Nowon-gu Completes Gyeongchun Forest Trail Extension, Linking Wolgye-dong to Hwarang-dae

Seoul's Nowon-gu completed construction of the Gyeongchun Forest Trail extension connecting Nokcheon Middle School in Wolgye-dong to the pedestrian overbridge at Gwangwoon University Station, fully opening the route to residents Monday.

The newly completed extension stretches approximately 870 meters and was built on idle railway land. Benches and flower plantings line the path to create a relaxed walking and rest environment. With this addition, the Gyeongchun Forest Trail — running from Wolgye-dong through Gongreung-dong to Hwarang-dae — is now complete as a single 6.8-kilometer green corridor.

At the far end of the extension, atop the Gyeongchun Railway Bridge, a waterside café modeled on an actual train — called Gyeongchunmaru — is set to open officially in July. It is the fourth waterside café in Nowon-gu, following Dumulmaru, Danghyeonmaru and Uimaru, and features a café space alongside a photo zone documenting the history of the Gyeongchun Line. Visitors can take in an open view of the Jungnang Stream and enjoy the railway bridge's musical fountain, and the venue is expected to become a new landmark for Wolgye-dong.

The extension also connects the Gyeongchun Forest Trail to the Gwangwoon University Station transit-oriented development area, a key future growth corridor for Nowon. The project was selected in 2023 for the Korea National Railway's "idle railway land utilization project" competition, completing a green axis that links the forest trail — previously cut off at Wolgye-dong — to the Gwangwoon University Station development project. Once that development is finished, the trail is expected to meet growing demand for pedestrian access and park use.

The Gyeongchun Forest Trail was created by converting the former Gyeongchun Line, decommissioned in 2010, into a linear park. Park development began in 2013, and a roughly 6-kilometer stretch was completed in 2017. The trail has been a beloved walking destination, preserving the atmosphere of the old railway by keeping the tracks and rail infrastructure largely intact.

Over the years, the district has developed a range of cultural and leisure hubs along the trail. At Hwarang-dae Railway Park, it added a train café, a European-style express train restaurant called Express Nowon, and a light garden, enhancing the park's identity as a railway culture destination. Around the railway in Gongreung-dong, distinctive cafés and dessert shops have clustered to form "Gongridan-gil," now recognized as a signature street in Seoul's northeastern area.

With this extension, new cultural and leisure facilities are taking shape near Wolgye-dong — including Gyeongchunmaru, the railway bridge's musical fountain and Gyeongchun Station Book & Coffee — positioning the western stretch of the trail as another destination in its own right. The trail, blending memories of the old railway with nature and culture, is now complete as Nowon's signature east-west leisure corridor.

The district is also accelerating improvements to the pedestrian environment around Wolgye-dong in connection with the Gwangwoon University Station development project. It recently completed canopy reinforcement work on the Gwangwoon University Station pedestrian overbridge to ensure safe and comfortable passage for residents.

The district will hold a completion ceremony along the Wolgye-dong extension Monday to celebrate the full connection of the Gyeongchun Forest Trail and the launch of the waterside café Gyeongchunmaru together with local residents.

"The Gyeongchun Forest Trail has grown from a space that held the memories of the old railway into Nowon's signature green corridor connecting culture, leisure and the city of the future," district mayor Oh Seung-rok said. "I hope it continues to become a premium forest trail where residents find new joy and rest with every step."