Elevator and Access Path Installation at Seobinggo Station, Yongsan-gu

Korea Railroad Corporation Signs Agreement with Korea Rail Network Authority to Ensure Mobility Rights for Disabled and Elderly, Installing Two 15-Passenger Elevators and New Passageways in Stations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seongjang Hyun) will support the installation of mobility convenience facilities (E/L) inside Seobinggo Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line (241-98, Seobinggo-dong).

This is to guarantee the mobility rights of the disabled and the elderly.

The district plans to sign a ‘Seobinggo Station Elevator Installation Project Consignment Agreement’ with Korea Railroad Corporation Seoul Headquarters (hereinafter referred to as the Corporation) and Korea Rail Network Authority Metropolitan Headquarters (hereinafter referred to as the Authority) within this month.

According to the draft agreement, the project location is two platforms on the up and down lines of Seobinggo Station, and the project period is from the date of agreement signing until the end of 2022. The project scale includes two 15-passenger elevators and connecting passageways, with detailed contents to be finalized through a separate design service.

The estimated (approximate) construction cost is 3.4 billion KRW (2.56 billion KRW for construction, 770 million KRW for facility auxiliary expenses, and 70 million KRW for project management). The district and the Authority will each bear 1.7 billion KRW (50%). This is in accordance with Article 13 of the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on Metropolitan Transportation Management (cost-sharing for construction and improvement of metropolitan railways).

The district will allocate 375 million KRW in this year’s supplementary budget and 1.325 billion KRW in next year’s main budget according to the annual investment plan and pay it to the Authority. The design service and elevator installation construction will be directly undertaken by the Authority.

A district official said, “After signing the agreement, the Authority will carry out the design service. Based on this, after consultations among the district, the Corporation, and the Authority, the project scale and details will be finalized, and the main construction will take place next year.”

Seobinggo Station was built in 1984. Although there is an elevator outside the station, there is no elevator inside, causing many complaints about inconvenience when using the up and down line platforms. Especially, people with physical disabilities can only move via a lift.

The district has been discussing elevator expansion with the Corporation and the Authority since 2014. However, the talks accelerated last year when the Yongsan-gu Disabled Community Center (245, Seobinggo-ro) was established in front of Seobinggo Station.

Mayor Seongjang Hyun visited the site in January last year and requested related departments to “carefully examine the surrounding conditions such as the transportation environment to ensure that disabled people have no inconvenience using the Community Center.”

Also, in September last year, the Yongsan-gu Council (Chairman Kim Jeongjae) held a temporary session and adopted the ‘Proposal for Elevator Installation at Seobinggo Station,’ which was sent to Korea Railroad Corporation and others.

Mayor Seongjang Hyun of Yongsan-gu said, “In 2017, there was a lift fall accident at Singil Station,” and added, “We will prevent such unfortunate accidents through prompt construction and guarantee the mobility rights of the disabled and the elderly.”

Recently, the district also installed elevators at three locations: Bukhan-nam Samgeori pedestrian overpass, Noksapyeong pedestrian overpass, and Exit 4 of Ichon Station. Except for pedestrian overpasses scheduled for demolition or those without spare space, elevators have been installed at virtually all locations (9 places).

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.