Seoul City '2040 Seoul Urban Master Plan' Subway Line 2 Underground?...Funding Securing Challenge

[Seoul District News] Gwangjin-gu Proposes Continuous Need for Underground Development and Implementation Plans to Seoul City, Including 3.8km Section and 3 Stations Reflected

Aerial View of Konkuk University Entrance Station

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) has laid the groundwork for promoting the undergrounding of Subway Line 2, a long-awaited project by local residents.

The plan to "underground the aboveground railway" was included in the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan (draft) announced on March 3. The Gwangjin-gu section covers three stations?Gangbyeon Station, Guui Station, and Konkuk University Station?spanning 3.8 km. Seoul plans to gradually promote the undergrounding of aboveground railways, resolving the shortage of available land, utilizing public contributions, and minimizing the burden on public funds.

The aboveground section of Subway Line 2 in Gwangjin-gu passes through a core development axis of the area, causing urban space disconnection, which leads to serious problems such as traffic congestion and hindrance to regional development.

Accordingly, since the 7th local government administration, Gwangjin-gu has continuously communicated the necessity and specific promotion plans for undergrounding Subway Line 2 to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

In particular, in March 2019, Mayor Kim Seon-gap of Gwangjin-gu, along with the mayors of Seongdong and Songpa districts, visited the Mayor of Seoul to discuss the undergrounding project of the southeastern and northeastern sections of Subway Line 2.

At that meeting, Mayor Kim proposed maximizing benefits and minimizing project costs, considering the enormous financial investment required for the undergrounding of the aboveground section.

Mayor Kim Seon-gap specifically suggested measures such as receiving compensation from the government for losses due to free subway rides and developing key local commercial areas like Konkuk University Station into complex stations using private capital. He also predicted that once the undergrounding of Subway Line 2 is actively promoted, the value of surrounding areas would increase, enabling additional funding by recovering a portion of the development gains.

Along with this, to actively advance the undergrounding, Gwangjin-gu conducted a feasibility study from September 2019 to December 2020 on undergrounding the aboveground section of Subway Line 2 between Hanyang University and Jamsil. Based on the results, the district has continuously requested the Seoul Metropolitan Government to reflect the undergrounding of Line 2.

As such, the district achieved the great success of having the "undergrounding of aboveground railways" included in the "2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan" (draft) through continuous and close communication with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Going forward, Gwangjin-gu plans to consult with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ensure the smooth implementation of the undergrounding project for the 3.8 km Gwangjin-gu section of aboveground Subway Line 2 in accordance with the 2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan (draft).

Mayor Kim Seon-gap of Gwangjin-gu said, "The undergrounding project of Subway Line 2 requires enormous financial resources, so difficulties were expected, but since it is the biggest long-cherished project of the residents, I pledged to at least lay the foundation for undergrounding. Since the decision lies with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, we have continuously communicated the necessity and promotion plans. I am very pleased that the undergrounding project was included in the '2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan' (draft) as a result of these efforts, and I thank the Seoul Metropolitan Government."

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