Mayor Lee Hyunjae: "Doing Our Best to Reflect in the 5th Metropolitan Area Transportation Implementation Plan"

Securing Strategies and Momentum for the Extension of the Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam
Expert Discussion Highlights Necessity and Collaborative Efforts for Metropolitan Rail Expansion

Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province held an "Expert Discussion for the Extension of Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam" on the 3rd floor Wirye Hall of Wirye Library on the 28th, where railway experts and Wirye residents explored the necessity and strategies for promoting the extension from multiple perspectives.

Lee Hyunjae, mayor of Hanam City, is delivering a greeting at the "Expert Discussion for the Extension of Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam" held on the 3rd floor Wirye Hall of Wirye Library on the 28th. Provided by Hanam City

In his opening remarks, Hanam Mayor Lee Hyunjae emphasized, "Although Hanam residents in Wirye New Town have paid contributions for metropolitan transportation measures, they have been excluded from railway benefits. Therefore, the extension of the Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam is absolutely necessary. With the extension, Seoul residents will have easier access to Namhansanseong, allowing them to enjoy improved transportation welfare and benefits as well." He highlighted the need for the extension as a metropolitan transportation measure for the joint living area of Seoul and Hanam within the METRO Seoul region.

The discussion was chaired by Kim Sigon, former president of the Korea Transportation Association and professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. Panelists included Kim Dongsun, a railway authority and professor at Daejin University; Lee Seungjae, professor at the University of Seoul; Cho Eungrae, visiting researcher at Seoul National University and former vice president of the Gyeonggi Research Institute; and Jang Youngsoo, advisor to the Korea Association for Private Investment and former director of the Metropolitan Urban Railway Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. They engaged in a passionate debate on the requirements for promoting the extension of the Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam.

The experts stressed that, in order for the extension to be included in higher-level railway network plans, it is important to develop technical logic to persuade policymakers (improving economic feasibility) and to analyze the effects of project implementation. They also pointed out the need to consider a promotion method that takes Hanam City's finances into account (metropolitan railway), the importance of communication with Seoul City, which is promoting the main Wirye Sinsa Line, and that attracting a railway requires three elements: the determination of the local government (logic), support from local politicians, and active demands from residents.

The attending Wirye residents delivered a petition with a total of 8,151 signatures urging the extension of the Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam to the mayor. They also asked the experts about various promotion measures, including ways to pass the Wirye Sinsa Line B/C analysis, utilization plans for the Seongnam Golf Course, and methods to improve the public transportation share.

Kim Gwangseok, president of the Wirye New Town Citizens' Union, argued, "Given the scale of Wirye New Town, a single station on the Wirye Sinsa Line is insufficient. Since Hanam residents in Wirye New Town have paid the same metropolitan transportation contributions, efforts from the central government, Seoul City, and Hanam City are absolutely necessary for the extension of the Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam."

Mayor Lee Hyunjae stated, "The extension of the Wirye Sinsa Line to Hanam is a long-standing wish of our citizens and a key task for expanding transportation infrastructure. Through this discussion, we will gather expert opinions and citizens' voices and deliver them to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Metropolitan Transport Commission, and Gyeonggi Province. We will do our best to ensure that the extension is reflected in the 5th Metropolitan Area Transportation Implementation Plan and the revised 2nd Seoul Urban Rail Network Construction Plan."

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