Yangju City, Building a Renaissance Era of Public Transportation? Opening of the '8300 Intercity Bus'

According to the recent announcement of the ‘2024 Resident Registration Population Statistics’ by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province recorded the highest population growth among cities and counties in northern Gyeonggi, bringing attention to new challenges for balanced growth.

In particular, as aging and the risk of local extinction accelerate, the ‘revitalization of public transportation,’ which plays a crucial role in connecting citizens' daily lives and maintaining regional economic vitality, is a challenge that not only Yangju but all local governments must address.

Yang Soo-hyun, Mayor of Yangju, is delivering a greeting at the opening ceremony of the "Metropolitan Bus No. 8300," connecting Yangju and Namyangju, on the morning of the 13th. Photo by Yangju City

Yangju City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kang Suhyeon) is drawing attention by accelerating the construction of ‘metropolitan transportation infrastructure’ in line with rapid population growth, including announcing the opening of the ‘Metropolitan Bus No. 8300’ connecting Yangju and Namyangju on the morning of the 13th.

The opening ceremony was attended by about 30 people from early dawn, including Mayor Kang Suhyeon of Yangju, Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly members Lee Youngju and Park Jaeyong, related senior officials, and citizen representatives.

On the day, Mayor Kang began by encouraging the bus crew responsible for passenger safety, boarded the first ‘8300 Metropolitan Bus,’ inspected convenience facilities such as the smart ventilation system, USB chargers, and Wi-Fi, and checked the transfer system status after alighting at Byeollae Station Metropolitan Transfer Center.

He also continued on-site communication by talking with citizens boarding the bus and listening to their difficulties in using public transportation during their commute.

A citizen who boarded the bus said, “The G1300 bus was often full, which was difficult, but now I can take the 8300 bus and transfer at Byeollae Station toward Seoul, making my commute much easier. I am grateful to Yangju City for establishing this alternative route.”

Yang Soo-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, boarded the first '8300 Express Bus' on the 13th and talked with a citizen. Photo by Yangju City

The ‘Metropolitan Bus No. 8300’ route starts from Yangju Deokjeong Garage (Jinmyeong Passenger Deokjeong Garage) and connects △Deokjeong Station △Deokjeong Jugong Complex 1 △Hoeam Elementary School △Dietre Prestige △Ipyeonhansesang Complex 11 △Yeonpureun Elementary School △Deokhyeon Elementary School △Yuseung Hannaedeul Complex 9, ending at Byeollae Station Metropolitan Transfer Center. Six vehicles operate on this route from the first bus at 5 a.m. to the last bus at 10:45 p.m. on weekdays, with intervals of 30 to 40 minutes, totaling 35 trips per day.

Using this route, passengers can quickly reach Jamsil and Gangdong-gu by connecting with Line 8 at Byeollae Station, which opened in August last year. In the future, with the opening of the GTX-B line, it will also be easy to travel to the western Seoul area and Incheon.

Yangju City is actively working to implement a ‘comprehensive transportation policy’ that reflects the naturally increasing transportation demand due to population growth.

To minimize inconvenience during commuting hours, Yangju City has achieved results such as the opening of the new ‘8300 Metropolitan Bus’ route, operation of the citizen-tailored transportation service ‘Ddokbus,’ the first western area route ‘1304 Metropolitan Bus,’ expansion of the ‘05 Seoul Companion Bus,’ and increased frequency of the ‘G1300 Bus,’ based on close cooperation with related organizations such as the Metropolitan Area Transport Committee, Seoul City, and Gyeonggi Province.

Recently, the city has improved the project by adding new target areas for the existing ‘public taxi service’ for citizens living in transportation-vulnerable areas, and on the 10th, it officially requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to expand taxi supply to address the shortage of taxis during late-night hours.

Yang Soo-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, boarded the first '8300 Express Bus' on the 13th to inspect the interior. Photo by Yangju City

“We will make it a faster and more convenient future transportation hub city.” This is one of the seven key plans emphasized by Mayor Kang in his New Year’s address this year.

Despite internal and external difficulties last year, the city focused on laying the foundation for a ‘public transportation renaissance era’ and a ‘public transportation-friendly city’ through projects such as the construction of the Seoul Subway Line 7 Dobongsan~Okjeong and Okjeong~Pocheon metropolitan railways, the GTX-C line construction, and the reopening of the Gyeongui Line.

Yangju City plans to do its best to alleviate transportation inconveniences and create a beneficiary-centered public transportation system by accelerating the construction of the Okjeong~Pocheon metropolitan railway and GTX-C line, actively promoting increased frequency and shuttle trains on Subway Line 1, expanding metropolitan bus and demand-responsive transport (DRT) operations, and gradually implementing the semi-public operation system for route buses.

Mayor Kang Suhyeon said, “Our Yangju City is experiencing rapid population growth, requiring continuous expansion of public transportation. We will do our best to establish various metropolitan transportation systems, including the newly opened Gyeongui Line on the 11th and the new metropolitan bus to Jamsil scheduled for the first half of 2025.”