IOC Members Take High Speed Rail to PyeongChang Project Review

(ATR) IOC members are in PyeongChang to conduct a final review of the 2018 Olympic Games project.

To get to the review, 2018 Coordination Commission chair Gunilla Lindberg and IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi took the soon-to-open high speed rail.

Lindberg described the trip as "extremely smooth and comfortable," in a release. The train will open to the general public in December with advance ticket sales already underway.

The train will connect Incheon International Airport and Gangneung in around two hours. Travel times between the two cities by bus were four hours or more previously.

Originally athletes were expected to use the high speed train to travel from the airport to both Olympic Villages. However, earlier this month at the 2017 ANOC General Assembly PyeongChang 2018 said it had scrapped that plan.Organizers said that a number of National Olympic Committees voiced concern about travel plans which called forathletes and their gear to be transported separately.

"[PyeongChang 2018] policy is for everyone to use the high speed train," Nancy Park, PyeongChang 2018 international spokesperson, said to Around the Rings. "Even if it takes more time [athletes] would rather have the ease of mind to have the equipment going with the buses."

During the Olympics the train will travel 52 times a day, each with a capacity of 410 passengers. However, at peak travel times Incheon airport can receive up to 12,000 passengers per hour. One way tickets from Incheon Airport to Gangneung is priced at $38, while a ticket from Seoul to Gangneung is priced at $24.

The IOC is expected to review ticket sales, venue overlay, and other promotions. So far preparations for the Games have been overshadowed by a dearth of online ticket sales. Only 32 percent of total tickets were reported as sold at the end of October, with less than 100 days until the Games.

Legacy plansand accommodationsremain two giant question marks the IOC would like to see sorted out before the 2018 cauldron is lit.

South Korean officials believe the high speed rail will bring a new dimension to the spectator experience. The short travel time between Seoul, PyeongChang, and Gangnueng will allow visitors the option to stay far away from the actual Olympic events.

"It will be possible for the visitors (to the Olympics) to have lunch in Seoul, and attend games in the afternoon," Yong Tae Ji, an executive for the Korean Rail Corporation, told the Korea Herald.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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