Yeongjong district mayor urges government to include 4 rail projects in national plan

Incheon's Yeongjong-gu is pushing hard to have four priority rail projects included in the government's top-level national railway plan.

Yeongjong District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong met Tuesday with the head of the railway policy division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the National Assembly building, delivering an official petition outlining the case for including the four rail lines.

The petition was timed to coincide with the public comment period ahead of the ministry's drafting of the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan.

The four lines Yeongjong-gu is urging the government to prioritize are the GTX-D Y-branch line, the GTX-E line, a KTX extension to Incheon International Airport, and a second airport rail link.

The district expects that the GTX-D Y-branch and GTX-E lines would sharply cut travel times to southern Seoul's Gangnam area and the northern Greater Seoul area, effectively bringing Yeongjong into a "30-minute commuter zone" within the capital region.

The KTX airport extension, meanwhile, is seen as a key driver of national competitiveness — offering direct, transfer-free rail access from major cities across the country to the airport, which would benefit domestic logistics and the aviation industry.

The second airport rail link, which would connect Incheon International Airport, Yeongjong Haneul City, Incheon Station and Seoul, is described by the district as an essential alternative route that would eliminate the risk of the airport being cut off from the mainland in an emergency, given its current dependence on a single rail line.

Yeongjong-gu has been pressing Incheon city and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to include the lines, a campaign that included a formal statement by Son in August.

"The rail network we are proposing is core infrastructure that will not only serve Yeongjong but also strengthen Incheon Airport's global standing and drive a national resurgence," Son said. "We urge the government to make a forward-looking and rational decision so that Yeongjong can fulfill its role as a new engine of growth for South Korea."