"For 20 Million Residents of Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, GTX-C Line Must Add Wangsimni Station"

On the 16th, at Seongdong-gu Office Auditorium, many Seoul citizens advocated for the establishment of Wangsimni Station during the GTX-C Line Wangsimni passage 'Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment Resident Public Hearing'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced on the 16th that the 'Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment Report (Draft) Public Hearing for the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) Line C,' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, was held in the auditorium on the 3rd floor of the district office.

This public hearing was decided upon at the request of more than 30 residents in accordance with Article 13 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and Article 16 of its Enforcement Decree. It was organized to discuss suggestions regarding environmental impacts on areas near the railway due to underground tunnel construction as the GTX-C line passes beneath Wangsimni Station, the necessity of establishing Wangsimni Station through expert panel discussions, and other resident requests.

The hearing was moderated by Professor Dongwook Kim of Kongju National University, with four participants including a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official, environmental experts, and facility experts. Three panelists, including Professor Junho Go from Hanyang University's Department of Urban Engineering representing residents, engaged in a heated discussion.

Over 100 residents from Seongdong-gu and neighboring areas, as well as citizens from Gyeonggi Province, participated, contributing diverse opinions and maintaining a lively atmosphere throughout the hearing.

Senior Researcher Youngin Kwon from the Korea Transport Institute, who attended as a panelist, stated, "The metropolitan area express railway is planned to improve accessibility between business districts in Seoul's city center from the metropolitan area, so the convenience of commuters should be the primary consideration." He added, "Considering commuter convenience and social costs related to transfers, Wangsimni Station is judged to be the most suitable station."

A resident from Gwangjin-gu said, "Although adding Wangsimni Station may delay train operation times by 2 to 3 minutes, considering the time savings and economic effects for over 20 million Seoul and Gyeonggi citizens transferring, the installation of Wangsimni Station is essential."

Other opinions strongly demanding the establishment of Wangsimni Station on GTX-C included statements such as, "As a transfer station with the most lines in the metropolitan area, it can significantly reduce connection times to the northern downtown," and "Passing Wangsimni Station without stopping between Cheongnyangni Station and Samseong Station, where transfer effects are excellent, undermines the efficiency of the metropolitan express railway network project and regional balanced development."

Earlier, at the residents' briefing on the strategic environmental impact assessment held on the 19th of last month, many residents demanded the establishment of Wangsimni Station. The residents-led promotion committee launched a signature campaign on the 16th of last month, collecting signatures from 150,997 residents, exceeding 50% of Seongdong-gu's population in just 12 days.

Going forward, Seongdong-gu plans to conduct an additional feasibility study independently to strengthen the claim for establishing Wangsimni Station on the GTX-C line.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "Wangsimni Station is a transportation hub used by approximately 109 million people annually. The stop of GTX-C line at this station will enhance the convenience of citizens commuting from the metropolitan area to Seoul and simultaneously revitalize the surrounding economy, offering multiple benefits." He added, "We will continue to actively communicate the necessity and feasibility of establishing Wangsimni Station to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ensure that many citizens can enjoy transportation benefits."

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