Seongnam City Secures Approval for Four Railway Projects Including Line 8 Extension and Tram, Launching Transportation Innovation

Mayor Shin Sangjin: "Swift Implementation of Four Urban Railway Projects"
Extension of Subway Line 8, Pangyo?Opo Line, Tram Lines 1 and 2
Gyeonggi Urban Railway Network Construction Plan Receives Final Approval from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sangjin) announced on December 12 that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has given final approval and notification for the "2nd Gyeonggi-do Urban Railway Network Construction Plan (2026-2035)," which includes the extension of Subway Line 8 from Moran to Pangyo, the Pangyo-Opo railway project, and Seongnam Urban Railway (Tram) Lines 1 and 2.

Four urban railway lines in Seongnam City reflected in the Gyeonggi-do Urban Railway Network Construction Plan. Provided by Seongnam City

The city plans to use the inclusion in this plan as an opportunity to accelerate the transformation of the local transportation system and will promptly proceed with the subsequent steps.

The sections included in this plan have long suffered from persistent public transportation congestion and traffic jams, especially around Pangyo Techno Valley and Local Road No. 57. To structurally resolve these issues, Seongnam City requested in October 2021 that Gyeonggi Province include the following in the urban railway network plan: the extension of Subway Line 8 to Pangyo, the Pangyo-Opo railway project, Seongnam Urban Railway Line 1 (Tram), and Seongnam Urban Railway Line 2 (Tram). The city welcomed the acceptance of these requests.

There are a total of four Seongnam-related lines included in this plan. The previously included Subway Line 8 extension project (Moran Vehicle Depot to Pangyo Station, 3.94 km) remains, while the Pangyo-Opo railway project (Pangyo Station to Opo, 9.5 km) has been added as a new project. In addition, Seongnam Urban Railway Line 1 (Pangyo Station to Sangdaewon-dong, 9.9 km) and Line 2 (Main Line: Geumto-dong to Jeongja Station, 10.90 km; Branch Line: Unjung-dong to Baekhyeon-dong, 5.96 km) have been included with route adjustments from the previous plan.

Among the four railway projects included this time, the extension of Subway Line 8 from Moran to Pangyo will be submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in December as a candidate for the preliminary feasibility study. Once submitted, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will conduct the preliminary feasibility study. After passing this process, the Pangyo-Opo railway project will proceed with a preliminary feasibility service, initiating the full-scale implementation process.

Furthermore, Seongnam Urban Railway Lines 1 and 2 are trams to be installed above roadways. If the Road Traffic Act (regarding exclusive tram lanes), currently pending in the National Assembly, is not revised to allow mixed traffic, it will be inevitable to reduce the number of lanes, which could cause severe traffic congestion. Therefore, the revision of the Road Traffic Act is essential for the project to move forward.

To stably implement these large-scale railway projects, Seongnam City has also been focusing on securing funds, aiming to establish a railway fund of 300 billion won by 2026.

Mayor Shin Sangjin stated, "The four urban railway projects, including the extension of Subway Line 8 to Pangyo, are core infrastructure projects aligned with Seongnam City's 2035 Urban Transportation Master Plan. Since railway projects require lengthy procedures, we will prioritize and swiftly advance projects that can be implemented quickly, fundamentally resolving residents' long-standing wishes and chronic traffic congestion issues."

Seongnam City will continue to closely cooperate with related agencies such as Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to minimize project delays and gradually implement a comprehensive reorganization of the city's public transportation system.