Improvement of Metropolitan Transportation in 9 Areas Including Goyang Samsong and Namyangju Byeollae... Increased Buses and New Routes

Two additional buses will be added to city bus route 730, which connects Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province and Gupabal Station. The operation of metropolitan express bus M2344 (Namyangju Byeollae District~Jamsil Station), which had been reduced due to COVID-19, will return to normal. A new city bus route 680 will also be established, running from Galmae District in Guri City to Gunja Station.

Photo by Yonhap News

On the 5th, the Metropolitan Transportation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will implement short-term metropolitan transportation supplementary measures such as increasing the number of buses and establishing new routes in a total of nine concentrated management districts: five districts in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province; three districts in Namyangju City; and one district in Guri City.

In Goyang City, Samsong, Siksa, Wonheung, Jichuk, and Hyangdong districts will be under concentrated management. Despite metropolitan transportation improvement projects, many residents in Goyang, where development projects such as the 1st to 3rd phase new towns are concentrated, have expressed inconvenience.

The Metropolitan Transportation Committee first decided to expand city and village buses in Samsong, Wonheung, Jichuk, and Hyangdong districts. The number of city buses 730, which connect Gupabal Station and Sangam DMC Station in Goyang City, will increase from the current 17 to 19, and four additional village buses 077A, which run between Wonheung Station, Samsong Station, and Jichuk Station, will be added. This village bus route will be extended to the northern part of Samsong District. For Hyangdong and Siksa districts, a total of 20 demand-responsive transport (DRT) vehicles (13 in Hyangdong and 7 in Siksa) will be introduced to improve accessibility between nearby urban railway stations and other major transportation hubs. Additionally, facilities at 15 metropolitan bus stops within these five districts will be improved, and three more electric vehicle chargers will be installed in line with the expansion of eco-friendly bus operations.

In Namyangju Byeollae District, metropolitan express bus M2344 will operate seven buses as before COVID-19. The dispatch interval will be shortened from 25?35 minutes to 15?20 minutes. Village buses 82A and 82B, which run to Taereung Entrance Station, will each be expanded from the current three buses to six. The village bus route 84, which had been suspended due to operational deficits, will also be restored with three buses planned to operate. Byeollae District has experienced inconvenience due to unmet metropolitan transportation demand caused by delays in the Byeollae Line project.

Jigeum District and Jingeon District, scheduled for completion this year and next year respectively, are expected to face increased metropolitan transportation inconvenience due to population growth, highlighting the need for countermeasures. Accordingly, the Metropolitan Transportation Committee plans to increase up to four buses on city bus routes 34 and 38 (Donong Station) and 76 (Seokgye Station), which connect to nearby urban railways, to improve the long dispatch intervals and congestion issues that have been continuously raised. In particular, route 38 will be extended to Jangja Lake Park Station to enhance transportation convenience for students commuting to Guri City and will be used as a connecting route with the Byeollae Line scheduled to open next year.

Galmae District in Guri City, where development was completed in 2019, has seen high demands for improvements in road congestion during commuting and overcrowding on the Gyeongchun Line due to the expansion of the Northern Arterial Road and delays in the opening of the Byeollae Line. To address these issues, the Metropolitan Transportation Committee signed an agreement with Seoul City in February to establish city bus route 680, which will operate to Sinnae Station, Mangu Station, and Gunja Station. A total of 12 buses will operate. City bus 78, which experiences a maximum congestion rate of 136% during commuting to Gangbyeon Station, will increase by two buses to operate 10 buses. Additionally, six circular city buses running between Byeollae and Dasan districts centered on Galmae District will operate to improve connectivity between regions.

Kang Hee-eop, standing member of the Metropolitan Transportation Committee, said, "We will promptly proceed with follow-up procedures for these district-specific supplementary measures to resolve the metropolitan transportation inconveniences experienced by residents as quickly as possible. We will also work closely with the relevant local governments and project operators in other concentrated management districts within the metropolitan area to prepare customized measures that meet residents’ needs."

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