Will the Passage of the Railway Undergrounding Act Boost the Development of Yongsan International Business District?

Yongsan-gu Continues to Promote Improvement of Ground Railroad Undergrounding System... Expecting Urban Space Restructuring Harmonizing Nature and People over 8km Sections from Gyeongbu Line Yongsan Station-Seoul Station and Gyeongwon Line Yongsan Station-Seobinggo Station... Prompt Follow-up Procedures Including Basic Plans for Each Line... "Welcoming the Passage of the Special Act on Railroad Undergrounding to Integrate Yongsan, Disconnected for 120 Years"

Yongsan Station Area Gyeongbu Line Ground Railway

Yongsan-gu, Seoul (Mayor Park Hee-young) is accelerating institutional improvements to resolve local issues in Yongsan following the passage of the "Special Act on Railroad Undergrounding and Integrated Development of Railroad Sites" (hereinafter referred to as the Railroad Undergrounding Special Act).

The promotion of undergrounding the Gyeongbu Line and Gyeongwon Line railroads is one of the campaign pledges of the 8th-term elected mayor of Yongsan-gu. The aboveground railroads have caused regional division, traffic congestion, and deterioration of the residential environment, acting as limiting factors for regional development.

The district is currently undergoing the redevelopment of urban management plans due to a total of 62 development projects, including the creation of the Yongsan International Business District, Yongsan Park, and the United Nations Command site, as well as other scattered sites. However, development projects and urban management plans between regions have faced difficulties in securing organic connectivity due to spatial disconnection.

Accordingly, the district proposed improvements to the railroad undergrounding system and project promotion to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Rail Network Authority twice last year, in the first and second halves. The main proposals included the "Enactment of a Special Act on Aboveground Railroads," "Review of the Undergrounding Project for the Gyeongbu and Gyeongwon Lines," and "Inclusion in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan."

With the passage of the Railroad Undergrounding Special Act in the National Assembly plenary session on the 9th, the project is expected to proceed step-by-step through the establishment of a comprehensive plan by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the formulation of basic plans for each line by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The cost of the railroad undergrounding project is principally to be covered by profits generated from the development projects above the railroad. The law also includes legal grounds for the state to invest railroad sites to project implementers.

The district will continue to collect residents' opinions and propose various ideas to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Rail Network Authority, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ensure the prompt establishment of comprehensive and line-specific basic plans and to resolve local issues.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, emphasized, "The passage of the Railroad Undergrounding Special Act is a golden opportunity to reorganize urban spaces so that nature and people can harmonize. The development above the Gyeongbu Line railroad connecting Yongsan Station and Seoul Station will play a significant role in attracting global attention to Yongsan as a city within a city, alongside the Yongsan International Business District and Yongsan Park."

Upon undergrounding the railroad, the district plans to utilize the 4.5 km section from Yongsan Station to Namyeong Station to Seoul Station on the Gyeongbu Line for international business support, strengthening global competitiveness, establishing a green network, and enhancing public functions.

The 3.5 km aboveground section from Yongsan Station to Ichon Station to Seobinggo Station on the Gyeongwon Line will be developed into a park to expand access to the Han River and restore the fragmented ecosystem.