Massive Costs and Government Cooperation... Seoul's Above-Ground Railway Underground Conversion Faces Numerous Challenges

A Common Election Pledge Included in the 2040 Seoul Plan
But Construction Costs for Some Sections Estimated at 38 Trillion Won
Cooperation from the Ministry of Land and Traffic Congestion Relief Also Key

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Can the plan to underground the above-ground railways in Seoul proceed smoothly? The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced its intention to promote this in the 2040 Urban Master Plan (2040 Seoul Plan), but numerous challenges remain. Major issues include the enormous budget, cooperation with the government, and traffic congestion that may arise during the project implementation.

Plans to underground Seoul's above-ground railways have been continuously announced and even attempted. It is a common election pledge and appeared in last year's Seoul mayoral election regardless of party affiliation. This time, both major presidential candidates have also pledged to underground the above-ground railways. The reason it consistently appears as a pledge is the advantage of securing scarce available land in Seoul, even in station areas. Currently, Seoul's above-ground railway sections total 101.2 km, with a 4.6 km² vehicle depot nearby; moving these underground would free up the space above. Seoul plans to utilize this space for green areas, cultural, commercial, and business spaces.

Both the presidential candidates and the Seoul city government have expressed their will to increase the feasibility of execution, but the problem is the enormous cost. According to a 2013 Seoul city study, it was estimated that just undergrounding some sections would cost 38 trillion won. Expanding to the entire section would exponentially increase the cost. A Seoul city official explained, "We have not realized this because we only considered undergrounding the railway. If we maximize the value of the land above through zoning changes, a significant portion of the cost can be covered. We are conducting a study to reduce the public burden."

Since most of the above-ground railways are national railways, cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korail is also a variable. The city plans to establish a discussion structure with the government to increase feasibility, but if disagreements arise during discussions with the next government, the discussions could be postponed again.

Above all, measures must be prepared to resolve traffic congestion that may arise during construction. Since the above-ground railways are mainly concentrated on lines 1 and 2, which have relatively many users, a method to proceed with construction without stopping operations must be found. An industry official said, "There are many challenges, including the possibility of stimulating nearby real estate, decisions on how to develop the space above, and whether to recoup development profits. It is likely to be a long-term project."

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