving this year and, after performance testing and trial runs, will enter revenue service on a rolling basis from 2027.

"We are concluding the service life of Line 1's legacy trains, which led advances in urban rail technology as the first in the country to adopt stainless-steel car bodies and an automatic train operation system," President Lee said. "These trains have been part of daily life in Busan and created countless memories, and I hope they will live on in the hearts of our citizens for a long time to come."

Lee added that the corporation would press ahead with the Line 2 fleet replacement without delay, pledging to "take another step forward as an organization leading the future of transportation."