Seoul City Begins Delivery of Sillim Line Urban Railway Trains ... Opening in 2022

Yeouido to Seoul National University Front 7.8km Entire Section Underground Tunnel Penetration ... Priority Test Operation from January to August Next Year

An electric train of the Sillim Line entering the inspection track at the vehicle depot.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 27th that the 'Sillim Line Urban Railway' has completed the underground tunnel for the entire 7.8 km section from Yeouido to Seoul National University and introduced rubber-tired electric trains, the first of their kind in Seoul, at the vehicle depot.

The Sillim Line Urban Railway, scheduled to open in the first half of 2022, is Seoul's second light rail line with a total length of 7.8 km, connecting Saetgang Station on Line 9, Daebang Station on Line 1, Boramae Station on Line 7, and Sillim Station on Line 2, ending at Seoul National University. It includes one vehicle depot and a total of 11 stations, including four transfer stations.

Despite being considered the largest difficult construction project in Korea, passing under rivers with poor geological conditions such as Dorimcheon and Saetgang, as well as aging structures like Daebang Underpass (Yeongdeungpo-gu) and Danggok Intersection (Gwanak-gu), all tunnel sections were completed on the 16th. As of December, structural, architectural, and equipment works for the vehicle depot, integrated control building, and stations are underway, with a progress rate of 71%.

On the 21st, the city introduced two sets (each set consisting of 3 cars) of rubber-tired electric trains, which produce less vibration and noise, to the Sillim Line vehicle depot located in Boramae Park, Dongjak-gu. The trains will be delivered sequentially in six shipments of two sets each, with a total of 12 sets to be operated.

From January to August next year, priority test operations for the Sillim Line will be conducted over approximately 2.1 km, from station 103 (in front of Yeongdeungpo-gu Facilities Management Corporation) to station 106 (in front of Boramae Hospital), including the vehicle depot and integrated control building. The state-of-the-art fully unmanned automatic operation, control, and driving system, applying Korea's first wireless-based signaling system (KRTCS: Korea Radio Train Control System), will undergo practical on-site verification.

To provide citizens with a comfortable and clean indoor environment, the trains will be equipped with air purification devices capable of capturing ultrafine dust PM-2.5 (50㎍/㎥), and the direct cooling injection air conditioners will be improved to duct cooling injection systems. Additionally, fire detectors, closed-circuit (CC) TVs for monitoring the passenger compartments and front view will be installed, and the central control room will be able to monitor the internal operation status of the compartments and the driving tracks, enabling rapid response in emergencies.

Kim Jin-pal, Director of the Urban Railway Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, stated, "We will thoroughly verify the performance and safety of the facilities so that residents in the southwestern region of Seoul can use them safely and conveniently," adding, "We will provide innovative transportation infrastructure by alleviating traffic congestion in the southwestern area and establishing a network with existing urban railways to promote balanced regional development."

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