Assemblyman Jo O-seop: "Gwangju Songjeong Station Demand Forecast is 'Nonsense'... Increasing Passenger Inconvenience"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] As Gwangju Station has virtually ceased to function properly, there are concerns that Gwangju Songjeong Station is also failing to accurately predict passenger demand, exacerbating inconveniences for users such as parking shortages and traffic congestion.

According to data submitted to National Assembly member Cho Oh-seop (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Buk-gu Gap) by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 21st, the traffic impact assessment conducted in November 2008 predicted an average daily ridership of 6,446 at Gwangju Station and 8,785 at Gwangju Songjeong Station.

Based on this forecast, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expanded Songjeong Station in 2015, but the actual usage reached nearly three times that number, 25,646 (as of December 2019), leading to criticism that the demand forecast was ‘nonsense.’

Since the opening of the KTX in April 2015 and the Suseo SRT in December 2016, the average daily weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) ridership at Songjeong Station has dramatically increased from 5,913 in 2015 to 16,164 in 2016, 22,504 in 2017, 24,507 in 2018, and 25,646 in 2019.

In comparison, Ulsan Station, with a weekend ridership of 17,151, which is lower than Gwangju Songjeong Station, has a total floor area of 9,167㎡, a waiting room of 2,881㎡ (3 locations), and 1,032 parking spaces.

Also, Osong Station, with 19,803 users, has a total floor area of 20,065㎡, a waiting room of 5,408㎡ (6 locations), and 1,989 parking spaces.

However, despite having 25,646 users, Gwangju Songjeong Station has a poor condition with a total floor area of only 5,754㎡, a waiting room of 1,738㎡ (2 locations), and 608 parking spaces, which is only about one-quarter of Osong Station.

Assemblyman Cho said, “Compared to Osong Station, which is similar in scale to Gwangju Songjeong Station, the floor area per person is only 0.22㎡ compared to 1.01㎡, and the waiting room area per person is 0.07㎡ compared to 0.27㎡, making the overall size about one-quarter. With the opening of the second phase of the Honam High-Speed Railway, the opening of the Gyeongjeon Line, and the revitalization of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Innovation City, the number of users is expected to exceed 30,000 per day, so early expansion is urgently needed.”

He added, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which has neglected the cramped Songjeong Station due to incorrect demand forecasts, must immediately allocate national funds and proceed with expansion.”

Meanwhile, Gwangju City requested 20 billion KRW in national funds from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2021 for the expansion of Gwangju Songjeong Station, but the entire amount was not reflected.