Mayor Baek Kyunghyun: "No Retreat on GTX-B Galmae Station Stop for Citizens' Transportation Rights"

Guri City Holds Press Conference Urging "Policy Decision" for GTX-B Galmae Station Stop
"GTX-B Galmae Station Achieves B/C Ratio of 1.45... Ministry Must Make a Policy Decision"
"Not Just a New Station, but a Key Policy to Solve Metropolitan Transpo

Guri City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Kyunghyun) has strongly urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and private operators to make a decisive move to add a stop for the GTX-B line at Galmae Station in the Seoul metropolitan area express railway network.

On the 29th, Baek Kyunghyun, mayor of Guri City, held a press conference at the city hall and stated, "The stop of GTX-B at Galmae Station is not simply a matter of establishing a new station but an urgent issue concerning the transportation survival rights of over 60,000 citizens in the Galmae area." Provided by Guri City

On December 29, Mayor Baek Kyunghyun of Guri City held a press conference at city hall and stated, "The stopping of GTX-B at Galmae Station is not simply a matter of establishing a new station but an urgent issue concerning the transportation survival rights of over 60,000 citizens in the Galmae area."

Mayor Baek emphasized, "We must correct the unreasonable situation in which citizens of the Galmae District and the Galmae Station Area District, scheduled for completion in 2027, are forced to endure only environmental damages such as noise and vibration."

Since October 2022, the 8th popularly elected administration of Guri City has repeatedly raised the necessity of a stop at Galmae Station through multiple consultations with relevant bodies, including the Minister and Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the GTX Promotion Team, the National Railroad Authority, the Metropolitan Transport Commission, and private operators.

In particular, during the public briefings and hearings for the GTX-B environmental impact assessment held from 2023 to early 2024, members of the National Assembly, provincial and city councilors, and residents all voiced a unified demand for an additional stop at Galmae Station.

Furthermore, in 2024, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dongyeon visited the site and expressed his active support. The issue was also included in National Assembly member Yoon Hojoong's campaign pledge during the 2024 general election and in President Lee Jaemyung's regional pledge for 2025.

In response, the city launched a preliminary feasibility study for the GTX-B Galmae Station stop in March 2024 and submitted the result to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in June of the same year, showing a benefit-cost (B/C) ratio of 1.57 based on the shared platform method.

Subsequently, in the feasibility verification study conducted by the National Railroad Authority in December, the shared platform method also showed a B/C ratio of 1.45, confirming sufficient economic feasibility and no technical issues regarding average speed, train operations, or signaling systems. In contrast, the separated platform method was found to have insufficient economic feasibility, with a B/C ratio of 0.83.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently stated that, at this time, it is difficult to approve the stop and that a future review would be necessary, citing the 1.5 km distance between Galmae and Byeollae stations falling short of the minimum station spacing in operational guidelines, as well as the private operator's opinion against the shared platform method.

In response, the city pointed out that it is not only bearing approximately 40 billion won in construction cost sharing for GTX-B, but also enduring noise and vibration damage caused by trains passing through without stopping. The city also expressed concern that, after the opening of GTX-B, the redeployment of the Gyeongchun Line shuttle trains could increase train intervals, leading to a deterioration in transportation services.

Mayor Baek stated, "The separate development of the Galmae Public Housing District and the Galmae Station Area Public Housing District has resulted in a structural limitation where no metropolitan transportation improvement plan has been established, causing harm to citizens. This provides sufficient grounds for an exception to the minimum station spacing requirement."

On the 29th, Baek Kyunghyun, mayor of Guri City, held a press conference at the city hall and stated, "The stopping of GTX-B at Galmae Station is not simply an issue of establishing a new station but an urgent matter concerning the transportation survival rights of over 60,000 citizens in the Galmae area." Photo by Guri City

The city officially called for: ▲ recognizing the stop at Galmae Station as an exception under the metropolitan railway project operational guidelines; and ▲ active cooperation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and private operators, as Guri City is willing to bear the costs and losses associated with the stop.

Mayor Baek Kyunghyun stated, "I will not give up and will continue to respond until the stop at Galmae Station on the GTX-B line is confirmed in the New Year of 2026." He reiterated, "The issue of the GTX-B Galmae Station stop is not about political parties or interests, but about resolving transportation inconveniences for the citizens of Guri. Only when politicians from all parties unite in a bipartisan effort will a solution be possible," emphasizing the need for cross-party cooperation.