Incheon City Begins Establishing Plans for Seoul Line 2 Cheongna Extension Project

Confirming the Project Plan in Consultation with Relevant Local Governments by the End of This Year

Seoul Subway Line 2 Cheongna Extension Route Map [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The project to connect Incheon Cheongna International City to Seoul Subway Line 2 via Gajeong and Jakjeon is set to be actively promoted.

Incheon City announced on the 31st that it has started a feasibility study to optimize the Seoul Line 2 Cheongna extension project.

The study will be conducted over one year until March next year to prepare a project plan in consultation with related local governments such as Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, following the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s supplementary opinion presented during the announcement of the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan in July last year.

At that time, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport suggested as a supplementary opinion that the Seoul Line 2 Cheongna extension project should be promoted as the optimal alternative after the Daejang-Hongdae Line project is confirmed through consultations among related local governments and private operators.

The Daejang-Hongdae Line project passed the private feasibility review in November last year, and this year it is scheduled to be designated as a private investment project, followed by a third-party proposal announcement, with the preferred negotiation partner to be selected in the second half of the year.

In this study, Incheon City plans to examine the technical and economic feasibility of various options, including the existing plan to connect Hongdaeipgu Station and Sindorim Station using the Seoul Line 7 Cheongna extension, the Daejang-Hongdae Line, and the Sinjeong branch of Line 2, as well as the extension of the Daejang-Hongdae Line.

An Incheon City official said, "Based on the study results, we plan to finalize the optimal alternative by the end of the year through consultations with related local governments and the private operator of the Daejang-Hongdae Line," adding, "We will do our best to ensure that the Seoul Line 2 Cheongna extension project, which will quickly connect Seo-gu and Gyeyang in Incheon with downtown Seoul, is promoted promptly."

The Seoul Line 2 Cheongna extension project involves extending the 17.61 km section from Sindorim, Hongdaeipgu to Hwagok, Bucheon Wonjong, Gyeyang, Gajeong, and Cheongna, constructing 7 stations and one train depot. The estimated project cost is 1.6617 trillion KRW, with national and local government funds invested at a 7:3 ratio.

Meanwhile, construction of the Seoul Subway Line 7 Cheongna extension began on the 23rd of last month.

This project extends the 10.77 km section from Seoknam Station on Line 7 to the Airport Railroad Cheongna International City Station, constructing 7 stations. The total project cost is 1.5739 trillion KRW, with the opening scheduled for December 2027.

Once the Line 7 Cheongna extension opens, travel time from Cheongna to Guro (Gasan Digital Complex Station), a transfer station for Seoul Line 1, will be reduced from the current 78 minutes to 42 minutes, cutting 36 minutes. Additionally, residents in the northwest metropolitan area will see greatly improved access to Gangnam, as they will be able to travel there directly without transfers.