"Gimpo Hell Train, Unlimited Shuttle Buses on Bus-Only Lanes"… Won Heeryong Pushes Emergency Measures

"Seoul City must immediately designate the undesignated bus-only lane sections from Gaehwa to Gimpo Airport as exclusive bus lanes."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong is delivering opening remarks at the 'Gimpo Gold Line Congestion Relief Emergency Measures Meeting' held at the Gimpo Airport International Terminal on the morning of the 14th. / Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

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On the morning of the 14th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said this at the 'Emergency Measures Meeting to Alleviate Congestion on the Gimpo Gold Line' held at the Gimpo Airport International Terminal. He added, "This matter will be reported directly to the President, and the Presidential Office will take charge of the emergency measures."

The meeting was urgently convened after a patient recently experienced breathing difficulties on the Gimpo Gold Line, which is notorious for its hellish rush-hour congestion.

At the meeting, Minister Won announced plans to expedite the extension of Line 5 and the opening of the GTX (Great Train Express) D line to resolve the congestion issue on the Gimpo Gold Line. However, since these are medium- to long-term measures that will take considerable time, an emergency plan to deploy unlimited shuttle buses on bus-only lanes to reduce congestion in the meantime was decided.

Regarding this, Minister Won pointed out that the section from Gaehwa to Gimpo Airport under Seoul City's jurisdiction has not been designated as a bus-only lane. He emphasized, "Although many buses are provided as an alternative to the Gimpo Gold Line during rush hours, the lack of bus-only lanes causes vehicle congestion, preventing citizens from using the buses even if they want to."

He then requested Seoul City to designate the bus-only lanes, stating, "If bus-only lanes are designated from Gimpo City Hall to Gaehwa to Gimpo Airport, we will deploy unlimited shuttle buses so that citizens can use them more comfortably and quickly until the extension of Line 5 is completed." The issues of bus operation and costs will be resolved through consultations between Gimpo City, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Metropolitan Transportation Committee.

Minister Won also conveyed special instructions from President Yoon Seok-yeol. He explained, "The President gave special instructions for two consecutive days, asking ministers to directly assess the site to determine what immediate measures can resolve the inconvenience and safety issues, deliberate with relevant parties, and promptly propose supply measures." During his presidential campaign, President Yoon experienced the congestion on the Gimpo Gold Line firsthand and pledged to extend the GTX-D and Line 5. These were included in the national agenda after his election.

Minister Won said, "We will do everything possible to expedite the extension of Line 5 and the opening of GTX-D," adding, "We will also finalize and implement immediate emergency measures as soon as possible."

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