"Within 5 Minutes from Dongtan Station West Side to Dongtan Station"... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Strengthens GTX Connectivity

Bus travel time from West Dongtan Station to Dongtan Station reduced from 15 minutes to 5 minutes
Five new commuter bus routes passing through Dongtan Station established

The bus travel time from the west side of Dongtan Station to Dongtan Station will be reduced from 15 minutes to within 5 minutes. This is due to the opening of the east-west connecting road around Dongtan Station this December, which will change the bus detour routes into direct routes.

Location map of the East-West connecting passage at Dongtan Station and the underground parking lot at Yeoul Park. [Image provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 6th that it has prepared a plan to strengthen connected transportation for the GTX (Great Train Express) Line A in cooperation with Hwaseong City, Seongnam City, and Yongin City. The ministry operated a dedicated task force (TF) for connected transportation in preparation for the opening of GTX-A from Suseo to Dongtan. They established connected transportation measures for each station following the GTX opening, including bus route adjustments, increasing demand-responsive transport (DRT), and installing parking lots and transfer stops.

At the 4th connected transportation TF meeting held on the 24th of last month, discussions were held on strengthening connected transportation based on the results of one month of operation after the GTX opening. The plan includes focused improvements on accessibility to Dongtan Station, the starting point of GTX-A, and detailed measures to ensure smooth implementation of connected transportation for Guseong Station, which will open in June.

First, an additional east-west connecting road near Dongtan Station will be opened, and bus routes will be directly connected. Due to the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway, six east-west connecting roads will open by the end of the year. Accordingly, the bus route from the west side of Dongtan Station to Dongtan Station will be changed from a detour route to a direct route. With the direct bus route from the west side to Dongtan Station, travel time is expected to be reduced by more than 10 minutes.

Currently, during rush hours, it takes 40 to 50 minutes by bus from Seodongtan Station and Byeongjeom Station to Dongtan Station, and apartments located 500 meters west of Dongtan Station take more than 15 minutes by bus to reach Dongtan Station. This is because there is no east-west connecting road around Dongtan Station, causing buses to take detour routes to reach the station.

Location map of Exit 2 of Guseong Station and the bus stop. [Image provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]

Five new commuter bus routes will also be established to improve accessibility within Dongtan New Town, including Yeongcheon-dong and Jung-dong in Hwaseong City. These new routes will operate three times each during rush hours at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes.

Parking lots near Dongtan Station will also be expanded. An underground parking lot with 566 spaces at Yeoul Park is scheduled for completion in December this year. A temporary pedestrian path linked to the opening of the west exit of Dongtan Station will be installed to facilitate easy access to Dongtan Station by private car.

For Guseong Station, which will open in June, 16 bus routes will be adjusted to pass through the station at the time of opening. Eight additional buses will be added by the end of the year, one new route will be established, and parking will be expanded by 170 spaces.

In line with the planned opening of the new Exit 2 of GTX in December this year, new bus stops will also be installed. A plan to change existing routes so that five bus routes pass through this exit is also under consideration.

At Seongnam Station, three taxi stands and three transfer stops will be installed around Exit 2 in the first half of the year to facilitate vehicle transfers.

Park Ji-hong, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “Typically, when a new railway line is established, a ramp-up period of about one to two years is needed to stabilize demand. We have prepared connected transportation improvement plans with local governments to shorten this period and enable more citizens to conveniently use the GTX.”