Won Hee-ryong: "Once GTX-A opens, it will take 20 minutes from Dongtan to Seoul... We will strive for timely opening"

Minister of Land Visits GTX-A Dongtan Station Construction Site, Communicates with Local Residents and On-site Workers

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited the construction site of Dongtan Station, the terminus of the GTX-A line, emphasizing efforts to ensure the timely opening of GTX-A and the smooth progress of discovering new lines.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 30th, Minister Won visited the construction site of Dongtan Station, the terminus of the GTX-A line, and met with local residents to hear various opinions about the GTX-A project. This is the second time Minister Won has visited a GTX construction site since April, when he was the chairman of the transition committee's planning committee.

At the GTX-A Samsung~Dongtan Section 5 construction site, Minister Won received a progress report on the project and held a meeting with local residents. A resident of Dongtan who attended the meeting said, "To get from Dongtan to Seoul, taking the subway is out of the question, and we have to take the metropolitan bus, which takes an hour and a half. The outer metropolitan areas suffer not only from residential disparities but also severe transportation disparities. I hope the GTX opening can be expedited to relieve these inconveniences as soon as possible."

In response, Minister Won promised, "Once GTX-A opens, it will be possible to travel from Dongtan to Seoul in about 20 minutes at the current metropolitan bus fare level. We will strive for the timely opening of GTX-A."

A resident of Pyeongtaek said, "The situation in Pyeongtaek is the same," adding, "Although there is the SRT, the fare is burdensome, and the inconvenience of transfers within Seoul leads people to ultimately take metropolitan buses." He also requested, "Please fulfill President Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge to extend the GTX-A line."

Minister Won stated, "The GTX project is a key initiative not only to alleviate traffic congestion in the metropolitan area but also to disperse the scarcity value of good locations, thereby promoting fundamental residential stability. Through planning research, we will prepare various early promotion plans to give back commuting time to the people."

Meeting with on-site officials, Minister Won encouraged, "GTX-A is the first GTX line to open in Korea, carrying symbolic significance, and it is a very important project that will bring revolutionary changes to the metropolitan public transportation system upon its opening in 2024."

He also requested flawless progress management to ensure timely opening and urged special attention to construction site safety.

In May, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched the 'GTX Expansion Integrated Planning Research' to promote pledged projects such as extensions of GTX-A, B, and C lines and the establishment of D, E, and F lines. Through this, they plan to secure project feasibility and discover optimal routes considering the capacity of shared line tracks.

Additionally, they plan to review the creation of compact cities near GTX lines to secure additional demand and funding and supply quality housing in station areas.

Minister Won stated, "We will not only open the GTX-A line within this government but also start construction of B and C lines and smoothly promote the discovery of new lines such as D, E, and F to significantly expand GTX."

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