Osan City: Over 15,000 Join Petition for Bundang Line Extension... Urging Swift Feasibility Study Selection and Implementation

Osan Launches Transportation Innovation Project for Seamless Connectivity
Connecting Osan University Station to Segyo 2 and 3 New Towns
"Accelerated Implementation Driven by the Aspirations of 270,000 Citizens"

According to data compiled by the city of Osan, 15,629 citizens participated in a citywide petition campaign for the expedited implementation of the 'Bundang Line Extension to Osan Project.' The city plans to organize citizens' opinions into policy materials and deliver them to relevant agencies in an effort to secure momentum for the project's advancement.

A view of Osan City Hall. Provided by Osan City

The city explained that the petition campaign, which ran for about a month from March 17 to April 20, reflected the strong demand from Osan’s 270,000 residents for improved transportation.

The Bundang Line Extension to Osan Project aims to extend the existing Bundang Line—which currently operates between Wangsimni and Gangnam in Seoul, Bundang, and Suji—through Dongtan to Osan. This metropolitan rail project is regarded as a key route that could significantly improve the transportation network in the southern part of the Seoul metropolitan area.

The project has been in progress since it was included in the 4th National Rail Network Construction Plan in 2021, with ongoing discussions among Gyeonggi Province and the cities of Osan, Yongin, and Hwaseong. A preliminary feasibility study was also conducted by the National Railroad Authority in 2022.

However, the project was not included in the list of candidate projects for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s preliminary feasibility study application in December 2024, and a resubmission in January of this year was also excluded from the final selection, resulting in delays to the project.

In response, since April 20 of last month, the city of Osan has renewed the petition campaign and proposed the formation of a working-level consultative body with Yongin and Hwaseong to strengthen a joint response system. The city also visited the Ministry of Economy and Finance to directly explain the urgency and necessity of the project and requested that it be selected as a candidate for a preliminary feasibility study.

Additionally, on the morning of April 16 last month, city officials visited the Fiscal Performance Division of the Ministry of Economy and Budget in Sejong to emphasize the urgent need for the Bundang Line Extension to Osan Project to be selected as a candidate for the preliminary feasibility study, and requested cooperation from the ministry.

Going forward, the city plans to compile the results of the petition campaign and citizens' opinions and officially submit them to relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, while continuously advocating for the necessity and policy validity of the Bundang Line Extension Project.

A city official from Osan stated, "With residents now moving into Segyo 2 District in 2024 and the recent designation of the Segyo 3 New Town, it is essential to proactively establish a metropolitan rail network in anticipation of a large influx of new residents. In line with the principle of 'transportation first, residential development second,' the Bundang Line Extension to Osan must be promoted."

The official added, "In the past, the development of Segyo 1 and 2 Districts was limited by the lack of adequate metropolitan transportation infrastructure. To fundamentally resolve transportation issues across all of Osan, including the Segyo 3 District, the Bundang Line Extension to Osan is absolutely necessary."

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