Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Announces 3rd New Town Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan
Access to Seoul City Center Within 30 Minutes Through Expansion of Rail Network
Namyangju Wangsuk: Extension of Line 9, Introduction of GTX-B and Gangbyeonbuk-ro BTX
Goyang Changneung: New GTX-A Station and Goyang Line Established
▲Seoul Subway Line 9 train car appearance
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The government is promoting the expansion of transportation networks to facilitate the smooth progress of the 3rd phase new towns. In Namyangju Wangsuk New Town, an urban railway connecting Gangdong, Hanam, and Namyangju will be introduced along with the Gangbyeonbuk-ro BTX, and in Changneung, the Goyang-Eunpyeong urban railway and the newly established Changneung Station on the GTX (Great Train Express) Line A will be added.
On the 29th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it finalized the metropolitan transportation improvement measures for the 3rd phase new towns Namyangju Wangsuk and Goyang Changneung districts after deliberation by the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee on the 4th. These metropolitan transportation improvement measures were finalized through transportation expert institution studies on traffic volume changes due to new town development and new transportation measures, verification by the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), consultations with local governments, and deliberations by the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee.
The main goal of the 3rd phase new town metropolitan transportation improvement measures is to enhance accessibility to the city center, enabling commuting within 30 minutes to downtown Seoul. To this end, the government plans to expand investments in public transportation such as subways and, to minimize trial and error during project implementation, will jointly establish project plans with local governments to ensure timely completion of metropolitan transportation facilities.
The government had previously finalized metropolitan transportation improvement measures for Hanam Gyosan (32,000 households) and Gwacheon (7,100 households) ahead of Namyangju Wangsuk (66,000 households) and Goyang Changneung (38,000 households). Currently, follow-up procedures such as detailed design for road projects are underway, and the government plans to proceed with project-specific permits and approvals starting next year. For Bucheon Daejang (20,000 households) and Incheon Gyeyang (17,000 households), integrated plans will be established by the 30th, and deliberations by the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee will be completed.
Extension of Line 9 and GTX-B stops at Namyangju Wangsuk... 'BTX' introduced on Gangbyeonbuk-ro
The core of this plan is a massive expansion of the railway network. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to open an urban railway connecting Seoul Gangdong, Hanam, and Namyangju by 2028 in Namyangju Wangsuk.
It is most likely that this will take the form of an extension of Seoul Subway Line 9, which is currently undergoing a 4th phase extension project up to Godeok. Since this line passes through key business districts in downtown Seoul such as Gangnam and Yeouido, the transportation accessibility of the Wangsuk district can be greatly improved. However, a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official explained, "The route and station locations of the project will be decided during the follow-up procedures, and this plan only presents a rough direction of the project."
Additionally, in Wangsuk 1 District, a Gyeongchun Line station where GTX-B stops will be newly established within the district, and in District 2, a Gyeongui-Jungang Line station will be created to enhance transportation convenience. Outside the district, the extension of Line 8’s Byeollae Line will be further extended to connect with the 4th line extension Jinjeop Line.
Road traffic will also be improved. To enhance the accessibility of metropolitan buses to Seoul, a BTX (Bus Transit eXpress) system will be established on Gangbyeonbuk-ro. This system installs movable central dividers to flexibly change lanes and create bus-only lanes during peak commuting hours. If installed, the morning commute time from Wangsuk district to Gangbyeon Station is expected to be reduced by about 30 minutes.
Along with this, to disperse traffic demand, a new four-lane Han River bridge will be constructed between Hanam Misa and Namyangju Suseok, and Olympic-daero will be expanded, while a bypass road for Gangil IC will also be newly built. Additionally, the surrounding Northern Arterial Road, Gyeongchunbuk-ro, old National Road No. 46, Local Road No. 383, and Jingwan Bridge will be expanded, and new roads connecting Wangsuk 2 to Yangjeong Station and Wangsuk 2 to Dasan District will be constructed.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expects that once these metropolitan transportation improvement measures are completed, the travel time from Wangsuk to Seoul Station will be reduced from the current 45 minutes to 25 minutes, and to Gangnam Station from 70 minutes to 45 minutes. The Namyangju Wangsuk metropolitan transportation improvement plan includes a total investment of 2.3 trillion KRW in 18 projects such as ▲urban railway connecting Seoul Gangdong, Hanam, and Namyangju (1.5032 trillion KRW) ▲new Han River bridge (196.2 billion KRW) ▲Byeollae Line extension (90 billion KRW) ▲GTX-B and Gyeongchun Line station construction (52 billion KRW).
GTX-A stops at Goyang Changneung, new Goyang Line established... major bus traffic improvements
Goyang Changneung Metropolitan Traffic Improvement Plan (Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)
Rail network expansion is also the core of transportation improvements in Goyang Changneung. A new Changneung Station will be added on the GTX-A line passing underground through the Changneung district, and a new urban railway between Goyang and Seoul’s Eunpyeong will be established.
Initially, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport maintained that establishing a GTX station in Changneung New Town was difficult at the time of the new town plan announcement, but this position was reversed. The Goyang-Eunpyeong urban railway is an extension of the Western Line connecting Saejeol Station, Hyangdong District, Changneung New Town, Daegok Station, and Goyang City Hall, previously announced as the 'Goyang Line.' Additionally, a new transportation project connecting Daegok to Goyang City Hall using the existing suburban line and connecting Siksa to Goyang City Hall is also included in the plan.
Bus transportation will also be expanded. Bus-only lanes will be installed within the project area to connect with the Jungang-ro and Tongil-ro BRTs located north and south of the site, and transfer facilities at Hwajeon Station will be established to enable transfers among trunk and branch buses, bus-rail-PM (Personal Mobility), and other various modes of transportation. These will be linked with the Jungang-ro BRT (Daehwa to Sinchon) stops to provide convenient transfer services.
Regarding road traffic, new connecting roads between Ilsan and Seooreung-ro and between Jungang-ro and the 2nd Jayuro will be constructed, and expansions of Seooreung-ro, Susaek Bridge, and Gangbyeonbuk-ro will be promoted. Additionally, improvements to the Deogeun 2-gyo intersection and traffic system improvements on major roads within Seoul will be implemented.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expects that travel time from Changneung to Seoul will be reduced from the current 40 minutes to 10 minutes, and to Yeouido from 50 minutes to 25 minutes. The Goyang Changneung metropolitan transportation improvement plan includes a total investment of 2.2 trillion KRW in 16 projects such as ▲construction of the Goyang-Seoul Eunpyeong railway (1.41 trillion KRW) ▲connecting road between Ilsan and Seooreung-ro (290 billion KRW) ▲new GTX-A Changneung Station (165 billion KRW) ▲connecting road between Jungang-ro and 2nd Jayuro (75 billion KRW) ▲new transportation system between Goyang City Hall and Siksa District (70 billion KRW).
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to finalize project plans through preliminary feasibility studies by public institutions for the confirmed major projects and simultaneously proceed with permits and approvals. For railway projects, which require long periods, detailed matters such as implementation methods will be decided through a consultative body involving the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul City, and Gyeonggi Province. The projects will be reflected in upper-level plans next year, basic plans will be initiated, and construction is targeted to start in 2024 and be completed by 2028 (Goyang Line by 2029).
Meanwhile, to minimize early-stage transportation inconveniences before the opening of railway and other transportation facilities in the 3rd phase new towns, operating costs for metropolitan buses will be supported. Additionally, for existing new towns, the 'Metropolitan Transportation Special Measures Zone' introduced this year will be used to minimize early-stage transportation inconveniences caused by project delays.
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