The Cheongnyangni Station Metropolitan Transfer Center to Open in 2027... Excitement in Cheongnyangni

Daegwangwi Launches 'Cheongnyangni Station Metropolitan Transfer Center Basic Concept Study'
Plans 'GTX-Transfer Triangle' with Seoul Station and Samseong Station
Enhances Subway-Bus Transfer Convenience Like Jamsil Station Metropolitan Transfer Center

Cheongnyangni Station, Once a Red-Light District, Draws Real Estate Market Attention Amid Redevelopment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] In line with the opening of the Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Train (GTX) Line C in 2027, Cheongnyangni Station will be reborn as a metropolitan transportation hub along with a wide-area transfer center. This will be linked with environmental improvement projects in the area, creating innovative jobs and supplying related housing.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee (MAWTC) announced on the 21st that it will officially begin the "Cheongnyangni Station Spatial Structure Improvement and Wide-area Transfer Center Basic Plan Study" together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea Rail Network Authority, and Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL). Yushin, an engineering company that participated in the Gangnam area (Samseong Station) wide-area complex transfer center consortium, will establish a comprehensive development plan by April next year.

This study is part of the basic plan for metropolitan area wide-area transportation, "Wide-area Transportation 2030," aiming to significantly reduce transfer times by strengthening connectivity centered on GTX, while developing the transfer center as a hub for wide-area transportation and regional development. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also announced in its February work report that it plans to build wide-area complex transfer centers at Cheongnyangni Station and Seoul Station to innovate the railway-centered transportation system.

▲ GTX-Transfer Triangle Conceptual Diagram (Provided by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

MAWTC plans to establish Cheongnyangni Station as one of the three junction points where two GTX lines intersect, called the "GTX Transfer Triangle." The three junction points are Cheongnyangni Station where Lines B and C pass, Seoul Station (Lines A and B), and Samseong Station (Lines A and C).

Cheongnyangni Station is currently a "super station area" where six main lines pass daily, including Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1, Bundang Line, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, Gyeongchun Line, and KTX Gangneung Line, with 819 train services per day. There are also 66 bus routes passing through, with about 140,000 daily users, including approximately 100,000 railway passengers and 40,000 bus passengers. However, the underground station for Line 1 and the aboveground stations for other lines are separated, and the bus transfer center is separate as well, making transfer routes very complicated and causing inconvenience.

With the completion of the currently underway GTX-B and C lines, an additional 60,000 daily users are expected. Urban rail lines such as the Myeonmok Line and Gangbuk Transversal Line are also planned, so Cheongnyangni Station is likely to play a role beyond a mainline railway station and become a key commuter rail hub. Therefore, a systematic transfer system is required to properly fulfill its hub function.

▲ Jamsil Station Metropolitan Transfer Center (Provided by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

Accordingly, the government plans to foster Cheongnyangni Station as a wide-area transfer hub in the northeastern region to maximize the effects of the new railway network and enhance user convenience. The model is the Jamsil Station wide-area transfer center, which connects Seoul Subway Line 2 with 31 bus stops. An underground bus terminal concept allowing bus turnarounds was created to improve transfer convenience.

First, new lines such as GTX-B and C, Gangbuk Transversal Line, and Myeonmok Line, along with bus transfer stops and other transportation facilities, will be densely arranged in underground spaces to minimize transfer routes between new lines and existing transportation modes. In particular, the transfer center will be available in time for the opening of the GTX-C line, expected to be the earliest operating new line, in 2027. Construction will proceed in phases aligned with the opening of new lines to minimize inconvenience to citizens.

Public housing linked to innovative job creation will also be supplied on the ground adjacent to the transfer center. Notably, the Cheongnyangni Station area is adjacent to seven universities and the Hongneung research and development (R&D) complex, providing excellent regional industry-academia-research infrastructure, which is expected to create significant synergy.

Ji Jong-cheol, Director of Wide-area Transportation Operations at MAWTC, said, "By planning complex development centered on the wide-area transfer center, Cheongnyangni Station will become a hub for metropolitan wide-area transportation. We will also carefully review transfer centers at major GTX hub stations to maximize the effects of GTX."

Regarding the Seoul Station transfer center, he explained, "The first phase study on how to arrange the newly incoming GTX lines underground has been completed, and the study on the aboveground area is currently underway." About the bus transfer center located on Hangang-daero in front of Seoul Station, he added, "We plan to review various options, from a transfer center directly attached to the station entrance like Gimpo Airport to an underground transfer center."

▲ Construction site of 'Cheongnyangni Station Lotte Castle SKY-L65' in Cheongnyangni 4 District, Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (Photo by Lee Chunhee)

Expectations that the transfer center development will revitalize the surrounding area have caused the nearby real estate market to fluctuate. The Cheongnyangni Station area was previously considered underdeveloped in terms of residential environment, with places like Cheongnyangni 588 known as a red-light district. A MAWTC official said, "Introducing public housing and commercial and cultural facilities in the station area will also improve the quality of life for residents in the northern part of Seoul."

Large-scale urban redevelopment projects are progressing rapidly, changing the face of Cheongnyangni. Through the redevelopment of Cheongnyangni District 4, formerly a red-light district, the "Cheongnyangni Station Lotte Castle SKY-L65," a super high-rise residential-commercial complex with up to 65 floors, will be completed in 2023. It was closed last year with an average competition rate of 14.4 to 1 in subscription. Nearby District 3 and Dongbu Agricultural Market are also undergoing transformation with projects named "Cheongnyangni Station Harrington Place" and "Cheongnyangni Station Hanyang Sujain 192," respectively. Reconstruction is also underway for nearby Miju Apartments.

Apartment prices in the surrounding area have recently shown strength contrary to the overall market downturn. On the 4th of last month, a 59㎡ unit in Lotte Castle Noblesse in Jeonnong-dong was traded at a record high of 1.15 billion KRW. On the same day, a 59㎡ unit in Raemian Crecity in the same neighborhood also changed hands at a record high of 1.02 billion KRW. This means that prices for both 84㎡ units, which determine membership in the 1 billion KRW club, and 59㎡ units have risen to the 1 billion KRW range.

A real estate agent near Cheongnyangni Station said, "Residents are currently collecting consent forms to designate the underdeveloped Jeonnong Districts 9 and 10 near Cheongnyangni Station as redevelopment maintenance zones. With the opening of GTX and the construction of the complex transfer center, full-scale redevelopment will be promoted, and Cheongnyangni will become a representative center in northern Seoul."

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