Express trains for Ansan now run in both directions.If you use Line 4 regularly then you’ll know about the express trains that run during peak times between Ansan (안산) and Danggogae (당고개).

The trains are for those living in the Ansan area and only run on weekdays with just five trains to Danggogae in the morning and three trains from Danggogae to Ansan in the evening. While it is an “express train”, you won’t actually be saving too much time. The train only skips stations on the Ansan section, stopping at the following stations: Ansan, Jangang, Sangnoksu and Sanbon. The train is then all-stop from Geumjeong to Danggogae and saves a total of 7 minutes if travelling from Ansan to Danggogae. Check out Gogoon’s blog for a great graphic detailing time saved.

The express service on the Ansan section is actually not new and began back in 2010 but only operated in Danggogae direction in the mornings. Nevertheless, there must have been demand for services as evening trains began operating in Ansan direction from September last year. I guess that even if passengers aren’t cutting down on their commute time by a huge amount, it still probably feels much faster to skip a number of stations (just look at the rush for the Line 9 rapids).