Transition Team Prepares 'Roadmap' for GTX Expansion... Report to President-Elect Yoon This Week

Including National Tasks but Decisions by New Government
Finalizing Roadmap... Yoon to Report This Week

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is answering reporters' questions at the 3rd Cabinet announcement held at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul, on the 14th. / Photo by Transition Committee Press Photographers Group

The Presidential Transition Committee plans to unveil a 'roadmap' outlining future plans related to the establishment of new metropolitan express railway lines GTX D, E, and F, which are among President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's key pledges. Since feasibility studies are essential for new line establishments and extensions, this is interpreted as leaving room for the new administration to decide on specific details.

According to the Transition Committee on the 25th, the Economic Division 2 and the Real Estate Task Force (TF) will finalize the roadmap related to the promotion of new GTX lines and report it to President-elect Yoon this week. A Transition Committee official said in a phone interview, "The committee plans to present a concrete roadmap on how to proceed with the new GTX lines," adding, "There will be a report to the President-elect this week."

During his candidacy, Yoon pledged to extend the GTX-D line through Gangnam to Namyangju (Paldang), establish the E line connecting the northern metropolitan area east to west, and create the F line as a metropolitan circular route. The intention is to massively expand GTX to usher in a '30-minute commute era in the metropolitan area,' but concerns have been raised about the enormous budget required and insufficient feasibility, lowering the likelihood of realization.

On the 21st, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister nominee Won Hee-ryong visited the A line section 6 construction site in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, reaffirming the pledge by stating, "Even if the budget runs into tens of trillions of won, it is not expensive." However, within the Transition Committee, the prevailing opinion regarding the new lines is that "it is not something that can be definitively stated."

A Transition Committee official explained, "At the committee level, we are not reviewing feasibility or finalizing specific routes," adding, "We will present the broad direction in the national agenda, and detailed implementation plans will be concretized by the next government." The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to commission a research project related to additional GTX expansion measures within the first half of the year.

Industry insiders believe that even if the Transition Committee releases a roadmap, unless there are groundbreaking measures to shorten procedures, the project plans are likely to be delayed. The already ongoing A, B, and C lines have experienced multiple delays in follow-up procedures after initially being included in the national railway network construction plan. Even the fastest A line took 7 to 8 years from planning to groundbreaking.

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