Cramped Space Causes Inconvenience for Passengers... Gwangju Songjeong Station to Double in Size

Expansion to 10,799 Square Meters with Four Floors Above and Below Ground
Contractor Selected After Six Attempts by Easing Qualification Requirements
Construction to Begin in March, Completion Expected in March 2028

Gwangju Songjeong Station exterior. Provided by Korea Rail Network Authority

Gwangju Songjeong Station, the gateway to the Honam region, will be expanded to twice its current size. The construction is scheduled to begin in March, once administrative procedures such as contractor agreements are completed, and is expected to be finished around March 2028.

According to the National Railroad Authority and Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Junho (Gwangju Buk-gu Gap) on the 6th, a recent bid was held to select contractors for the 'Honam High-Speed Rail Gwangju Songjeong Station Expansion Project.' As a result, two companies, including construction firms forming a consortium, were awarded the contract through a negotiated contract method.

This expansion project will invest approximately 36.8 billion KRW to nearly double the total floor area of Songjeong Station from the current 5,755 square meters to 10,799 square meters (about 3,200 pyeong), with four floors underground and four above ground, improving outdated waiting rooms, platforms, and convenience facilities.

Gwangju Songjeong Station originally opened on October 1, 1913, on the Songjeong-ri to Naju line. It was originally called Songjeong-ri Station but was renamed to its current name in April 2009. After the opening of KTX in 2015 and SRT in 2016, the station saw an average of about 20,000 passengers per day on weekends. However, the station's scale was considered inadequate for its status as the gateway to Honam, leading to complaints from passengers.

In response to these complaints, Gwangju City and political circles have consistently urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Rail Network Authority to improve the facilities.

Perspective view of Gwangju Songjeong Station. Provided by Korea Rail Network Authority

The Gwangju Songjeong Station expansion project, which began after a long wait, also faced many twists and turns.

Since January last year, the pre-qualification (PQ) criteria for bidding were eased, and five bids were announced, but all failed. The Railroad Authority further relaxed the requirements and increased the construction budget, finally selecting a contractor on the sixth attempt. As a result, after completing administrative procedures such as contractor agreements this month, construction will begin in March.

Regarding this, Representative Jung stated, "As the only member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from Honam, I was able to achieve results through continuous cooperation with the Railroad Authority. I will continue to address pressing issues one by one, such as the expansion of Gwangju Songjeong Station, the expansion of the Honam Line, and increasing the number of trains on the Honam Line, through ongoing attention."

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