Request to Designate Seoul Station~Dangjeong Station Underground Section as Government-Led Project for Rapid Promotion
Seven Local Mayors of the Project Section Agree and Sign Joint Petition
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced on the 20th that it attended the 'Gyeongbu Line Undergrounding Council' held in Gunpo City and requested the designation of the project as a government-led initiative to expedite the 'Gyeongbu Line Undergrounding Project.'
The 'Gyeongbu Line Undergrounding Project' is a project to underground approximately 32 km from Seoul Station to Dangjeong Station in Gunpo, with an investment of about 15.0487 trillion KRW (as of September 2022).
The 'Gyeongbu Line Undergrounding Council' included Mayor Yu Seong-hoon of Geumcheon-gu and six heads of local governments along the project section (Seoul's Guro, Dongjak, Yeongdeungpo, Yongsan districts, and Gyeonggi-do's Anyang and Gunpo), who collectively voiced their demand for the designation as a government-led project.
The 'Gyeongbu Line Undergrounding' project was included in the presidential pledge in 2022 and became tangible with the enactment of a special law in January this year. Based on this special law, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to establish a comprehensive plan for integrated railway underground development by next year and select a pilot project site within this year.
The special law contains the basis for promoting cost financing and implementation plans to effectively develop the secured above-ground railway sites and their surroundings by undergrounding the above-ground railway.
On this day, Mayor Yu Seong-hoon, along with the six local government heads, signed a joint petition to ensure that the Seoul Station to Dangjeong Station section is selected as the pilot project for railway undergrounding. The council agreed to deliver the joint petition to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and continue discussions for project promotion in the future.
Mayor Yu Seong-hoon said, "We actively welcome the enactment of the special law for the Gyeongbu Line undergrounding project," adding, "The undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line will improve corporate activities in Geumcheon-gu's G-Valley and enhance convenience for workers, leading to national development."
He also stated, "In preparation for the Gyeongbu Line railway undergrounding, we will promote the 'Basic Plan for Development of Space Above the Railway' considering regional characteristics," and added, "From the planning stage, we will closely cooperate with related agencies such as the central government and Seoul City to ensure that our district's opinions are reflected."
The Gyeongbu Line railway undergrounding project has been promoted since 2012 by seven local governments forming the 'Gyeongbu Line Undergrounding Promotion Council.' After various efforts such as a one million signature campaign and a basic plan study for railway undergrounding, the 'Special Act on Railway Undergrounding and Integrated Development of Railway Sites' was enacted in January this year.
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