Seven Seoul districts urge government to include Gyeongwon Line in underground railway plan

Seven Seoul districts through which the Gyeongwon Line passes — Yongsan-gu, Seongdong-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Dobong-gu and Nowon-gu — have joined forces to press the government to swiftly release a master plan for integrated railway undergrounding development and to include the Gyeongwon Line corridor in it.

The Gyeongwon Line Undergrounding Promotion Council, a consultative body representing the seven districts, announced a joint petition Wednesday at the Dongdaemun-gu District Office, formally requesting that the government include the Gyeongwon Line section between Yongsan Station and Dobongsan Station — including branch lines — among the routes designated for undergrounding. The council made the announcement public Saturday.

The Gyeongwon Line is a main railway corridor running from Yongsan Station in Seoul through Uijeongbu and Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province to Baengmagoji Station in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

Attendees included Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min, Dobong-gu District Mayor Kim Dong-wook, and deputy district mayors Kim Gwang-deok of Yongsan-gu, Ko Gwang-hyeon of Seongdong-gu, Jeong Sang-taek of Jungnang-gu, Choi Gyeong-ju of Seongbuk-gu and Shin Jong-woo of Nowon-gu.

The joint petition urges the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to stop delaying the release of its railway undergrounding master plan and calls for the Gyeongwon Line corridor — from Yongsan Station to Dobongsan Station, along with the Gyeongchun Line and Gyeongui-Jungang Line branches — to be given priority as a designated undergrounding route, citing the long-standing urban division and noise and vibration problems the area has endured.

The ministry had originally pledged to release the master plan, including the list of designated routes, by the end of last year, but has yet to disclose any specifics. Anxiety among local residents has grown as the announcement continues to be delayed despite the enactment in January 2024 of a special act on railway undergrounding and integrated development of railway sites.

The council said undergrounding the Gyeongwon Line represents the minimum residents deserve after years of sacrifice, and that developing the land above the tracks would serve as a key driver of local revitalization by bringing together jobs, residential space and cultural amenities. The districts plan to continue cooperating to address community division and improve living conditions.

Choi, who chairs the council, said undergrounding the Gyeongwon Line is "an urgent task that will lead balanced regional development," adding that he would "continue to work closely with the relevant local governments to ensure the Gyeongwon Line is ultimately designated as a target route in the master plan through the government's decisive action."