Minister Park Sang-woo Visits Gimpo Gold Line on Commute... "Expedite Bus-Centered Measures"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo visited the Gimpo Gold Line during the morning rush hour as his first field visit after taking office.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo is speaking about measures to alleviate congestion and manage safety on the Gimpo Gold Line at a meeting held on the morning of the 28th at Korea Airports Corporation in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

On the morning of the 28th, Minister Park boarded the Gimpo Gold Line to review the progress of the measures implemented so far and discussed congestion relief and safety management plans with related agencies.

Minister Park first communicated with commuters on their way to work. He said, "Although congestion has eased with short-term measures, it seems there are still many inconveniences in use," adding, "I regret the safety incidents such as passengers experiencing breathing difficulties due to operational disruptions and congestion."

After getting off the train, he said, "I personally experienced how difficult the situation has been for the citizens of Gimpo," and added, "I hope that in discussions with related agencies, we focus intensively on alternatives to disperse passengers concentrated on the Gimpo Gold Line to other areas in the long term."

At the policy meeting, Minister Park emphasized, "We will manage to ensure that fundamental measures, such as increasing the number of trains, are implemented without delay, but since it will take a long time for the public to feel the effects, it is necessary to promptly devise additional short-term measures."

He also stated, "We will promptly prepare bus-centered transportation measures in consultation with Seoul City and others, such as introducing bus-only lanes to improve the speed and punctuality of buses and expanding supply."

Regarding safety management measures, he added, "We will prevent safety accidents by deploying additional safety personnel to actively control (excessive) boarding and also prepare passenger dispersion plans through a railway congestion monitoring app."

Furthermore, Minister Park promised, "Providing safe and convenient public transportation services to the public is a natural responsibility of the government and local governments," and pledged, "We will make continuous efforts to prepare swift alternatives that the public can feel."