AREX to Seoul: The Complete Incheon Airport Train Guide for Malaysians

Every Malaysian landing at Incheon International Airport faces the same decision. Spend RM200 on a taxi, or take a train that starts inside the terminal and costs between RM14 and RM40. The AREX, or Airport Railroad Express, is that train, and it runs from both airport terminals to Seoul Station before connecting onward to Gimpo Airport and the KTX.

What AREX is, and why Malaysians should care

AREX is the airport's own railway, and the only line that begins inside the terminal building. Two services share 63.8 km of track and 14 stations, together making about 132 departures a day. The Express runs non-stop to Seoul Station; the all-stop train stops everywhere. Every direct flight from Kuala Lumpur lands at Terminal 1, where the AREX station sits on the basement level of the Transportation Center. Clear immigration, collect your bag, walk down one level. That is the whole walk.

AREX Route Map - Express Train Route & All-Stop Train Route

Express Train Route (Orange Line)

Stops: Seoul Station → Geomam → Incheon Airport T1 → T2.

• Why take it? No stops, just speed. Perfect if you’re hauling luggage or hate crowds.
• Key spot: Geomam Station (transfer to AREX Line 2 if needed).

All-Stop Train Route (Blue Line)

Stops: Seoul Station → Gongdeok → Hongik Univ. → Digital Media City → Magongnaru → Gimpo Airport → Geomam → Cheongna → Yeongjong → Unseo → Cargo Terminal → T1 → T2.

• Why take it? Cheaper, and stops at hot spots like:
• • Hongik Univ. Station (Hongdae): Cafes, street art, nightlife.
  • Gimpo Airport: Switch to domestic flights.
  • Digital Media City: K-pop fans, this connects to KBS and MBC studios!

Express or all-stop: which AREX train to book

Colour sorts them out. Orange means Express, blue means all-stop, and the signage follows those colours from the arrivals hall to the carriage door.

Take the Express for Myeongdong, Dongdaemun or Seoul Station hotels, and whenever you are hauling more than one suitcase. Once the all-stop car fills with commuters at 8am, an assigned seat and a luggage rack earn their ₩8,000. Take the all-stop for Hongdae, or if you are alone with a backpack.

Fares in ringgit, tickets and how to pay

The Express fare is ₩13,000 for adults and ₩9,500 for children aged 6 to 12. At ₩1 to RM0.00305, the rate on 14 October 2026, that lands near RM40.

Machines and counters take Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, American Express and UnionPay, so a Malaysian debit card normally works. The all-stop side sells single-use cards at ₩100 above the fare, with a ₩500 deposit refunded at your destination. Two limits matter. T-money does not work on the Express, and Touch 'n Go eWallet pays at ZeroPay merchant QR codes but not at any gate.

Book through the operator's site, airportrailroad.com, which sells seats two to four months out with the member fare ₩500 cheaper, or through Trip.com's AREX Airport Express page, which sells the same train from RM35 with an instant QR code. That ticket is date-fixed, so you cannot slide to a later departure. The orange machines at both terminals and at Seoul Station take the 13-digit voucher and print a boarding pass. The all-stop train needs no booking at all.

Timetable: first and last trains, both directions

AREX does not run all night, and the two directions fail differently.

Toward Seoul, the first Express leaves Terminal 2 at 05:16 and Terminal 1 at 05:24, reaching Seoul Station at 06:07. The last leaves Terminal 2 at 22:40 and Terminal 1 at 22:48, arriving at 23:31.

Coming back, the first Express leaves Seoul Station at 06:00. The reference timetable closes with a 22:50 departure reaching Terminal 2 at 23:41, and the operator's April 2026 table also lists a 23:00 service.

Land at 21:30 and the train still works, assuming immigration moves. Land at 22:30 and it does not. The all-stop train runs every 5 to 15 minutes and finishes later, which makes it the better fallback. Confirm times the day before you fly.

The panel below switches direction and terminal, and checks whether a landing time leaves room for the last train.

Terminals, platforms and the ride into Seoul

Getting the terminal wrong costs 8 minutes and one station.

