Mayor Lee Donghwan: "All-Out Efforts for Balanced Development in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Swift Passage of Incheon Line 2 Feasibility Study"

Goyang City Urges Prompt Finalization of Incheon Line 2 Extension Feasibility Study by Ministry of Economy and Finance
KDI's Feasibility Study in Second Year... Project Review Nearing Completion, Awaiting Results
Joint Response with Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gimpo... Expresses Concern Over Potential Disadvantage Compared to Other Projects

On July 2, Goyang Special City (Mayor Lee Donghwan) strongly urged the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Korea Development Institute (KDI) to promptly finalize the results of the preliminary feasibility study for the extension of Incheon Subway Line 2 to Goyang.

A view of Goyang Special City Hall. Provided by Goyang Special City

The preliminary feasibility study for the Incheon Line 2 extension to Goyang, currently being conducted by KDI, has been underway for its second year since it began in August 2023. After completing the first review meeting in January this year and with most of the work now finished, only the second review meeting and deliberation by the Fiscal Project Evaluation Subcommittee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance remain. The city maintains that the project must pass the preliminary feasibility study as soon as possible.

This project is a metropolitan railway initiative that will connect Dokjeong Station in Incheon through Gimpo City to Goyang City, covering a total length of 19.6 kilometers, of which approximately 8.3 kilometers fall within Goyang. The city aims to begin construction in 2029 and open the line in 2035.

However, there are growing concerns that if the results of the preliminary feasibility study for the Incheon Line 2 extension are announced later than those for the Seoul Subway Line 5 extension and the Western Metropolitan Rapid Transit projects?both of which are also undergoing feasibility studies in the northwestern region of the Seoul metropolitan area?the Incheon Line 2 extension to Goyang may be disadvantaged in assessments of transportation demand and project feasibility.

An official from Goyang Special City stated, "This project is a key infrastructure that will connect the railway network in the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area and link major development projects such as Kintex, Janghang District, Jungsan District, as well as the Free Economic Zone, Ilsan Techno Valley, Goyang Video Valley, and K-Culture Valley. It is more than a simple expansion of the transportation network; it is a pivotal project for establishing a future industrial base and realizing a self-sufficient city."

The Incheon Line 2 extension to Goyang was included in the Fourth National Rail Network Construction Plan in July 2021 and was selected as a target project for the preliminary feasibility study by the Ministry of Economy and Finance in July 2023. If the project passes the feasibility study, the city plans to move forward in earnest with subsequent administrative procedures, including establishing the basic plan and design.

Mayor Lee Donghwan of Goyang stated, "The extension of Incheon Line 2 to Goyang is an essential condition for balanced development in the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area and for Goyang's transformation into a self-sufficient city. We will make every effort to ensure the project passes the feasibility study, working in close cooperation not only with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Gyeonggi Province, but also with neighboring local governments such as Incheon and Gimpo."