Incheon City to Hold 'Incheon-origin KTX Vision' Ceremony Next Month... Establishing Nationwide Half-Day Living Zone

Opening in 2025... Busan to Mokpo in 2 Hours

KTX Route Map from Incheon [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City will hold a vision proclamation ceremony for the Incheon-origin KTX on the 7th of next month around Suin Line Songdo Station.

The city planned this event to share the vision of creating "Incheon, an international city connecting Korea and the world" by starting the Incheon-origin KTX and connecting the railway to Incheon International Airport with its citizens.

Incheon has historically and geographically been a key transportation hub in Korea. The first railway (Gyeongin Line) and highway started from Incheon, and the international airport, a gateway to the world, is also located in Incheon, but it remains the only metropolitan city not yet connected by KTX.

Accordingly, the 2016 3rd National Railroad Network Construction Plan included the Incheon-origin KTX, and construction began last December with a goal to open in 2025.

The Incheon-origin KTX project utilizes the existing Suin Line, departing from Songdo Station, passing through Choji Station in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and Eocheon Station in Hwaseong, connecting to the Gyeongbu High-Speed Railway, with a total investment of 423.8 billion KRW.

Once the Incheon-origin KTX opens, it is expected to take 2 hours and 29 minutes from Incheon to Busan, and 2 hours and 10 minutes to Mokpo. Compared to currently traveling to Seoul Station or Gwangmyeong Station to use the KTX, this will save about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Additionally, the Wolgyo-Pangyo section of the Gyeonggang Line connecting Incheon to Gangneung began construction last month, and by 2027, the Songdo-Gangneung KTX connection will operate, allowing travel to Gangneung in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

With the establishment of a nationwide half-day living zone like this, Incheon's transportation conditions are expected to improve further.

An Incheon City official stated, "Incheon will grow into a world-class international city connecting Korea to the world, based on excellent accessibility and transportation infrastructure such as the airport, Incheon Port, and the soon-to-open Incheon-origin KTX."

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