Construction Halted 'Indeogwon~Dongtan Double-Track Railway' Construction to Resume Within the Year

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

The first citizen petition in Gyeonggi Province, titled 'Commencement of Construction for the Entire Section of the Indeokwon~Dongtan Double-Track Railway (Dongin Line),' has received a green light. The Indeokwon~Dongtan double-track railway construction project is a 37.1 km long double-track rail line connecting Indeokwon in Anyang to Dongtan in Hwaseong, passing through Suwon, Yongin, and Uiwang. This petition was first posted on the citizen petition board on January 14 and surpassed 10,000 supporters?the threshold for a governor's response?on February 2, just 19 days later, becoming the first citizen petition in the province.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 21st, the Ministry of Economy and Finance held the 3rd Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee on the 20th and completed the 'Reassessment of Project Plan Appropriateness' for the Indeokwon~Dongtan double-track railway construction project. The reassessment of project plan appropriateness is an administrative procedure to review efficient alternatives when a project is subject to feasibility re-investigation or involves significant sunk costs.

Previously, in August last year, the Ministry of Economy and Finance decided on the 'Reassessment of Project Plan Appropriateness' due to increased project costs from adding four stations, which led to a suspension of related construction work.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province visited the construction site of Section 1 of the Indeokwon~Dongtan double-track railway in Poil-dong, Uiwang City, on February 28 and promised, "I will jointly propose with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Korea Development Institute (KDI), in cooperation with local governments, to ensure the reassessment is completed as soon as possible so that the remaining sections that have not yet started construction can also commence promptly."

Following Governor Kim Dong-yeon's promise, Gyeonggi Province submitted a letter of appeal to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in March, emphasizing the urgency of the project and the citizens' strong desire, and urged for the swift completion of the review by visiting the Korea National Railway Corporation.

Additionally, a working-level consultative body was formed, consisting of Gyeonggi Province and five cities?Suwon, Hwaseong, Anyang, Uiwang, and Yongin?to confirm pre-construction preparations by each agency for commencement within the year, maintaining close cooperation.

With the completion of the reassessment review, Gyeonggi Province plans to continue the working-level consultative meetings with the province and cities to ensure that the entire Dongin Line can begin construction by the end of this year. They will also establish cooperative relations with the Korea National Railway Corporation to ensure that administrative procedures such as bidding announcements, qualification reviews, and contract completions proceed smoothly for the project’s commencement.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has significantly relaxed the requirements for citizen petitions this year to encourage free participation and opinion gathering on major provincial policies and issues. The requirement was changed from '50,000 or more supporters within 30 days' to '10,000 or more supporters.'

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