Subway Line 9 Phase 4 Extension Confirmed as 'Turnkey Construction'

Seoul City Large-Scale Construction Bidding Method Review Results: Design-Build Turnkey Selected... Construction Period Shortened, Early Start Imminent... Transportation Convenience for 550,000 Residents Expected to Improve Dramatically

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gangdong-gu (District Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced that the implementation method for the Phase 4 extension construction of Subway Line 9 has been confirmed as a 'turnkey' project, where design and construction are contracted in a single bid.

This means that the early commencement of the Phase 4 extension project of Line 9, a long-awaited project by residents that will connect Gangdong to Gangnam within 30 minutes, has become visible.

The Phase 4 extension project of Subway Line 9 is a project to build four new stations along a 4.12 km section starting from Jungang Veterans Hospital Station in Gangdong-gu, passing through Gildong Ecological Park, Hanyoung High School, and Line 5 Godeok Station, up to Godeok Gangil 1 District.

Since the announcement of candidate sites for the National Land and Transport Ministry’s public housing districts in 2011, proactive demands for transportation measures were made, and in 2012, the project was included in the Ministry’s comprehensive transportation improvement plan for the Godeok-Gangil public housing district. It was later reflected in Seoul Metropolitan Government’s 10-year basic plan for urban railway network construction in 2015.

After passing the preliminary feasibility study in May 2018, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance confirmed the project cost of 640.8 billion KRW in March this year, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approved the basic plan in April, making early commencement crucial.

Accordingly, on April 23, Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon of Gangdong-gu met with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to propose advancing the construction and opening of the Phase 4 Line 9 project by proceeding with the project as a turnkey contract, delivering a petition for early commencement signed by about 30,000 residents.

At the meeting, National Assembly members Jin Sun-mi and Lee Hae-sik, elected representatives, City Council members Kim Jong-mu and Lee Jun-hyung also attended to express the urgency, and Mayor Park Won-soon expressed a positive intention to review the proposal.

Following the decision last month by the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s review committee on bidding methods for large-scale projects to adopt a turnkey bidding for the Phase 4 extension of Line 9, the originally planned construction period from 2022 to 2027 is expected to be significantly shortened. This also signals a green light for alleviating the worsening traffic congestion caused by the Godeok redevelopment complex and the Godeok Gangil district move-in.

Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon of Gangdong-gu stated, “Thanks to the residents’ generous interest and support, the Phase 4 construction of Line 9 will proceed as a ‘turnkey’ project, giving wings to the project’s progress. We will closely coordinate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ensure swift progress from groundbreaking to opening.” He added, “Together with the ongoing extension projects of Lines 5, 8, and 9, and the successful attraction of the metropolitan area express railway ‘GTX-D,’ we will strive to dramatically improve Gangdong-gu’s transportation infrastructure and realize transportation welfare directly linked to residents’ happiness.”

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