One part of Seoul will see trams again after 57 years

Social Affairs

Published: 28 Nov. 2022, 15:38 Updated: 28 Nov. 2022, 18:14

One part of Seoul will see trams again after 57 years

A rendering of a Wirye Line tram stop [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Trams will run again in Seoul for the first time in 57 years.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Ministry of Transport’s Metropolitan Transport Commission approved the Wirye Line Urban Railway Construction Project Plan on Monday, giving a green light for construction to begin around Dec. 5.

Service is supposed to start in September 2025.

The Wirye tram line is designed to make connections to the Wirye New Town residential area of southeast Seoul, which lacks access to public transport.

The tram line will be 5.4 kilometers long, connecting Macheon Station (Seoul Metro Line 5) to Bokjeong Station (Line 8 and Suin-Bundang Line) in Songpa District, southern Seoul, and Namwirye Station (Line 8) in the neighboring city of Seongnam in Gyeonggi. It will have a total of 12 tram stops, including three transfer stations.

The project will cost 261.4 billion won ($194.94 million), the city government said.

Seoul's original tram opened in May 1899 connecting Seodaemun, Jongno, and Cheongnyangni, but was ended in November 1968.

The ten trams will have five modules or cars. They will run every five minutes during rush hour and every 10 minutes at other times.

The trams will have extremely low floors to improve accessibility for the elderly or the disabled. Batteries on the roof will power them. Electric wires will not be needed to supply electricity, the city government explained.

The garage for the trams will be underground with a park on the surface.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]