Geumcheon-gu joins relay challenge pushing for Sincheon–Haan–Doksan–Sillim rail line

Geumcheon-gu District Mayor Choi Ki-chan joined a relay challenge Wednesday calling for the Sincheon–Haan–Doksan–Sillim regional rail line to be included in the government's fifth national railway network construction plan.

The proposed line would run approximately 16.4 kilometers from Sincheon Station in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, through Haan-dong in Gwangmyeong and Doksan Station in Seoul's Geumcheon-gu, before terminating at Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu.

The east-west corridor is designed to strengthen rail connectivity between the southwestern Greater Seoul area — where rail infrastructure is comparatively lacking — and Seoul Metro Line 2.

The relay challenge has been under way since last month. A pan-civic promotion committee for the new line launched it voluntarily on Oct. 23, and Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seung-won became the second participant on Oct. 27, simultaneously nominating the heads of the three adjacent local governments — Seoul's Geumcheon-gu, Seoul's Gwanak-gu and Gyeonggi Province's Siheung — as the next participants.

Choi joined the campaign as part of Geumcheon-gu's broader push to build a more accessible east-west rail network and improve daily transit services for residents.

Geumcheon-gu has been working to have the line included in the fifth national railway network plan for some time. The district held a joint news conference in December last year to promote the southwestern Greater Seoul regional rail project, and in March this year delivered a formal petition to South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport urging that the project be included in the plan.

The district added that it will continue to raise public awareness of the need for the new line alongside local residents and will work with relevant local governments and agencies to see the project realized.

Geumcheon-gu is also calling for the swift advancement of a private-sector investment project — tentatively titled the "Southwestern Greater Seoul Regional Railway Private Investment Project" — that encompasses the Sincheon–Haan–Doksan–Sillim route. Private investment projects involve comparatively streamlined administrative procedures, which can accelerate project timelines.

"We will keep pushing for the Sincheon–Haan–Doksan–Sillim line to be reflected in the fifth national railway network plan, so we can ease the transportation inconvenience residents face and fill the gaps in our east-west rail network," Choi said. "We will pay close attention to ensuring that residents can enjoy the convenience of seamless travel starting right from their doorstep."