End of the line

Incheon station itself, the final stop on the mammoth Seoul Subway Line 1 stretching all the way up past Uijeongbu to Soyosan, seems almost something of an afterthought given the contrast between it and the much grander Dong Incheon station immediately before it. Whilst the shiny new entrance and ticket hall at the Dong Incheon station are dwarfed by the ruddy great shopping centre towering above them, Incheon station seems positively antiquated by comparison.

An afterthought it isn't, as there has been a rail terminus on the site since 1900. The present building was built in 1960, and the opening of Line 1 in 1974 increased the daily usage through the station. Anyway, enough of the history lesson and on to the photos.

A rarity on the Seoul subway, one can actually see where the tracks end instead of watching them disappear off into the darkness of a tunnel or head on to the engine sheds further down the line. With construction already underway on the extension that will eventually link the station to line 4 at Oido (and a cut-and-cover operation underway outside the station that indicates the line will run underground before reaching the present site of the station), the subway won't terminate here much longer. Relatively, anyway, as completion is a number of years away.



The exterior of the station building...



... and another of the exterior just for good measure.



As far as station plazas go the area outside Incheon station is decidedly drab. The obvious exception is the gated entrance to Chinatown immediately across from the station entrance.



Looking across the road to the station building (tourist information on the right), with Paradise Hotel visible in the distance.



Looking in the opposite direction, with the station building on the right:



The Paradise Hotel and casino complex, within walking distance of the station and with views over the container-laden port: