Line 1

Sign outside Seomyeon station, the transfer station between Line 1 and Line 2

Busan Metro Line 1 (1호선) is the north-south route. It is 39.8-kilometre (24.7 mi) long with 40 stations.^[4] The line uses trains that have eight cars each. The total construction cost was 975.1 billion won.

Plans for this line were made in 1979. Two years later, in 1981, construction began on the first phase, between Nopo-Dong (now Nopo) and Beomnaegol, which was finished in July 1985. This stretch was 16.2-kilometre (10.1 mi) long. Further extensions continued southward: a 5.4-kilometre (3.4 mi) extension from Beomnaegol to Jungang-dong (now Jungang) opened in May 1987; a 4.5-kilometre (2.8 mi) extension to Seodaeshin-dong (now Seodaeshin) opened in February 1990; and a 6.4-kilometre (4.0 mi) extension to Shinpyeong opened in June 1994.^[4]

The extension of the line further into Saha-gu from Shinpyeong to Dadaepo Beach 7.3-kilometre (4.5 mi) was finished in mid-April 2017.

Line 2

The headquarters of the Busan Transportation Corporation, the operator of Lines 1-4

Busan Metro Line 2 (2호선) crosses Busan from east to west, running along the shores of Haeundae and Gwangalli, and then north toward Yangsan. It is 46.0-kilometre (28.6 mi) long, serving 43 stations. The line uses trains that have six cars each.

Construction on the Phase 1 began in 1991. But this 21.7-kilometre (13.5 mi) route, serving 21 stations between Hopo and Seomyeon, did not open until 30 June 1999. With Phase 2 (planned to be 16.3 kilometres (10.1 mi) in total), the line was first extended 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) southeast from Seomyeon to Geumnyeonsan on 8 August 2001. The remainder of Phase 2 was implemented in two stages: Line 2 was extended 1.8 km (1.1 mi) north to Gwangan on January 16, 2002, and finally on 29 August 2002 it was extended 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi) east to Jangsan.^[4]

Phase 3, started in 1998, extends Line 2 north from Hopo more into the city of Yangsan. The phase was originally supposed to add another 11.3 kilometres (7.0 mi) to the line, with an additional seven stations. On 10 January 2003, Line 2 was extended 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the current terminus of Yangsan, but with only three of the originally planned seven stations in operation. Pusan National University Yangsan Campus Station, which was the fourth station to open in Phase 3, opened on 1 October 2009.^[4] The city of Yangsan subsequently gave up on finishing the extension and building the last three stations.

In 2014, Munjeon station was renamed to Busan International Finance Center–Busan Bank station

An extension of Line 2 towards the eastern extremity of Haeundae-gu is planned. If this extension opens, then 4 new stations will be added to Line 2.

Line 3

Busan Metro Line 3 (3호선) construction began in November 1997. Opening was delayed many times, but the Line 3 finally started service on 28 November 2005, with an 18.3-kilometre (11.4 mi) long stretch^[4] serving 17 stations. Line 3 uses 4-car trains. The first phase's estimated construction cost was 1,688.6 billion won, with the second phase split off into Line 4.

Following the "Daegu Subway Fire" in 2003, it was decided during construction to install screen doors to all station platforms on Line 3. This was one of the first lines in Korea and in the world that have screen doors installed in every station. Line 3 significantly improved the metro transportation system by connecting the Suyeong and Yeonsan-dong region, as well as the Yeonsan-dong and Deokcheon region.

Line 4

Busan Metro Line 4, also called the Bansong Line, is a rubber-tyred metro system that serves north-central and northeastern Busan. The line was originally planned as an extension of Line 3. Using automated guideway transit technology and extending from Minam to Anpyeong, Line 4 includes 14 stations and 12.7 kilometres (7.9 mi) of route.^[4] Originally scheduled to open in 2008, the line opened on 30 March 2011.^[4] Of the 14 stations, 8 are underground, 1 is ground-level, and 5 are above-ground. Each train operates with 6 cars, though each car on Line 4 is significantly shorter than the cars used on the other lines in the Busan Metro system.

Busan-Gimhae LRT (BGL)

The Busan–Gimhae Light Rail Transit is a light metro system that connects the city of Busan to the neighboring city of Gimhae. The line opened on 9 September 2011. It is operated by B&G Metro. The line has 21 stations, including two stations, Daejeo and Sasang, where one can transfer to Line 3 and Line 2 respectively. The line serves as inner-city transit for both Busan and Gimhae, an inter-city network linking Gimhae and Busan, and a new way to get to Gimhae International Airport.

All of the 21 stations are above-ground, and each train has 2 cars.

Donghae Line

Railway line along the coast being upgraded for commuter service, with trains every 30 min (15 min peak), was extended to Taehwagang Station in Ulsan by 2021.