Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun met with Seoul Metropolitan Government Transportation Director Yeo Jang-gwon on Thursday morning and urged swift advancement of urban rail projects underway in Seoul, including the Nangok and Seobu lines.
After receiving updates on each urban rail project, Im said light rail is "essential infrastructure" for residents in transit-underserved areas who must walk or take a village bus 20 to 30 minutes before reaching a subway station. He singled out the Nangok Line, currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study, as one such case. "It is a long-cherished project that local residents have waited more than 20 years for," he said, calling on officials to actively work toward securing its approval.
Among the urban rail projects currently being advanced, the Myeongmok Line (Cheongnyangni to Sinnae) and the Wirye-Sinsa Line (Wirye new town to Sinsa Station) are in the basic planning stage, while the Nangok Line (Boramae Park Station to Nanhyang) is undergoing a preliminary feasibility study.
The Seobu Line (Seoul National University Station to Saejeol Station) is being reviewed on two parallel tracks: preparations to recruit a preferred private investment partner and an examination of a public financing option.
The Gangbuk Transverse Line (Mokdong Station to Cheongnyangni Station) and the Seonam Line (Magok Naru Station to Gasan Digital Complex Station, and Seobu Truck Terminal to Dangsan Station) are being pursued under the third urban rail network construction plan.
Im also pledged that the Seoul Metropolitan Council would actively cooperate on forming a special committee on urban rail and on securing approval of the third urban rail network construction plan — currently before the Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission — before the end of this year.
On July 10, Seoul announced the third urban rail network construction plan, which targets a network where residents can reach a subway line within 10 minutes from anywhere near their homes, and declared it would usher in a new era of transportation.
"Urban rail is the core of Seoul's balanced development," Im said. "Setting aside political interests, urban rail is the foundational infrastructure that guarantees residents' right to mobility closest to their daily lives, and an essential project that will raise quality of life. I ask that you keep a close watch so that the lines being pursued can get on track as soon as possible."
Im is scheduled to attend the third public hearing on Seoul's urban rail network construction plan on Wednesday at Seoul City Hall's Husaeng-dong building (fourth-floor auditorium), where he plans to call for smooth progress and hear opinions from experts and citizens.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
