How Is the 'Capital Region Metropolitan Railroad Network' Being Developed in Northern Gyeonggi...

Submission of Construction Start Plan for Section 3 of Dobongsan~Okjeong Metropolitan Railroad on Line 7... Section 2 Under Construction
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Initiates Selection Process for Private Investors of 'GTX C' Line
Namyangju City Requests Connection of 'GTX-D' Line to Wabu Area

[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] The core of the 3rd New Town Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan planned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is to reduce the travel time to downtown Seoul from anywhere within Seoul and the metropolitan area to within one hour by establishing an organic railway network.

Among them, Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province is rapidly emerging as a central city for northern Gyeonggi metropolitan transportation due to the overlapping construction of the Seoul Subway Line 7 'Dobongsan~Okjeong Metropolitan Railway Construction' and the 'GTX-C Line Metropolitan Express Railway'.

Despite its geographical advantage of being close to Seoul, the metropolitan railway project plays a pivotal role in laying the foundation for urban development and revitalizing city development, considering that the area has endured various regulations, discrimination, and sacrifices for national security.

Line 7 Okjeong Line [Provided by Yangju City]

The Seoul Subway Line 7 'Dobongsan~Okjeong Metropolitan Railway Construction' is a project to build a single-track electric railway over a total distance of 15.1 km from Dobongsan Station in Seoul, passing through Jangam Station and Tapseok Station in Uijeongbu, to the Goeup district in Yangju, with a total project cost of 756.2 billion KRW.

Section 3 of this project connects Jageum-dong in Uijeongbu City and Goeup-dong in Yangju City, and the construction company recently submitted a construction start report to Gyeonggi Province aiming for completion in the second half of 2025. Section 2, connecting Songsan-dong and Jageum-dong in Uijeongbu City, began construction in December last year and is currently underway.

Once both sections are opened, the travel time from Yangju Goeup district to northeastern Seoul via Uijeongbu without transferring to Line 7 Gangnam is expected to be reduced by up to about 30 minutes.

The construction of the 'GTX-C Line Metropolitan Express Railway,' connecting approximately 74.2 km from Deokjeong Station in Yangju to Suwon Station, is also progressing smoothly.

The total project cost for the 'GTX-C' line is 4.3857 trillion KRW, and it is being promoted as a Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) type private investment project, where a private company constructs the railway with private funds and recovers the investment through operating revenues.

There are a total of 10 stations: Suwon Station, Geumjeong Station, Government Gwacheon Complex Station, Yangjae Station, Samsung Station, Cheongnyangni Station, Kwangwoon University Station, Chang-dong Station, Uijeongbu Station, and Deokjeong Station. Once the entire line is opened, travel from Deokjeong in Yangju to Gangnam (Samsung Station) will take 27 minutes, and to Cheongnyangni Station 25 minutes.

Train operations are limited to a maximum of 122 trips per day, and fares apply the integrated metropolitan area public transportation fare system, with a base fare (up to 10 km) of 2,719 KRW and an additional fare of 227 KRW per 5 km. Therefore, the fare from Deokjeong in Yangju to Suwon is expected to be about 5,625 KRW, and to Gangnam about 4,000 KRW.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the 'Designation of GTX-C Line as a Private Investment Project and Basic Facility Project Plan (RFP)'. Through the announcement, the Ministry allowed up to three additional stations to be newly established.

GTX-C Line [Provided by Yangju City]

However, the cost of establishing these additional stations must be self-financed by the private company, and the train operation plan must be designed to maintain a speed of at least 80 km/h based on stopping at all stations, including the additional ones.

Yangju City plans to allocate a budget of 500 million KRW next year to prevent indiscriminate development around Deokjeong Station and to establish a transfer center for user convenience, conducting a 'Feasibility Study and Basic Plan for Station Area Development Project.'

Yangju City stated, "The Dobongsan~Okjeong Metropolitan Railway is a project that was difficult to achieve after three preliminary feasibility studies over more than ten years," and added, "We will establish a master plan centered on Deokjeong Station, a stop on the GTX-C line, including a transfer center, revitalization of the old downtown, and development plans for idle land."

Meanwhile, Namyangju City is also making efforts to ensure that the extension to the Wabu area is reflected in the 'GTX-D Line Metropolitan Express Railway,' which is under review to expand the beneficiary area of the western metropolitan area express railway.

Recently, the city proposed to Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Metropolitan Transportation Committee the results of the basic railway network plan analysis, which showed that the extension of the Byeollae Line (including the establishment of Jungang Station) and the extension of Subway Lines 6 and 9 to Namyangju City meet the economic feasibility B/C standard of 0.7 or higher, which is a guideline for upper-level railway-related plans.

The strategy is to emphasize that extending the Wabu area is essential from the perspective of railway network connectivity and operational efficiency, as connecting the 'GTX-D' line to Hanam City would cause a disconnection with the Jungang Line.

They plan to ensure that the economic feasibility and efficiency, such as reducing travel time within one hour for the east-west metropolitan area route from Incheon to Namyangju through improved investment efficiency by line extension, are reflected in the upper-level plans.

GTX Line [Asia Economy DB]

The city expects that if the 'GTX-D' line connecting the western metropolitan area and northeastern Gyeonggi including Namyangju opens as proposed, it will be linked with high-speed railways introduced on the Gangneung Line axis (Cheongnyangni~Gangneung) and the Jungang Line·Donghae Line axis (Cheongnyangni~Bujeon), improving accessibility to Gangwon, Chungcheong, and Yeongnam regions.

In addition, to improve transportation in Namyangju Wangsuk, a 3rd New Town, the extension project of Urban Railway Line 9 connecting Seoul Gangdong, Hanam, and Namyangju is also underway.

In Goyang Changneung district, a new urban railway line (Goyang Line) between Goyang and Seoul Eunpyeong will be constructed, and the metropolitan express railway 'GTX-A' Changneung Station will be built. It is expected that travel from Namyangju Wangsuk to Seoul Station will take 25 minutes, and from Goyang Changneung to Seoul Station 10 minutes.

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