The Shinbundang Line, currently operating from Gangnam in Seoul to Gwanggyo in Suwon, will be extended by 10.1 km to Hwamaesil in Suwon.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 28th that it will finalize and announce the basic plan for the Shinbundang Line extension project from Gwanggyo to Hwamaesil on the 29th.
The Shinbundang Line currently operates the Gangnam?Gwanggyo section (31.3 km), and through the 'Gwanggyo?Hwamaesil extension project' for which the basic plan is being announced, a new 10.1 km section will be constructed and extended from Gwanggyo Jungang Station to Hwamaesil in Suwon.
Four new stations will be established in the extension project area besides the existing Gwanggyo Jungang Station, which is the starting point of the extension: Uman-dong area, Jowon-dong area, Hwaseo-dong area, and Geumgok-dong area. The total project cost is 965.7 billion KRW.
Once the Shinbundang Line Gwanggyo?Hwamaesil route opens, commuting from Hwamaesil in Suwon to Gangnam will be shortened by about 40 minutes compared to using buses.
In the previous preliminary feasibility study, about half of the entire section was planned as a single track, but to reduce train intervals, the basic plan reflects all sections as double tracks.
The station locations were also adjusted from the user’s perspective. The SB06 station near Suwon World Cup Station was relocated closer to the Indeokwon?Dongtan Line station to improve transfer convenience, reducing the transfer distance by 130 meters.
The SB09 station within the Hwamaesil district was moved more than 70 meters toward Hwamaesil to shorten residents’ access distance to the station.
The Ministry plans to quickly proceed with the project through a bulk bidding method after reviewing the bidding method for large-scale construction next year. Basic and detailed designs and contractor selection will take place from 2022 to 2023, with construction starting in 2024.
In addition to the currently operating Gangnam?Gwanggyo section, the Shinbundang Line will be expanded to include the Gwanggyo?Hwamaesil section, which is now being actively promoted starting with this basic plan, the Gangnam?Sinsa section scheduled to open in the first half of next year (the Sinsa?Yongsan section is under consultation with the Ministry of National Defense), the northwestern extension (Yongsan?Samsong) reflected in the 4th National Railroad Network Plan, and the Hwamaesil?Bongdam section.
Since it will connect the central Gangnam area of Seoul with the southern and northern parts of Gyeonggi Province, the government expects it to help disperse the population concentration centered in Gangnam.
Kang Hee-up, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The opening of the Gwanggyo?Hwamaesil section will improve Seoul accessibility for the southern Gyeonggi region and help alleviate traffic congestion in the metropolitan area."
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