Subway line No. 9 won’t be opening on schedule

Just two days before the planned opening of subway line No. 9, the Seoul Metropolitan Government delayed operation due to technical issues related to a transportation card reader.

In an unusually abrupt announcement, the city said yesterday it will postpone operation of the subway line, which was originally scheduled to begin service tomorrow.

“We found some errors [with the automatic fare collection system] while we were testing the subway operation,” Lee In-keun, assistant mayor of infrastructure, said in a press briefing. “Some of the transportation cards available on the market didn’t properly work. There were errors in rating fares with these cards in terms of calculating transfer fares. Some fares were either over or undercharged.”

There were cases that some cards didn’t work when testers tried to exit the subway through the gates of an automatic fare collector, Lee added. “Some doors didn’t open when [testers] swiped their cards,” he said.

Of the 88 different types of transportation cards available, Lee said two didn’t work.

The Seoul city government announced on May 28 that it will begin operation from Gimpo International Airport Station to Sinnonhyeon Station, saying they had fixed remaining issues with the subway operation, which included the malfunction of a platform screen door and escalators that stopped abruptly.

The city has been testing the line since March 21. Starting on April 23, the city ran the subway based on its regular schedule.

“We offer deep apologies to the public that has waited a long time for the subway line No. 9 to open ... we will make sure to open the subway by July 31 at the latest,” said Lee Deok-su, second vice mayor for administrative affairs.

The 25.5-kilometer (15.8-mile) line links Nonhyeon-dong in southern Seoul and Gimpo in western Seoul, where Gimpo International Airport is located. The route will also pass through Dangsan, Yeouido, Noryangjin, Dongjak and the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal stations. An express train that takes 20 minutes to get from Sinnonhyeon to Gimpo airport will also run. Members of the public were puzzled and disappointed by the unexpected news. They criticized the city’s abrupt announcement.

“It’s frustrating,” said Yu Yong-su, a 27-year-old company worker. “I have long been looking forward to the opening of the new subway line because its express line will greatly save me time to get to work from my house. Now I have to wait another month. The city earlier had told the public that it would open tomorrow, and all of sudden they just up and delay it.”

“I’m concerned that there may be an accident,” added Jeong Hyeon-ju, a secretary who works for a lawmaker.

By Kim Mi-ju, Lee Hyun-taek [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]