The government and the ruling People Power Party(PPP) have agreed to provide state support to increase the number of carriages on heavily congested Seoul subway lines during rush hour through 2027.

PPP policy chief Yu Eui-dong said on Friday that the support for Lines Four, Seven, Nine and the Gimpo Goldline are anticipated to relieve passenger density from the current 190 percent to 150 percent.

The two sides also agreed to direct state funds to chartered buses on major inter-city routes during rush hour next year to ease the public inconvenience arising from long waits and fully occupied buses passing through stops.

The measures come as the degree of congestion on public transportation in the capital area is expected to worsen further with planned new city development and subway line extensions, inflation, rising oil prices, and supply-demand imbalance.