Gangdong-gu to Cooperate with Hanam City to Resolve Issues of the 'Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line'

Request for Extension of Regular Train Operation and Early Opening of Some Sections
Forming a Joint Response TFT with Hanam City
Submitting a Joint Petition to Gyeonggi-do

Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line Route Map.

Seoul Gangdong-gu (District Mayor Lee Soo-hee) and Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do (Mayor Lee Hyun-jae) announced on the 2nd that they have joined hands to resolve the issues related to the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line (9 Line Phase 4 additional extension).

On the 29th of last month, the two local governments mutually formed a 'Joint Response Cooperation TF Promotion Team' to address key issues of the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line construction project, such as the extension of regular train operations and the early opening of the section south of the Han River, and on the 30th of last month, they submitted a joint petition to Gyeonggi-do.

The Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line is a metropolitan railway construction project connecting Gangil District in Gangdong-gu, Hanam-si, and Wang-suk and Jinjeop 2 Districts in Namyangju. Gyeonggi-do is preparing the basic plan and plans to apply for approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in June this year. Gangdong-gu expects that the extended line will resolve transportation complaints from residents in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas and improve public transportation convenience.

However, the residents' responses collected through public hearings and briefings held in Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si in March showed both expectations and concerns. Severe congestion is expected due to the increased number of Line 9 users in the future. According to the district, a railway expert who attended the public hearing also suggested that stations 944 (Hanam) and 946 and 947 (Namyangju), which have a daily demand exceeding 40,000 passengers, require simultaneous operation of express and regular trains.

According to the basic plan for the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line, regular trains will operate only up to station 942, the terminal station of the currently under-construction Phase 4 of Line 9, and from station 943 (Gangil-dong, Gangdong-gu) to station 950 (Namyangju), only express trains will operate. If this plan is followed, all passengers will concentrate on express trains, which is expected to increase inconvenience for residents during peak commuting hours.

To resolve this issue, Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si officially formed the ‘Gangdong-Hanam Joint Response Cooperation TF Promotion Team related to the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line’ and, as their first step, submitted a joint petition demanding the extension of regular trains and early opening of the section south of the Han River to alleviate congestion.

The joint petition includes demands for public transportation convenience for 160,000 residents of the Godeok-Gangil District in Gangdong-gu and the Misa District in Hanam-si. The main points are to extend regular train operations to station 944 to disperse congestion at stations 943 and 944, which have an average daily demand of about 65,000 passengers, and to promote integrated construction of sections 943 to 944 and early opening for prompt project advancement.

Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si plan to submit the joint petition to Seoul City as well and will actively express their opinions to related agencies, including Gyeonggi-do, the project lead, to ensure that the extension of regular trains to station 944 is reflected in the basic plan and detailed design of the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line.

District Mayor Lee Soo-hee stated, “To prevent the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line project, which aims to secure public transportation convenience for residents, from causing inconvenience in public transportation use, it is necessary to actively express opinions right now before the basic plan is approved,” and added, “We will join hands with Hanam-si to raise a unified voice so that residents' opinions are reflected.”

The mayor also said, “Along with extending regular trains to station 944, early construction and early opening, we will spare no effort to connect public transportation such as subways, village buses, and city buses in response to the large-scale move-in to the Godeok-Gangil District.”

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