Incheon, Bucheon lawmakers urge government to include Gyeongin Line undergrounding in national rail blueprint

Five Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers representing Incheon — Heo Jong-sik and Noh Jong-myeon — and Bucheon — Kim Gi-pyo, Seo Yeong-seok and Lee Geon-tae — met with Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Second Vice Minister Hong Ji-seon on Wednesday at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to discuss plans for undergrounding the Gyeongin Line.

At the meeting, the lawmakers said the above-ground Gyeongin Line had "divided city centers for decades, causing serious inconvenience to local residents through noise, vibration and the severing of residential areas."

The five lawmakers urged the ministry to include in its comprehensive railway undergrounding plan a proposal to underground 17 stations along the 22.8-kilometer stretch between Incheon Station and Onsugok Station, and to pursue integrated development of the existing rail site and adjacent land.

"The Gyeongin Line is the core transportation artery of the western Greater Seoul area, and undergrounding the railway is essential for the innovative regeneration of old urban centers and improving residents' quality of life," the lawmakers said. "With Incheon and Bucheon joining forces for a coordinated response, the government must make a bold decision and move forward with urgency."

Vice Minister Hong said the Gyeongin Line project had a structural dimension requiring a connection through to the Oryudong section, because the Gyeongbu Line would be undergrounded beneath Guro Station. "We will actively reflect the views of the region and take good care of this," he added.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is currently drawing up a comprehensive railway undergrounding and integrated development plan — the blueprint for integrated development of railway sites nationwide — under a special act on railway undergrounding and railway site development. With the meeting strengthening political cooperation between Incheon and Bucheon, the Gyeongin Line undergrounding project is expected to gain further momentum.