Gimpo mayor, Yangcheon-gu chief sign joint petition to extend Seoul Subway Line 2 to Gimpo

Gimpo City has joined forces with Seoul's Yangcheon-gu to push for an extension of Seoul Subway Line 2's Sinjeong branch to Gimpo, as the city's bid to extend Line 5 has already cleared a preliminary feasibility study.

Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung and Yangcheon-gu District Mayor Lee Ki-jae signed a joint petition Monday calling for the Line 2 Sinjeong branch extension project to be included in the fifth Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transportation Implementation Plan.

The two local governments plan to submit the petition to the Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission, an agency under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The joint petition reflects a shared commitment by Gimpo and Yangcheon-gu to expand the rail network, ease transportation blind spots and address the traffic imbalance in the western Greater Seoul area.

Gimpo has faced worsening commuter congestion as its population continues to grow and more residents commute to Seoul, making additional rail connections to the city center increasingly urgent.

The city has signaled its determination on the issue since the start of the current administration, having previously delivered a residents' petition calling for the Sinjeong branch extension to the Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission.

"Extending Seoul Subway Line 2's Sinjeong branch to Gimpo is a key project that will dramatically improve residents' access to central Seoul and dramatically transform traffic flow in the western metropolitan area," Mayor Lee said.

He added that the city would devote all available administrative resources to ensuring the project is included in the fifth Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transportation Implementation Plan, working in close coordination with Yangcheon-gu and relevant agencies.