For Malaysians the question is already answered. Incheon Airport's own airline directory lists Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, AirAsia X and Batik Air Malaysia at Terminal 1, while Korean Air and its partners use Terminal 2.

At Terminal 1, follow the Airport Railroad signs down to the Transportation Center on B1 for the machines, counters and gates. Terminal 2 has its own station, so you never need to reach T1 first. If an onward flight leaves Korea, Trip.com's Incheon Airport transit guide covers the transfer desks and immigration side of the terminal.

Then buy or redeem your ticket, scan it at the gate, and take the seat printed on your Express ticket, with large bags in the rack near the doors. Express carriages have free Wi-Fi, power sockets and toilets, while the all-stop is a metro train with bench seating and a 7am to 9am rush hour.

The all-stop line, station by station

Fourteen stations, but only a handful matter to a visitor.

Hongdae, properly Hongik University, links to Line 2 and the cafe district. Gimpo International Airport connects to Line 5, Line 9 and the Gimpo Goldline, and the Line 9 express from Gimpo often beats riding to Seoul Station and back out for Gangnam. Seoul Station ends the line with Line 1, Line 4 and every KTX departure in the country.

Myeongdong is one stop from Seoul Station on Line 4, so the Express plus a single subway ride beats a taxi. Ignore Airport Cargo Terminal, Unseo, Yeongjong, Cheongna, Geomam and Gyeyang.

Coming back: in-town check-in and the return ride

The City Airport Terminal inside Seoul Station lets same-day international passengers on Korean Air, Asiana and Jeju Air drop bags and collect a boarding pass before riding the Express. Trip.com's guide suggests leaving at least 1.5 hours, and the airline decides whether your booking qualifies.

Otherwise the ride is simple. The AREX side sits deep underground on B7, with the gates on B2. Terminal 1 comes first, then Terminal 2.

A 22:50 last departure sounds generous until you are hunting a taxi in Myeongdong at 22:20. If a KTX leg follows your landing, buy it on Trip.com's Korea train tickets page, and remember your AREX arrival time is not your KTX boarding time. Once you are in the city, Myeongdong, Gyeongbokgung Palace and N Seoul Tower all sit a few subway stops from Seoul Station.

AREX against the bus, a taxi and a private transfer

The bus wins on one point. Routes 6701, 6702, 6703 and 6705 stop near hotels in City Hall, Dongdaemun, Gangnam and Jamsil, and night buses N6701 and N6703 run after the trains stop. The trade is frequency, roughly hourly.

The taxi suits a family of four with big bags arriving at midnight, and almost nobody else. Fares run ₩55,000 to ₩75,000, with a 20% surcharge between midnight and 4am, and Kakao T is the local ride-hailing app. A pre-booked airport transfer starts around US$55. Bus and taxi prices here come from Trip.com's Incheon Airport guide, so treat them as a guide rather than a tariff.

Solo, or a couple with two bags, ride the Express. Staying in Hongdae, take the all-stop. Landing after 22:00 with small children, book a transfer.

Malaysian notes: halal food, prayer rooms and K-ETA

Incheon Airport has multi-faith prayer rooms in both terminals. At Terminal 1, where Malaysian flights arrive, they sit on the third floor near Gate 24 and in the fourth-floor West Transfer Lounge, with a qibla marker and prayer mats. Neither has an ablution station, so use the nearest restroom.

Halal food takes more effort than in Kuala Lumpur. Itaewon's Muslim Street on Usadan-ro 10-gil, around the Seoul Central Masjid, holds the nearest halal restaurants and groceries to the AREX line. From Seoul Station, ride Line 4 two stops to Samgakji, change to Line 6, and continue two stops to Itaewon.

K-ETA is compulsory for Malaysian passport holders. Apply at k-eta.go.kr, pay ₩10,000 plus a 3% card fee, and allow 72 hours. Travellers aged 17 and under, or 65 and over, are exempt but must file the free electronic arrival card instead.

Sort mobile data before you fly with a Korea eSIM, and check whether the Discover Seoul Pass matches your plans. For a hotel near the line, compare Seoul hotels on Trip.com by distance to Seoul Station or Hongdae, and line up flights from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul only once the dates are fixed.

Activate Your e-Sim Before Departure