Seoul City Councilor Woo Hyeong-chan: "Yangcheon Residents Who Expected Mokdong Line Are in Betrayal and Shock"... "Oh Se-hoon's Pledge for 'Early Construction of Mokdong Line' Shattered"... "Measures Established for the 2nd Seoul Urban Rail Network Plan Revision Project"
Woo Hyeong-chan, Seoul City Council Member
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 11th through a press release that the Mokdong Line light rail project failed to pass the preliminary feasibility study, according to the results of the 5th Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Seoul submitted the Mokdong Line as a 'fiscal project' in the 2nd Seoul Metropolitan City Urban Rail Network Construction Plan in 2020 to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), which approved and announced it in November 2020. From October 2021, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Korea Development Institute (KDI PIMAC) have been conducting the preliminary feasibility study.
The Mokdong Line, which passes through the Mokdong apartment complex?representing Korea's first new town?an area suffering from outdated southwestern railway transportation networks and airport noise damage zones, had to be pursued as a fiscal project rather than a private investment project. Both then-presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol and Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon included this in their pledges.
What did Seoul do?
Seoul clearly acknowledges that the responsibility for the failure of the Mokdong Line preliminary feasibility study lies solely with the city. In particular, we ask what Seoul has done during the two years and nine months since the preliminary feasibility study began in October 2021.
If the construction of the Mokdong Line is canceled, the future traffic nightmare in Yangcheon District?including the reconstruction of the Mokdong new town apartments and the construction of the Western Truck Terminal?is inevitable, and we cannot help but ask what measures will be taken.
An explanation is also needed regarding the criticism that the project, which was a core initiative of the Democratic Party mayor of Seoul, was abandoned after the power shifted to the People Power Party.
Stop the wordplay on private investment projects... A clear commitment to fiscal projects is needed
After meetings and discussions with multiple construction companies, the possibility of success for a private investment project is extremely low, and the reality is that the Mokdong Line must be pursued as a fiscal project.
Accordingly, Seoul must prepare countermeasures in the '2nd Seoul Urban Rail Network Construction Plan Amendment Service,' scheduled for completion this December, and swiftly proceed with the project aiming for prompt groundbreaking.
The Democratic Party declares that, together with the 430,000 residents of Yangcheon District, it will realize the construction of the Mokdong Line.
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