Public transport in Daegu

Overview

Daegu Metro (대구 도시철도, Daegu Dosicheoldo) is the backbone of public transport in South Korea's fourth-largest city. It is built around three lines operated by Daegu Transportation Corporation (DTRO), with a fourth commuter rail line run by Korail tying the city to the surrounding Gyeongsangbuk-do region. The network is compact and easy to learn: Lines 1 and 2 are conventional underground metros, while Line 3 is an elevated, fully automated monorail.

Riding end to end is straightforward. You enter a station, buy or tap a fare card at the gates, ride to your interchange or destination, and tap out or insert your token to leave. Stops are announced in Korean and English, and transfer stations add Japanese and Chinese. Services generally run from about 05:30 to between 23:30 and midnight, with peak headways of roughly five minutes. The two main lines cross at Banwoldang in the central commercial district, and no single station serves all three lines, so plan one interchange if you are crossing the city.

The network

Daegu's rail network consists of three DTRO metro lines plus Korail's regional commuter line. Together the DTRO lines cover roughly 92 km.

Line 1 (red line) — 대구 도시철도 1호선 (Daegu Dosicheoldo Il Hoseon): runs southwest to northeast from Seolhwa-Myeonggok to Hayang, 37.1 km with 35 stations. It serves Daegu Station, Dongdaegu Station, Jungangno, Banwoldang and Anjirang. The extension from Ansim to Hayang opened in December 2024, and some off-peak trains may still terminate at Ansim.
Line 2 (green line) — 대구 도시철도 2호선 (Daegu Dosicheoldo I Hoseon): runs west to east from Munyang to Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, 31.4 km with 29 stations. It serves Seongseo, Banwoldang and Suseong.
Line 3 (yellow line) — 대구 도시철도 3호선 (Daegu Dosicheoldo Sam Hoseon): a light-rail monorail on rubber tyres, commonly called Sky Rail, running from KNU Medical Center (Chilgok) to Yongji, 23.1 km with 30 stations. It serves Chilgok, Seomun Market, Myeongdeok and Suseongmot.
Daegyeong Line — 대경선 (Daegyeong-seon): a Korail-operated metropolitan commuter rail line connecting Gumi to Gyeongsan through central Daegu, opened in 2023. It is the second such commuter line outside the Seoul Capital Area, after Busan's Donghae Line.

Interchanges are Banwoldang (Lines 1 and 2), Myeongdeok (Lines 1 and 3) and Cheongna Hill/Sinam (Lines 2 and 3). Two future lines are planned: Line 4, an automated guideway transit line linking Dong-gu to Suseong District, and Line 5, now planned as a monorail rather than a tram, targeted for around 2032. Neither is open to riders yet.

Buses fill the gaps. Daegu's city bus network uses a three-digit numbering scheme for main-line routes, where the first digit indicates the general geographic zone of the route's origin or destination. Express buses run alongside regular services. There are no ferries in this inland city.

Tickets & fares

Daegu's metro uses a flat fare regardless of distance within the urban network, and fares are approximate and subject to change.

Metro with a transit card: about ₩1,500 for adults, ₩850 for teens and ₩450 for children.
Metro with a single pre-paid token: about ₩1,700 for adults and teens, ₩500 for children. Buy tokens from the machines in stations; you scan the token at the gate and insert the same token to exit, so keep hold of it.
Regular city bus: card about ₩1,500 adult / ₩850 teen / ₩400 child; cash about ₩1,700 / ₩1,000 / ₩500.
Express bus: card about ₩1,950 / ₩1,100 / ₩650; cash about ₩2,200 / ₩1,300 / ₩800.

Children aged five or under ride free when accompanied by an adult, up to three children. Teens paying with a regular subway ticket or cash are charged the adult fare.

For cards, you can buy a Daegu transport card (about ₩2,000, more with accessories) at Daegu Bank branches, subway station vending and charging machines, and some convenience stores. Top up at Daegu Bank branches, station machines, some convenience stores, or apps such as Daegu Bank IMBank and SmarTouch. Pre-paid options include OnePass, Top Pass and the DaeGyeong card; post-paid credit cards from several Korean issuers can be registered as transport cards; and T-money, Hanpay and Cashbee work for both pre- and post-payment. Nationwide T-money cards are also sold at convenience stores for a one-time card fee of roughly ₩2,500–₩4,000 plus an initial charge, and can be topped up with cash at subway kiosks, where foreign credit cards are increasingly accepted in Daegu. Remaining T-money balance can be refunded for cash at convenience stores, though the card fee is generally not returned.

Transfers are free within 30 minutes of leaving your previous mode, covering Daegu buses, the metro, and Gyeongsan and Yeongcheon city buses. To get the discount, tap your card on the rear-door reader before alighting and wait for the beep; tapping the front reader incurs an extra fee. Transfer benefits apply per person per card, and an extra fee applies when moving from a regular to an express bus. Ticket machines marked "complimentary tickets" are reserved for holders of certain South Korean ID cards, such as pensioners. The sources do not describe a dedicated tourist pass for the metro.

From the airport

Daegu International Airport (TAE) sits on the east side of the city and has no direct metro station. The nearest stop is Ayanggyo on Line 1, about 1.5 km from the terminal, so you will need a bus or taxi for the final leg.

Bus: route 401 connects the airport with the downtown area for about ₩1,500. Routes 101, 급행1 (Geuphaeng 1, "Express 1") and 동구8 (Donggu 8) also serve Dongdaegu Station.
Taxi: roughly ₩11,000 and 25 minutes to the Dongsungro district in the centre, or about ₩6,500 for a 15-minute ride to Dongdaegu Station.

Etiquette & customs

Korean transit etiquette is quietly enforced by habit rather than rules, and following it will make your journey smoother.

Queue in marked lines at platform doors and let alighting passengers off first.
Stand on the right side of escalators so faster riders can pass on the left.
Priority seats at the ends of cars are for the elderly, pregnant passengers and those with disabilities; leave them free even when the train is busy.
Keep phone calls short and quiet, and use headphones for music or video.
Eating and drinking are best avoided on trains; save snacks for station concourses or outside.
At rush hour, move right down the platform and into the car rather than blocking the doors, and keep backpacks in front of you.
Tap out correctly every time — on buses this means the rear reader — both to pay the right fare and to earn your transfer discount.

Official links

Survival terms

지하철 (jihacheol) — subway/metro
승차권 (seungchagwon) — ticket
호선 (hoseon) — line (e.g. 1호선, il hoseon, Line 1)
입구 (ipgu) — entrance
출구 (chulgu) — exit
환승 (hwanseung) — transfer
기본요금 (gibon yogeum) — single/base fare
일일권 (irilgwon) — day pass

Before you set out, download Naver Map for real-time routing in English and keep a charged transit card on you, since bus stop signs and on-board announcements are mainly in Korean and English and a working card is what unlocks Daegu's free 30-minute transfers.