Dobong-gu Welcomes Passage of Special Act on Railway Undergrounding in National Assembly Plenary Session
Ministry of Land's Comprehensive Plan and Seoul City's Basic Plans by Line Remain
Mayor Oh Eon-seok: "We Will Do Our Best to Consult with Related Agencies for Speedy Project Progress"
A green light has been given to the undergrounding of the Gyeongwon Line section in Dobong-gu.
On January 9th, the "Special Act on Undergrounding Railroads and Integrated Development of Railroad Sites" was passed in the National Assembly plenary session, establishing the institutional foundation for the railroad undergrounding project.
Accordingly, the district plans to strengthen consultations with related agencies to swiftly advance the remaining phased projects, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's comprehensive plan formulation and Seoul City's basic plan development for each line.
The above-ground railroad section of the Gyeongwon Line (National Railroad Line 1) in Dobong-gu spans approximately 6 km from Nokcheon Station to Dobongsan Station. This section has not only divided the Dobong-gu area into east and west parts but also caused noise and vibration, slum formation around the railroad, and deterioration of urban aesthetics.
In response, the district designated the undergrounding of the Gyeongwon Line above-ground railroad as a campaign pledge of the 8th elected Dobong-gu mayor and has continuously requested related agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to reflect this in the national railroad network plan to ensure smooth project progress. During the Prime Minister's visit to Dobong-gu in August last year, active government cooperation was also requested.
Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, "With the passage of this special act, the long-awaited undergrounding of the Gyeongwon Line, a long-standing wish of the residents, has taken a meaningful first step. We will do our best in consultations with related agencies to ensure the undergrounding of the Dobong-gu Gyeongwon Line section proceeds swiftly."
The special railroad undergrounding act approved by the National Assembly plenary session is a bill that focuses on the integrated promotion of railroad undergrounding and development of the upper space. Under this bill, the project method involves the state contributing the railroad site as an in-kind investment to the project implementer, who then makes an upfront investment in the underground railroad construction costs by issuing bonds and recovers the invested costs through profits generated from the development of the upper space in the future.
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