The government will establish a collaborative system with local governments such as Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi to accelerate the undergrounding of railways in the metropolitan area.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched the 'Metropolitan Railway Underground Master Plan Task Force (TF)' on the 7th at the Seoul Press Center and announced that a consultative body to discuss the plans for the undergrounding of metropolitan railway lines would be fully operational.
The TF was established to resolve technical challenges that arise in the process of promoting the undergrounding of the metropolitan railway and to coordinate the interests quickly. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi will participate, and in the future, basic local governments and railway-related public institutions are expected to cooperate.
TF meetings will be held regularly on a biweekly basis, and additional discussions will take place as needed. A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official noted, "We will focus on discussing key issues at the initial stage to establish rapid promotion plans" and said, "We plan to build a collaborative model that includes all stakeholders."
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, major railway lines in the metropolitan area, such as the Gyeongbu Line, Gyeongin Line, and Gyeongwon Line, have trains operating in mutual connections and many sections branching from the ground, making it technically difficult to promote undergrounding. In particular, there are remaining issues, such as the transfer of the Guro, Cheongnyangni, and Imun vehicle maintenance depots in Seoul, which require further discussion.
Securing funding for the project is also a key issue. It is expected that the undergrounding of the metropolitan railway will require a tremendous budget of tens of trillions of won, and the funding distribution method between the government and local governments must be determined. Additionally, options to cross-subsidize the operational deficits of low-revenue lines will likely be explored.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is considering the possibility of undergrounding across the metropolitan area while prioritizing some sections. They plan to analyze various options, such as priority construction based on connected lines and step-by-step promotion through partitioning of construction tools, to develop the optimal project plan.
The launch of this TF is a follow-up to the plans for undergrounding metropolitan railways announced at the livelihood economy inspection meeting held on the 19th of last month, chaired by Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok. At that time, the government selected three areas—Busan, Daejeon, and Ansan in Gyeonggi—as the priority targets for the undergrounding project. They expressed the need for more careful consideration regarding the undergrounding in the metropolitan area.
Yoon Jin-hwan, head of the railway bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The metropolitan railway is the key section with the greatest economic and social ripple effects of undergrounding" and added, "We will gather wisdom together with local governments and experts to develop a speedy promotion plan."