'Repeated Failures' Incheon Cheongra Extension of Line 7... Turnkey Construction → Separate Bidding for Design and Construction

Construction to start in the second half of next year, aiming for opening in 2027
10.7km section from Seoknam Station to Cheongna Station

Seoul Subway Line 7 Cheongna Extension Route Map [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] As the construction to extend Seoul Subway Line 7 to Incheon Cheongna International City continues to fail in bidding, Incheon City is changing the bidding method.

According to the city on the 6th, the Cheongna extension line Sections 1 and 2 were promoted as a design-build lump-sum contract called 'turnkey construction,' but only one company participated in the first and second announcements in November and December last year, resulting in failed bids.

To expedite the start of construction, the city combined Sections 1 and 2 into a single order last month, but the bidding result on the 3rd also saw participation from only one company, causing another failed bid.

As the failed bids repeated, the city decided to change the bidding method to 'other construction,' which separates design and construction, and increase the participation rate of local construction companies to actively encourage participation from local small and medium-sized construction companies that had been excluded from the turnkey consortium formation.

The city plans to announce the bid for the basic and detailed design services for Sections 1 and 2 by the end of this month to ensure no delays in the opening of the Cheongna extension line in 2027, and start the design from May.

The basic and detailed designs will utilize the design standards of the ongoing basic and detailed design services for Sections 3 and 4 of the Cheongna extension line as much as possible to shorten administrative procedures and service periods by five months.

Han Kiyong, head of the Urban Railroad Construction Headquarters of Incheon City, said, "By switching the bidding method to other construction, we plan to actively encourage participation from companies capable of carrying out each process without delay," and added, "We will focus all administrative power to start construction in the second half of next year and ensure there is no delay in the originally planned opening in 2027."

Line 7 currently operates on the 57.1 km section from Jangam Station to Bupyeong-gu Office Station, and the project to extend the 4.2 km section from Bupyeong-gu Office Station to Seoknam Station in Seo-gu, Incheon, is under construction with the goal of opening by the end of this year.

The Cheongna extension line will be constructed over a 10.7 km section (6 stations) from Seoknam Station to Airport Railroad Cheongna International City Station, with a total project cost of 1.3 trillion won.

Once Seoul Line 7 is extended from Seoknam Station to Cheongna International City Station, travel time from Cheongna to Seoul Guro will be reduced from the current 78 minutes to 42 minutes, and accessibility to Seoul is expected to improve, allowing direct travel to Gangnam without transfers.

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