Traffic disruptions are anticipated in the greater Seoul area this week as tens of thousands of unionized railway and subway workers are set to stage simultaneous strikes.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday announced a plan to bury 94 percent of the capital's above-ground railway sections underground to create an extensive green space on the reclaimed land.
President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to invest some 2.6 trillion won ($1.97 billion) to build a 47-kilometer highway comparable to Germany's Autobahn among other promises during a town hall meeting in South Jeolla on Thursday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Thursday to "open the era of the GTX in earnest starting this year," referring to the Great Train Express (GTX) high-speed railway system meant to boost connectivity between Seoul and its outskirts.
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.
The GTX-A line will first open up the line from Suseo Station in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, to Gyeonggi's Dongtan Station in March next year.
The union kicked off its first general strike in almost four years, which is expected to decrease passenger and freight service by up to 60 percent until it ends at 9 a.m. on Monday.
Trains for transporting cement are stationed at Obong Station in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday. The Korean Railway Workers' Union is set to go on a general strike from Thursday to Monday to demand 12-hour shifts by four teams.
After Seoul got through a metro strike that only lasted a day, Korean Railway Workers’ Union will go on a strike from 9 a.m. Friday.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction signed a 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) deal to build railroads in the Philippines.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap
