SH Corporation to Underground Olympic-daero... Will Trams Run on Upper Levels?

Discussion on Infrastructure Three-Dimensionalization... Resolving Space Separation Issues by Undergrounding Olympic-daero
Reviewing Railway Operation Plans such as Trams for Han River Access in Newly Created Upper Spaces
SH Corporation Expands Participation in Han River Development... Already Involved in Gondola, River Bus, etc.

SH Corporation (Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation), under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is considering a plan to underground Olympic-daero and build a small-scale railway line such as a tram on the upper space. This is a measure to strengthen accessibility by expanding citizens' means of transportation along the Han River in connection with Seoul's flagship project, the 'Great Hangang' project.

According to related industries on the 10th, SH Corporation recently began discussions on an urban space innovation plan centered on the 'undergrounding of Olympic-daero.' Amid ongoing spatial transformation projects as part of the urban space policy direction aligned with Seoul's '2040 Seoul Basic Urban Plan,' the goal is to address aging urban infrastructure and spatial disconnection.

The target for 'three-dimensional infrastructure' is 'Olympic-daero.' Opened in 1986 in preparation for the 1988 Olympics, it is a section where traffic congestion is concentrated daily, and politicians have repeatedly made 'undergrounding Olympic-daero' a major campaign pledge during election seasons. This is due to severe traffic congestion with an average travel speed of only 30 to 50 km/h, as well as the potential to solve noise and flooding issues.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is also managing the undergrounding of Olympic-daero as a long-term project along with Gangbyeonbuk-ro. In 2021, Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul predicted during a city council inquiry that "the undergrounding project of Olympic-daero could seek changes that fundamentally improve access to the Han River," and recently, Seoul has begun considering structural changes to Olympic-daero through the 'Han River Riverside Arterial Road Restructuring' service.

Through this discussion, SH Corporation plans to establish a rough basic plan including detailed sections of Olympic-daero to be undergrounded, route plans, and costs. This will include the connection system of the underground section as well as the scale of slimming Olympic-daero during the undergrounding process.

Particularly, considerations will be made regarding the upper space created by the undergrounding. Various utilization plans will be reviewed, and a proposal to establish a small-scale railway line along the existing Olympic-daero line adjacent to the Han River to improve access to the Han River is expected to be discussed. Internally, a tram has been mentioned as a transportation mode that combines the eco-friendliness of general urban rail and the accessibility of buses, with construction and operating costs lower than those of urban rail or light rail.

SH Corporation intends to actively utilize the newly established line in the 'Han River Riverside Attraction' project. For example, they plan to create gathering facilities around the newly built stations to encourage citizens' access to the Han River. An SH Corporation official explained, "This is an initial process to explore possibilities, not a concrete step toward commercialization," adding, "We want to explore various directions for spatial transformation through this opportunity."

Although there are many steps to be taken such as securing funding and analyzing feasibility, discussions to expand killer content along the Han River are expected to continue. Since Mayor Oh's 'Great Hangang' project focuses on revitalizing the Han River riverside, securing accessibility is a representative measure. As part of this, SH Corporation is also involved in projects such as the Han River gondola, the large Ferris wheel in Sangam-dong, and the Han River floating tourism hotel.

However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has stated that it will not rush discussions on undergrounding Olympic-daero. According to a Seoul city official, they plan to comprehensively analyze the results of the Banpo-dong Han River riverside Olympic-daero upper cover park, scheduled for completion in 2027, and the Amsa-dong Olympic-daero upper section plan, expected to be completed by the end of the year, before considering the possibility of expanding the project. Even for the Gangbyeonbuk-ro undergrounding project, Seoul has set the timing for the underground transition at 10 years.