Incheon City Joins Climate Companion Card... Boost for Line 9 and Airport Railroad Direct Connection

Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok Sign Business Agreement

Incheon City will also participate in the ‘Climate Companion Card,’ which Seoul City will pilot from next year. With Incheon joining the Climate Companion Card, the long-stalled direct operation of Line 9 and the Incheon International Airport Railroad is expected to gain momentum.

On the 17th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok signed a transportation sector business agreement at Seoul City Hall, announcing the participation in the Climate Companion Card and strengthening the cooperative system between the two cities on metropolitan transportation policies, including urban railroad issues.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok (from the left), Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon are taking a photo on the 16th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, ahead of discussions on metropolitan area issues such as the Megacity. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Climate Companion Card is an unlimited public transportation pass that Seoul City is preparing to introduce in January next year. For 65,000 KRW per month, users can enjoy unlimited one-stop access to Seoul subway lines, city and village buses, and the public bicycle system, Dareungi, within Seoul. The city plans to pilot the Climate Companion Card from January to May next year and, after making improvements, officially implement it in the second half of the year. So far, the three metropolitan cities and provinces in the Seoul metropolitan area have held working-level meetings among metropolitan transportation agencies since last September to discuss the launch of transportation passes jointly applicable across the metropolitan area, including the Climate Companion Card.

According to this agreement, Incheon City has decided to participate with available transportation agencies such as metropolitan buses during the pilot project period. The specific timing and methods will be discussed and announced through the working-level meetings of metropolitan transportation agencies. Additionally, the service scope will be gradually expanded so that all citizens of Seoul and Incheon can benefit.

Along with this business agreement, Seoul and Incheon have agreed to promptly promote the direct operation project connecting Seoul Subway Line 9 and the Incheon International Airport Railroad. The extension of Line 9 and the Airport Railroad had been stalled due to disagreements over cost-sharing for direct train operation, operating expenses, and project costs.

The Line 9 direct connection project involves linking the Line 9 route between Jungang Veterans Hospital Station and Gaehwa Station with the Airport Railroad, connecting Gimpo Airport Station to Incheon Airport Station. This project was concretized when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (then the Ministry of Construction and Transportation) confirmed it in the basic plan for Seoul Subway Line 9 in 2000 and has since been promoted as part of the ministry’s western region transportation improvement measures. However, Seoul and Incheon have been at an impasse over operating cost-sharing, causing the project to drift for over 20 years.

The city expects that once Line 9 and the Airport Railroad are directly connected, the congestion rate of Line 9 express trains will decrease by 8%, and passengers will be able to travel between Seoul’s Gangnam area and Incheon Airport without transfers. The city stated that it will faithfully carry out the remaining negotiations and procedures related to the direct operation with relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport based on agreements with Incheon City, aiming to realize direct operation within a short period.

Mayor Oh said, “Starting with the expansion of the Climate Companion Card operation between Seoul and Incheon, it is expected that the long-stalled railroad issues will be swiftly resolved, marking the beginning of a new innovation in metropolitan transportation development encompassing Seoul and Incheon.” He added, “We will actively promote the metropolitan area expansion of the Climate Companion Card, which is being implemented not only to respond to the climate crisis but also as a key transportation policy for people’s livelihoods, to provide benefits to many citizens.”