[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Bucheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 10th that it has once again requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to include the extension of the Western Metropolitan Express Railway line to the southern Seoul area in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan.
The Western Metropolitan Express Railway is a line planned in the western region to expand the areas benefiting from express railways, as announced by the Ministry of Land in October 2019 under the 'Metropolitan Transportation 2030' plan. It is expected to greatly improve metropolitan accessibility between the western metropolitan area and major metropolitan hubs.
In February last year, Bucheon City, along with Gyeonggi Province, Gimpo City, and Hanam City, conducted a feasibility study to identify the optimal route between the western region and major metropolitan hubs and requested the Ministry of Land to reflect it in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan.
However, the Western Metropolitan Express Railway announced at the public hearing on the 22nd of last month only included the section from Janggi to Bucheon Sports Complex, falling significantly short of the originally targeted "30-minute reduction in travel time between metropolitan hubs" set in Metropolitan Transportation 2030.
Accordingly, on the 7th, the city requested the Ministry of Land to additionally include a route extended to the southern Seoul area in the National Railway Network Construction Plan to alleviate chronic traffic congestion and improve accessibility between the western region and major metropolitan hubs.
A Bucheon City official stated, "We plan to continuously demand final inclusion through cooperation with Gyeonggi Province and related local governments."
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