Attendance at Suseo Station Opening Ceremony
"When fully opened, core industries
will be connected as hubs... aiding investment attraction
and expanding the nationwide GTX network"
President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a commemorative speech at the opening ceremony of the Suseo-Dongtan section of the Metropolitan Area Express Train (GTX) Line A held at Suseo Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 29th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 29th, "Today’s opening of the metropolitan area express railroad (GTX) Line A is a day of public transportation revolution in South Korea comparable to the opening of the Gyeongbu Expressway in 1970 and the KTX in 2004," adding, "It will bring revolutionary changes to urban competitiveness."
On the same day, President Yoon attended the GTX-A Suseo~Dongtan section opening ceremony held at Suseo Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and said that commuting time would be drastically reduced by traveling back and forth between Suseo and Dongtan in 20 minutes via GTX. He also rode the GTX train with citizens from Suseo Station to Dongtan Station for 20 minutes and celebrated the first domestic opening of the GTX line upon arriving at Dongtan Station.
GTX-A is a line connecting a total of 11 stations over 82.1 km, starting from Paju Unjeong, passing through Goyang, Seoul, Seongnam, and Yongin, and ending at Hwaseong Dongtan. The section opening today is the first constructed segment, covering 38.5 km from Suseo Station, Seongnam Station, Guseong Station (Yongin, Gyeonggi-do; opened in June this year), to Dongtan Station. The remaining northern section of GTX-A, from Paju Unjeong Station to Seoul Station, is scheduled to open by the end of this year; the Seoul Station to Suseo Station section (excluding Samseong Station) by 2026; and the entire line including Samseong Station by 2028.
President Yoon emphasized, "When the 80-minute travel time by metropolitan bus between Suseo and Dongtan is reduced to 20 minutes by GTX, people will have more time to spend with their families in the morning and evening and find more leisure in their daily lives." He continued, "Once the entire GTX-A line is open, key industrial hubs such as Paju Unjeong Techno Valley, Ilsan KINTEX, Pangyo Techno Valley, and Yongin Semiconductor Complex will be connected, aiding the influx of talented individuals and attracting new investments." He also expressed expectations that "housing complex development around GTX stations will become active, contributing to alleviating the housing shortage."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is applauding after participating in the opening ceremony button-pressing event on the stage with citizen representatives and construction officials at Suseo Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, during the commemorative ceremony for the opening of the Suseo-Dongtan section of the Greater Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) Line A on the 29th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon announced plans to expand the GTX network nationwide, using the opening of GTX-A as a milestone. The C Line (Yangju~Suwon), which began construction in January, is planned to open by 2028, and the B Line (Incheon~Namyangju), which started in March, by 2030. The A Line will be extended to Pyeongtaek, the B Line to Chuncheon, and the C Line will be extended north to Dongducheon and south to Osan, Cheonan, and Asan.
The D, E, and F lines, whose route plans were announced in January, will complete legal procedures within the current administration. President Yoon promised smooth progress, stating, "The x-TX (X-TX) project, which will provide GTX-level services not only in the metropolitan area but also in Daejeon·Chungcheong, Daegu·Gyeongbuk, Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam, and Gwangju·Jeonnam regions, has already begun."
GTX fare burdens will also be reduced. Through the public transportation discount program ‘K-Pass’ and discounts for seniors, children, the disabled, and veterans, fares will be kept in the 2,000 to 3,000 won range. Additionally, transfer discounts within the metropolitan area and a 10% weekend discount will help ease transportation costs.
During the opening ceremony, President Yoon joined citizen representatives and construction officials on stage and pressed the button vigorously to celebrate the opening. The GTX Suseo Station, where the ceremony was held, is a station installed separately from the existing Suseo High-Speed Railway (SRT) Suseo Station.
About 250 people attended the ceremony, including residents from Seoul and Gyeonggi-do areas such as Seongnam, Yongin, and Hwaseong Dongtan along the GTX-A opening section, as well as construction officials. From the government, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo, Korea Rail Network Authority Chairman Lee Seong-hae, and Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council who proposed the promotion of the three GTX lines during his tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province in 2010, were present.
Local government officials included Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin, Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il, Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun, and Gangnam District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong. From the Presidential Office, Policy Chief Seong Tae-yoon and Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Park Chun-seop also attended.
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