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The ‘Goyang-Eunpyeong Line’ metropolitan railway project aimed at improving transportation in the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area and the 3rd New Town Changneung District has received basic plan approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 3rd that it received notification of the ‘basic plan’ approval for the ‘Goyang-Eunpyeong Line’ metropolitan railway project from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee (MAWTC) on the 2nd. Among the metropolitan railways for the 3rd New Towns, this project is progressing the fastest.
The ‘Goyang-Eunpyeong Line’ is a railway line spanning a total of 15 km from Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province to Eunpyeong District in Seoul, with a total project cost of 1.7167 trillion KRW, and is being promoted with the goal of opening in 2031. It is the first railway project among the metropolitan transportation improvement measures promoted alongside the 3rd New Town new housing supply plan announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2019 to receive basic plan approval. Starting with this approval, the project is expected to be fully launched with the sequential commencement of ‘basic and detailed design’ phases.
Upon completion of this project, the metropolitan railway network connecting Gyeonggi Province and Seoul will be expanded, which will not only alleviate traffic congestion in the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area including Goyang Changneung District and Eunpyeong District but is also expected to significantly reduce commuting times.
If the Goyang-Eunpyeong Line and the Western Line are each opened and connected, the commuting time from Hwajeong Station in Goyang City to Yeouido Station will be drastically reduced from the current 53 minutes (with one transfer) to 30 minutes. This is expected to greatly contribute to fulfilling one of Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s pledges for Gyeonggi Province, which is ‘reducing commuting time by one hour through the expansion of the metropolitan transportation network.’
The ‘Goyang-Eunpyeong Line’ underwent a preliminary feasibility study by a public institution in 2021, and Gyeonggi Province began the basic plan establishment project in 2022. This line is being promoted on the premise of direct connection with the Western Line currently being pursued by Seoul City.
A Gyeonggi Province official said, “The Goyang-Eunpyeong Line is a key project for improving transportation for residents of the 3rd New Town Changneung District and the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure timely opening so that the metropolitan railway axis in the northwest region is completed through the Goyang-Eunpyeong Line and that it becomes an opportunity to drive regional development and revitalization.”
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