Mayor Baek Kyunghyun: "Securing a GTX-B Stop at Galmae Station Is Crucial... The Wish of 60,000 Residents Must Be Fulfilled"

Mayor Baek Kyunghyeon Holds Meeting with Galmae New Town Association
Seeking Solutions for GTX-B Galmae Station Stop with Galmae Area Residents
Guri City: "We Will Mobilize All Administrative and Political Resources"
B/C Ratio of 1.45 Secur

Guri City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Kyunghyun) is focusing its administrative efforts on securing a stop at Galmae Station on the GTX-B line, a long-standing wish of residents in the Galmae area.

Exterior view of Guri City Hall. Provided by Guri City

Recently, Guri City held a meeting with local residents, including the Galmae New Town Association, to share the progress made so far and future strategies for adding a stop at Galmae Station on the GTX-B line. The meeting was organized to explain the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's position on the feasibility study results announced in December of last year and to address residents' concerns.

At the meeting, Mayor Baek Kyunghyun provided residents with a candid update on the current situation and reiterated the necessity of adding a stop.

Mayor Baek pointed out, "It is unreasonable for the GTX-B line to pass through Guri City without a stop," adding, "Our city is paying a contribution of about 40 billion won, yet we are only bearing environmental damages such as noise and vibration."

He further emphasized, "Adding a stop at Galmae Station is the top policy priority for resolving transportation inconvenience for the 60,000 residents of the Galmae area and is a matter of their right to transportation."

Going forward, Guri City plans to conduct a specialized academic study to thoroughly review concerns raised by private operators, such as potential fare losses, and to use these findings as a basis for reaching a final agreement with the private sector. In addition, the city will continue to urge the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to make an exception to its guidelines, citing the unique characteristics of the Galmae District and Galmae Station Area District, as well as the explosive increase in demand.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has also indicated that a reconsideration is possible if additional factors such as demand and transfer conditions are taken into account. Accordingly, the city has stated its intention to make every effort to secure a stop by 2026 through both policy advocacy and bipartisan cooperation with political circles.

Mayor Baek stated, "We will do everything administratively and politically possible to achieve results as soon as possible," and asked for the continued interest and support of residents.

Meanwhile, according to Guri City, the feasibility study conducted by the Korea National Railway showed that the benefit-cost ratio (B/C) for sharing the existing platform was 1.45. Generally, a B/C value of 1.0 or higher is considered economically viable, and no technical issues were found regarding train operations or signaling systems.