Ministry of Land Proposes 3 Lines for 'Integrated Development Leading Project for Railway Undergrounding'
Development of Railway Overhead Land Expected to Revitalize Local Economy and Improve Residential Conditions
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 23rd that it has applied for certain sections of three lines?Gyeongbu Line, Gyeongin Line, and Ansan Line?to the ‘Integrated Development Leading Project for Railway Undergrounding’ promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The ‘Integrated Development for Railway Undergrounding’ is a project in which the project implementer, who receives railway land as equity, carries out the railway undergrounding project through bond issuance, and repays the undergrounding project costs with the revenue generated from developing the railway land and surrounding areas created by the undergrounding.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to promote sections with high completeness as leading projects to realize the project early. The leading projects allow the commencement of the basic plan for integrated railway undergrounding development before the establishment of the ‘Comprehensive Plan for Integrated Railway Undergrounding Development,’ enabling faster promotion of the undergrounding project than the comprehensive plan routes.
In Gyeonggi Province, nine lines totaling 368 km of aboveground railways, including the Gyeongbu Line, are currently in operation. The aboveground railways have continuously caused physical division of urban areas, aging of adjacent areas, and environmental problems such as noise and vibration.
To resolve urban division and aging of surrounding areas caused by aboveground railways, Gyeonggi Province, together with the relevant cities and counties, applied for three lines prepared as leading projects: Ansan Line (Ansan Station to Handaeap Station, 5.1 km), Gyeongin Line (Yeokgok Station to Songnae Station, 6.6 km), and Gyeongbu Line (Seoksu Station to Dangjeong Station, 12.4 km).
Gyeonggi Province expects sustainable urban development through reducing noise and vibration by undergrounding the aboveground railways, creating mixed-use commercial, cultural, and green spaces utilizing the railway upper land, revitalizing the local economy, and improving transportation connectivity.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to receive proposals from metropolitan local governments by the 25th and announce the leading project targets by the end of the year. Gyeonggi Province plans to concentrate all its capabilities to ensure its proposed projects are selected.
If selected as a leading project, Gyeonggi Province plans to commence the ‘Basic Plan for Railway Undergrounding and Integrated Development’ in 2025. Subsequently, it will make every effort to ensure that the railway lines within the province are reflected in the Ministry’s ‘Comprehensive Plan for Integrated Railway Undergrounding Development,’ scheduled to be established in 2025.
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