Government to conduct full inspection of transport links for 3rd-generation new towns

As move-in dates for the third-generation new towns approach, growing public concern over traffic congestion has prompted the government to launch a comprehensive inspection of metropolitan transport improvement plans.

The Metropolitan Area Transport Commission under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Wednesday that it will visit project sites every one to two weeks through year-end, starting with Namyangju Wangsuk and extending to Hanam Gyosan, Goyang Changneung, Incheon Gyeyang and Bucheon Daejang, to monitor the progress of metropolitan transport networks. For projects at risk of delay, the commission said it will work with relevant agencies to find solutions.

Commission Chairman Kim Yong-seok is scheduled to visit the Namyangju Wangsuk public housing district Thursday afternoon. The Wangsuk district spans roughly 12.69 million square meters — about 4.4 times the size of Yeouido — across the Jinjeop, Jingeon and Toegyewon areas, and is a key hub in the northeastern Greater Seoul area where approximately 80,000 housing units are to be supplied. Timely development of a metropolitan transport network to accommodate the large-scale move-in is considered critical.

To improve access to Seoul and enhance residents' mobility, a range of rail and road improvements are under way in the district. These include extensions of Seoul Metro Line 9 (between Seoul's Gangdong, Hanam and Namyangju), Seoul Metro Line 8 (between Byeollae Station and Byeollae Byeolgaram Station, with a transfer connection to Seoul Metro Line 4), the construction of a new GTX-B Gyeongchun Line station, a new Han River bridge, and the widening of Provincial Road No. 383.

Kim plans to closely examine the progress and causes of delay for key projects, including the GTX-B station stop and the Han River bridge construction, and will also visit the bridge construction site.

Since 2024, the commission has designated projects facing delays due to stakeholder conflicts or permit setbacks as priority management targets, and has been operating a task force for the swift advancement of new town transport plans. In April, it added the construction of a new Gyeongui–Jungang Line station and a GTX-B Gyeongchun Line station in the Namyangju Wangsuk district to its priority management list to accelerate progress.

"Namyangju Wangsuk is a core project district in the third-generation new town program, with about 80,000 housing units to be supplied, so building metropolitan transport infrastructure on time to coincide with move-in is of the utmost importance," Kim said. "The commission will play an active coordinating role to ensure that relevant agencies work closely together to resolve delays for each project at an early stage and that transport plans are carried out without disruption."

Meanwhile, Incheon Gyeyang is set to be the first of the third-generation new towns to receive residents. A total of 1,285 units — 747 public pre-sale units in Block A2 and 538 newlywed housing units in Block A3 — are scheduled to begin move-in this December. Kim visited the Gyeyang district site in July and called for thorough preparations so that incoming residents would not face inconvenience, noting it would be the first of the third-generation new towns to open for move-in. Incheon city and project operator Korea Land and Housing Corp. are pursuing three transport measures: a new No. 7701 city bus route linking Jakjeon Station and Gyeyang Station, a new metropolitan express bus service toward Gangnam, and shuttle bus connections.