Plans to bury downtown railways underground gather steam

Social Affairs

Published: 15 Jan. 2024, 17:40

Plans to bury downtown railways underground gather steam

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, looks around the cockpit of the GTX-A in Dongtan Station, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 6, 2023. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Nine railways in Korea may get buried underground in the coming years.

Multiple sources told the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitted its plans to bury major railways in downtown areas to the presidential office.

A total of 62 trillion won ($47 billion) will be spent to bury 188.8 kilometers (117 miles) of nine railroads nationwide, including lines passing through five regions in the greater Seoul area, according to a document obtained by the newspaper, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Burying railroads in major downtown areas was one of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s pledges during his election campaign in 2022.

According to the latest plan, the government will invest 18.8 trillion won to bury 32 kilometers of railway between Seoul Station in downtown Seoul and Dangjeong Station in Gunpo, Gyeonggi. It will spend another 6 trillion won to bury 27 kilometers of railway between Guro Station in western Seoul and Incheon Station and 5.9 trillion won to bury 13.5 kilometers between Cheongnyangni in eastern Seoul and Dobong Mountain.

The plan includes a 5.4-kilometer railroad between Seoul Station and Susaek Station and a 12.8-kilometer stretch between Yongsan and Cheongnyangni. The document also recommends burying stretches of the Gyeongbu Line and Honam Line that pass through downtown Daejeon.

“Around 10.2 trillion won is expected to be used to bury underground 24 kilometers of railroad in downtown Daejeon,” a People Power Party (PPP) source told the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity. Railways operating in downtown Busan, Daegu and Gwangju are also under consideration.

According to an official from the central government, the project's cost will be covered by profits from the development of land around railroads and their neighboring areas.

“President Yoon’s order to initiate the project goes beyond the simple idea of burying railroads underground but comes under the bigger picture of raising land-use efficiencies,” an official at the presidential office said, adding that the presidential official is keenly considering the plan and will make an official announcement afterward.

President Yoon Suk Yeol sits at the cockpit of GTX-A in Dongtan Station, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi on Nov. 6, 2023. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

When Yoon ran for president in January 2022, he blamed railways that sever downtown areas for causing underdevelopment and disconnecting cities.

Multiple sources from the PPP said that if the plan goes ahead, the Land Ministry will complete the final list of railways for the project by the end of next year. Specific plans for each railroad will be drawn up by early 2026.

“We will consider the nine routes as well as other railroads that local authorities propose for the burial project,” a source said, stressing that the projects in the greater Seoul area and other localities will be pushed and implemented simultaneously.

The plan comes with the general election just three months away, sparking suspicion that the PPP is pushing the plan to garner votes in the upcoming election.

However, sources from the PPP stressed that the project has bipartisan support.

Last Tuesday, a National Assembly plenary session passed a special law to develop railway land and bury lines underground, proposed by PPP lawmaker Kwon Young-se, garnering support from 257 of the 262 lawmakers in attendance.

Other transportation policies Yoon promised during his election campaign included extending the routes of Great Train Express (GTX)-A, B, and C, extending the GTX-D to Seoul, and opening the new GTX-E and F metro.

Yoon also called for alleviating traffic congestion on major highways, including the Gyeongbu and Gyeonggin highways, by creating a road 40 meters underground. The presidential office said these transportation policies would “speed up the creation of a new rail network by opening the GTX-E and F metro as well as the underground transformation of major roads.”

The Land Ministry said Monday it is still considering the list of railroads to bury underground, stressing that nothing specific has been decided yet.

BY HYUN IL-HOON, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]