Ministry of Land Supports Gimpo City... "Line 5 Extension Passes Through Only 2 Stations in Incheon"

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Announces Adjustment Plan for Subway Line 5 Extension
7 Stations in Gimpo, 2 in Incheon... Project Cost 3.07 Trillion Won
"Minor Adjustments Possible... Expecting Large-Scale Acceptance from Both Local Governments"

A government mediation plan has been reached for the extension project of Seoul Subway Line 5, which passes through two stations in Incheon Geomdan New Town and adjusts the Bulrodaegok-dong stop located on the boundary between the two local governments of Incheon and Gimpo to Gamjeong-dong in Gimpo. The route shape of the extension line is close to Incheon City's proposal, but since the number of stations accepted is only half of the requested number, excluding Wondang Station, it is analyzed that Gimpo City, which agreed to accept the construction waste treatment facility (Geonpejang), has effectively won.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee (Daegwangwi) announced on the 19th the adjustment plan for the extension route of Subway Line 5 with these details. They plan to collect and review opinions from local residents by February and reflect the project in the '4th Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Implementation Plan.'

This project involves extending Seoul Subway Line 5, which currently terminates at Banghwa-dong in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, to Geomdan New Town and Han River New Town in Gimpo, aiming to alleviate commuting difficulties for new town residents traveling to and from Seoul. Discussions began in 2017 and were incorporated into the 'National Railroad Network Construction Plan' in 2021. However, Gimpo City and Incheon City clashed over the stops, and even after resolving issues such as relocating the vehicle depot and Geonpejang in Gangseo-gu in November 2022, no agreement on the route was reached. Accordingly, Daegwangwi received preferred route proposals from Gimpo and Incheon last August and began reviewing them.

The number of stops in Daegwangwi's announcement includes 7 stations in Gimpo (3 transfer stations), 2 stations in Incheon, and 1 station in Seoul, totaling 10 stations. The total extension length is estimated at 25.56 km, with a travel time of approximately 25.7 minutes. The project cost is expected to be 3.07 trillion KRW. Examining the route section where Gimpo and Incheon had conflicts, new stations S05, S06, and S07 (Gamjeong-dong) will be established between Pungmu Station and Janggi Station, which are transfer stations for the Gimpo Gold Line, with S05 and S06 allowing transfers to Incheon Subway Line 1.

Initially, Incheon City proposed a 'U'-shaped route passing through Geomdan New Town, hoping to install four stations within its jurisdiction. In contrast, Gimpo City proposed a route with only two stations in Incheon to minimize detours around Geomdan New Town and connect directly to Han River New Town. During this process, both local governments initially planned six stops within Gimpo, but with the adjustment of the Bulrodaegok-dong stop to Gamjeong-dong, Gimpo actually gained one more station. Additionally, Wondang Station, which Incheon City wanted, was excluded.

Daegwangwi explained that the adjustment plan considered high demand (reflecting over 10,000 users in sections where proposals differed between local governments), current and future railroad network plans and connectivity (transfers), and reasonable economic feasibility. The choice of Gamjeong-dong was also based on a survey showing that its transportation demand is 1.5 times higher than that of Bulrodaegok-dong.

Daegwangwi also devised a plan to share project costs from the new town wide-area transportation improvement funds. The portion of project costs allocated to each region will be covered by the wide-area transportation improvement funds generated from Geomdan New Town and Han River 2 Compact City. Furthermore, it proposed that the construction waste treatment facility be jointly managed by the two local governments. According to an agreement between Seoul City and Gimpo City in November 2022, the Geonpejang will be built in Gimpo.

Each local government will collect residents' opinions on the adjustment plan and conduct feasibility analyses on related matters by next month. Requests for new stops or additional route extensions during the opinion collection will undergo further technical review. Daegwangwi plans to review the feasibility based on the results and reflect or revise the Seoul Line 5 Gimpo Geomdan extension project in the 4th Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Implementation Plan.

Gimpo City has proposed an additional extension of Line 5 (Yangchon → Tongjin [Masong]) considering induced demand from the 'Gimpo Environmental Regeneration Innovation Complex District,' which is currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study for public institutions, as well as the demand from surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, Daegwangwi emphasized that rather than waiting for 100% agreement between local governments, it is preferable to establish a broad mediation plan and make fine adjustments. Kang Hee-eop, chairman of Daegwangwi, said, "We will strive to promptly advance the project, which has been stalled until now, with the announcement of this adjustment plan," and added, "We expect the two local governments to accept the adjustment plan magnanimously." He also said, "We hope the two local governments will actively cooperate during the project implementation so that local residents can use Line 5 sooner," and "Regarding local demands such as the establishment of additional stops, once technical reviews are completed, we will discuss the necessity of reflecting them with local governments and experts to promote regional co-prosperity."

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