Seongnam City: "Preliminary Feasibility Study for Dochon-Yatap Station Proceeding Normally... Unrelated to Suguang Line Approval"

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor: Shin Sang-jin) announced on the 22nd that the preliminary feasibility study for the establishment of Dochon-Yatap Station (tentative name) is proceeding as planned and is separate from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's approval of the implementation plan for the "Suseo-Gwangju Double-Track Railway Construction Project (Priority Construction Sections 2 and 3)" announced on the 17th.

Seongnam City Hall exterior. Provided by Seongnam City

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The Suseo-Gwangju Double-Track Railway Construction Project (hereinafter referred to as the Suguang Line) is being promoted by the National Railroad Authority to bifurcate the national rail network into northern and southern parts of the Seoul metropolitan area and to improve transportation convenience by enhancing accessibility between major trunk rail lines and the southeastern region of the metropolitan area. The line connects Suseo Station to Gyeonggi Gwangju Station via Seongnam Moran Station, among others. The recent approval and notification by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport covers the extension of sections eligible for priority construction and the scale of stations along those sections.

Regarding this, a Seongnam City official stated, "Some concerns have been raised that the omission of plans for a new station near Dochon Intersection in the recent announcement effectively means the station project has been scrapped. However, the Ministry's approval and notification of the implementation plan is merely a procedural step in the project and is not directly related to whether Dochon-Yatap Station will be established," emphasizing that "the promotion of the new station has not been halted or excluded in any way."

The official further explained, "Seongnam City is currently conducting a preliminary feasibility study for the establishment of Dochon-Yatap Station as planned. If the results of the study show that the economic feasibility-an essential condition for building the station-meets or exceeds a value of 1, the city will formally propose the station's establishment to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

Additionally, the official stated, "Even after the approval of the basic or implementation plan in railway projects, there have been cases where new stations were added upon confirmation of feasibility. We are focused on developing the optimal solution to secure economic viability through this study."

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