Seoul's line No. 8 to begin service to Gyeonggi's Byeollae Station from Saturday

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Seoul's line No. 8 to begin service to Gyeonggi's Byeollae Station from Saturday

Published: 08 Aug. 2024, 16:51

CHO JUNG-WOO
cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr

An exit of the Byeollae Station in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, is seen under constriction on July 11 ahead of the extension of subway line No. 8 to the station starting Saturday. [YONHAP]

Seoul’s subway line No. 8 will extend its service to Byeollae Station in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, starting Saturday.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, test runs along the new 12.9-kilometer (8-mile) stretch connecting Amsa Station in eastern Seoul on line No. 8 to Byeollae Station on the Gyeongchun Line were conducted from May 25 to June 23.

Construction for the extension, known as the Byeollae Line, began in September 2015 as part of a plan to improve transportation connectivity to the northeastern regions of the greater Seoul area, including Namyangju and Guri.

Subway line No. 8, which initially connected 14 stations from Moran Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, to Jamsil Station in Songpa District, southern Seoul, opened in November 1996. It was extended from Jamsil to Amsa Station in June 1999.

The upcoming extension adds six more stations, bringing the total number of stations on line No. 8 to 24 and increasing the line’s length to 30.6 kilometers.

Around 1.3 trillion won ($943 million) was spent on the project.

According to the city government, the commute from Jamsil Station to Byeollae Station will take about 27 minutes. The trip takes around 55 minutes by bus and 44 minutes by subway, requiring two transfers.

Nine subway operations will be added along with the route extension, ensuring that trains run every 4 minutes and 30 seconds during rush hours and every 8 minutes at other times. Each train, consisting of six cars, will carry up to 936 passengers.

The first train from Byeollae Station to Moran Station will depart at 5:32 a.m. on Saturday, and the first train from Amsa Station to Byeollae Station will depart at 5:28 a.m. the same day.

Two temporary subway cars will be deployed to manage anticipated crowds. Additionally, a new bus route passing near Amsa Station and other major stations like Cheonho Station in Gangdong District in eastern Seoul has been introduced to help alleviate congestion.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will establish a task force with the city governments of Seoul, Namyangju and Guri, as well as the Gyeonggi provincial government, to manage congestion and respond to emergencies.

The opening ceremony for the extension of subway line No. 8 will be held on Friday afternoon at Byeollae Station, attended by officials including Land Minister Park Sang-woo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon.

"The Byeollae Line is a long-awaited project that residents of Namyangju and Guri in Gyeonggi have been waiting for over 10 years," said Land Minister Park.

"With the opening of the Byeollae Line, we expect commute times to be reduced by more than 20 minutes, significantly improving transportation convenience in the northeastern part of the greater Seoul area."

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]