Yongin City, 63,000 Residents Support 'Rail Network Expansion'... Petition to Be Submitted to Ministry of Land Next Month

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Yongin City: "We Will Strongly Convey Citizens' Sincere Aspirations to Relevant Authorities"

Yongin Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sangil) has confirmed the strong desire of its 1.1 million residents for the establishment of an extensive rail network. The city announced that a total of 63,212 citizens participated in a city-wide petition campaign, launched in March, which aims for the swift approval of the private investment feasibility study for the Jungbu Metropolitan Express Railway (JTX) and the inclusion of essential rail projects such as the Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway in the 5th National Rail Network Construction Plan.

Rail line plan promoted by Yongin Special City. Provided by Yongin City

An official from Yongin City said, "As we conducted the petition campaign together with other cities, we could feel the earnest hopes of citizens who have long faced transportation inconveniences. Based on the urgent wishes and aspirations confirmed through this petition drive, we will persuade the relevant authorities so that rail projects such as the Jungbu Metropolitan Express Railway and the Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway can proceed as soon as possible."

With the Jungbu Metropolitan Express Railway (JTX) review meeting and the public hearing for the 5th National Rail Network Construction Plan scheduled for July, Yongin City has carried out the petition campaign together with other cities to gather and convey citizens' aspirations ahead of these events.

To maximize the impact of the campaign, the petition drive has been intensively carried out since March. In May, Yongin City plans to deliver the petition, which reflects citizens' wishes, to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and related agencies, together with nearby local governments that joined the effort.

The Jungbu Metropolitan Express Railway (JTX) is a major rail project that will connect Jamsil in Seoul with Gwangju, Yongin, Anseong, and Jincheon, extending to Cheongju International Airport and Osong Station, where KTX and SRT trains stop. The project is expected to significantly enhance connectivity between major hubs in the Seoul metropolitan area and the Chungcheong region, supporting the expansion of the broader metropolitan living sphere.

The cities of Gwangju, Hwaseong, Anseong, Jincheon County, and Cheongju have also been running petition campaigns to call for the swift approval of the private investment feasibility study and the early commencement of the Jungbu Metropolitan Express Railway (JTX) project.

Yongin City has also promoted a petition campaign, together with neighboring Seongnam and Hwaseong—cities that share the planned route—calling for the inclusion of the Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway project in the 5th National Rail Network Construction Plan.

When submitting the results of the petition campaign to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Yongin City plans to strongly request the inclusion of the Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway, the Southern Gyeonggi East-West Line (Semiconductor Line), and the Gyeonggang Line Extension—which have been previously proposed for the 5th National Rail Network Construction Plan. The city will also urge active consideration for the Bundang Line Extension, which, although included in the 4th plan, has yet to be selected as a project subject to a preliminary feasibility study.

The 'Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway' is a new 50.7 km rail project connecting Jamsil Sports Complex Station in Seoul to Sinbong and Seongbok-dong in Suji District, Yongin, then to Gwanggyo in Suwon, and finally to Bongdam in Hwaseong.

The 'Southern Gyeonggi East-West Line' is a new 89.4 km railway starting from Bubal-eup in Icheon, passing through the 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex' in Wonsam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin Special City, and the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex' in Idong and Namsa-eup, before reaching Jeongok Port in Hwaseong.

The 'Gyeonggang Line Extension' branches off from Gyeonggang Line at Gwangju Station to Namsa, Cheoin-gu, Yongin. This 37.97 km conventional railway functions as a 'semiconductor national railway,' passing through Yongin's advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex and the specialized new town for semiconductors in Idong-eup.

The 'Bundang Line Extension' is a project to connect the existing Bundang urban railway from Giheung Station to Dongtan 2 New Town and Osan. By linking Dongtan 2 New Town and Osan with Giheung in Yongin as a hub, this project is expected to greatly improve transportation convenience for residents not only in southern Yongin but also in adjacent cities.

Although the 'Bundang Line Extension' was unfortunately not selected as a project subject to a preliminary feasibility study by the Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in March this year, the city plans to re-pursue the project through close collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and related local governments, including Hwaseong and Osan.

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