Lee Seonghae Chairman "Railroad Corporation, Field-Centered Organizational Restructuring... Will Meet Opening Schedule"

Lee Seong-hae, Chairman of the Korea Rail Network Authority, announced that the organization is undergoing a field-centered restructuring to ensure that the construction period is adhered to and the promised railway opening date to the public is not missed. He also emphasized that all personnel will follow safety protocols during the operation of the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) Line A (Suseo~Dongtan section), which is scheduled for early opening on the 30th of this month.

Lee Seong-hae, President of the Korea Rail Network Authority, is speaking at a luncheon meeting with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport press corps on the 20th. / Photo by Korea Rail Network Authority

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At a luncheon meeting with reporters from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 20th, Chairman Lee said, "Isn't keeping the railway opening date the top priority for customer satisfaction?"

He added, "There have been concerns that progress on-site is delayed due to a structure where authority is concentrated at headquarters. We plan to create project managers (PMs) for each project, allowing decisions and actions to be made on-site and then reported to headquarters, which will provide necessary support." He expected that this would largely resolve the chronic issue of opening delays.

Regarding underground railways and projects, the plan is to complete the underground railway construction within the planned construction period and to expedite the development of the upper area. In this process, the Rail Network Authority can play a key role in securing funds through bond issuance.

Chairman Lee stated, "When the Rail Network Authority first started, it had 20 trillion won in debt and 18 trillion won in assets, resulting in a deficit in assets compared to debt. However, through track usage fees and development of the Suseo Station area, we have reduced the gap to about 1 trillion won." He added, "Based on these achievements, we have confirmed our ability to raise funds."

He further explained, "Since the Rail Network Authority manages railway assets worth 140 trillion won, it is possible to issue bonds for underground construction. Whether it takes 50 years or 100 years, as long as the structure allows for long-term recovery, funding can be sufficiently secured."

Chairman Lee also addressed safety concerns regarding GTX Line A. Since the line shares some tracks with the Suseo High-Speed Train (SRT), the number of train operations will increase, raising the possibility of accidents. Therefore, the signaling and communication systems have been certified after verification by specialized institutions, and various scenarios have been simulated, he said.

He explained, "Unlike typical urban railways, which only have emergency evacuation stairs or fire suppression equipment in stations, GTX has emergency exits at an average interval of 2.2 km, similar to SRT tunnels. In case of an emergency, fresh air is drawn in from the nearest emergency exit, and smoke and heat are blocked by expelling air through adjacent emergency exits."

He continued, "Passengers can disembark from the train and move to the emergency exits while feeling the airflow. All personnel are well-versed in safety protocols. We will operate with passenger safety as the top priority, based on primary, secondary, and multiple safety measures."

Regarding concerns that GTX Seongnam Station, located within a residential area, might experience congestion during entry and exit, he said they are considering ways to maximize public transportation accessibility.

Chairman Lee said, "Near Exit 5 of GTX Seongnam Station, many route buses can access the area, so a new bus stop has been established, and Seongnam City has allocated additional bus routes. We will provide ample guidance to encourage the use of public transportation and offer sufficient route information for those walking from Imae and Pangyo Stations."

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