Incheon City Enhances Citizen Transportation Convenience... Public Transit Fare Refunds and Development of Metropolitan and Arterial Road Networks

Incheon City will implement a public transportation fare refund system next year and undertake the construction of a metropolitan trunk road network centered on Incheon, among various policies aimed at enhancing citizens' transportation convenience.

The city evaluated that it achieved significant accomplishments this year, including the full exemption of toll fees on Yeongjong and Incheon Bridges, a decisive agreement on the direct connection project between the Airport Railroad and Seoul Subway Line 9, and the resolution of project costs for Hakik Station on the Suin Line. Next year, the focus will be on creating a more comprehensive transportation system by improving the transportation environment for users' mobility convenience, establishing a well-connected railway and road network, and building a future transportation system.

First, starting in the second half of next year, the city will promote the K-Pass project, which can alleviate the burden of public transportation costs. This system refunds 20 to 53% of transportation expenses to passengers who use public transportation more than 21 times a month.

The pilot project for the 'Climate Companion Card,' an unlimited public transportation pass to be introduced by Seoul City next year, will also be promoted together. According to the participation agreement with Seoul City, Incheon plans to introduce a 100,000 KRW fixed fare ticket for metropolitan buses running between Incheon and Seoul in the first half of next year. Passengers can use the buses unlimitedly by purchasing this fixed fare ticket alone.

In the new year, six additional trains (12 cars) will be added to Incheon Subway Line 2, and the number of specially equipped vehicles for disabled call taxis will increase from 215 to 255. In the old downtown area, where parking shortages are severe, 25 public parking lots with 2,698 spaces will be built, and 2,712 spaces in affiliated parking lots will also be newly opened.

In congested areas such as Yeongjong, Songdo, and Geomdan, 51 city buses on 13 routes will be added to mark the new year. To improve bus travel speed, a feasibility study for the establishment of a central bus-only lane (BRT) will be conducted from July next year to July 2025. The city aims to start construction around 2026 after design work, provided the BRT establishment plan is reflected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's comprehensive plan following the study.

Incheon City Hall

To build a well-connected railway and road network, construction of the metropolitan area express railway (GTX) Line B connecting Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Seoul will begin in the first half of next year. Various railway networks will also be expanded, including the Incheon-origin KTX, the GTX Line D Y-branch, and the extension of Incheon Subway Line 2 to Goyang.

Furthermore, to establish a metropolitan and trunk road network centered on Incheon, the city plans to strengthen the north-south axis road network in line with changes in urban spatial structure. This includes the Yeongjong-Ganghwa Peace Road, National Road No. 98 (Dogye-Majeon), the Jungbong Tunnel private investment project, the road between Sinheung-dong Samik Apartments and Dongkuk Steel, the Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway, and the Second Capital Region Ring Road (Incheon-Ansan), laying the foundation for balanced regional development.

The city also plans to promote sustainable future transportation environments by piloting autonomous driving demonstration projects and improving transportation efficiency and safety through integrated management and operation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Key ITS features include the 'Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal Service' to increase the golden time compliance rate for fire dispatch vehicles and the 'Intelligent Incident Detector,' which automatically alerts accidents occurring in underground passages, tunnels, and overpasses where medium to large traffic accidents are likely.

An official from Incheon City stated, "We will strive to introduce a quasi-public metropolitan bus system for the convenience of commuters in the metropolitan area and will continue to consult with related organizations to ensure there are no setbacks in the opening of two metropolitan express lines and the establishment of direct-seat services."