Yangcheon-gu and Gimpo Push to Extend Seoul Subway Line 2 Branch to Gimpo

Yangcheon-gu and Gimpo signed a joint petition Monday calling for the extension of Seoul Subway Line 2's Sinjeong branch to Gimpo to be included in the 5th Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transport Implementation Plan, and submitted the document to the Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transport Commission, the district announced.

The joint petition reflects both municipalities' shared goal of expanding rail transit to eliminate public transportation blind spots and improve transport welfare. Yangcheon-gu is seeking the creation of a new Sinwol Sageori Station in Sinwol-dong, which currently has no subway access, while Gimpo is pushing for the project to be listed as a new initiative under the 5th plan to ease public transit congestion.

The Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transport Implementation Plan is a statutory plan established every five years under the Special Act on the Management of Wide-Area Transport in Metropolitan Areas. Inclusion in the plan is a critical prerequisite for a rail project to advance to subsequent administrative stages, and the two municipalities used the joint petition to demonstrate their shared commitment and communicate the project's necessity.

The proposed extension would stretch the Sinjeong branch beyond its current terminus at Kkachisan Station, running through Sinwol Sageori and on to Gimpo. The route plan submitted to the commission also includes the relocation of the Sinjeong rolling stock depot to a site within Gimpo.

Sinwol-dong in Yangcheon-gu is the only neighborhood among Seoul's autonomous districts with no subway service, making the new station essential for improving residents' access to public transit and promoting balanced regional development. Gimpo, which shares a daily living zone with Seoul for commuting, education and other needs, also argues that expanding the rail network into central Seoul is necessary to ease transit congestion and improve mobility.

Yangcheon-gu has pursued the project in stages. After signing an MOU with Gimpo in 2024, the two sides conducted a joint preliminary feasibility study to identify the optimal route and submitted the findings to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. They have since briefed relevant agencies, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the commission, on the project's merits and have continued to press for its inclusion in the 5th plan.

If the project is included in the 5th Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transport Implementation Plan, it is expected to move into full development following subsequent administrative steps, including a preliminary feasibility review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Yangcheon-gu has made expanding its urban rail network one of the top priorities of the current district administration, positioning it as a proactive response to rising population and transport demand driven by large-scale redevelopment projects. To that end, the district has established a dedicated subway promotion task force directly under the district mayor to oversee rail initiatives, and plans to accelerate key projects — including the Seonam Line (formerly the Mokdong Line), the Gangbuk Cross Line and the Sinjeong branch extension to Gimpo — to improve rail access and overall transport conditions in the Sinwol and Sinjeong areas.

"The creation of Sinwol Sageori Station and the relocation of the Sinjeong depot through the extension of Line 2's Sinjeong branch are absolutely necessary to address Sinwol-dong's long-standing transit isolation," Yangcheon-gu District Mayor Lee Gi-jae said. "We will do everything we can to ensure the project is included in the 5th Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transport Implementation Plan and clears the preliminary feasibility review."