The extension of Seoul's Line 3 to the Hanam City Hall in Gyeonggi Province as part of the "Songpa-Hanam Line metropolitan railway" project is expected to gain momentum. The Metropolitan Transport Committee (MTC) announced on the 21st that it would approve the basic plan for the Songpa-Hanam Line on the 22nd.
The Songpa-Hanam Line is an extension of approximately 11.7 km from the current terminus at Ogeum Station on Line 3 to Hanam City Hall Station (transfer to Line 5). The total project cost is 1.8356 trillion won, with completion targeted for 2032. The extended line will include six stations, spanning Seoul's Songpa District's Bangi-dong and Gyeonggi Province's Hanam's Gamil and Gyo-san districts.
This project is being pushed as a key measure for improving metropolitan transport in the Hanam Gyo-san area, which is part of the third phase new town. Once completed, public transportation linking central Seoul and the Gyo-san area will be significantly enhanced. In particular, the travel time between Hanam Gyo-san and the Seocho Express Bus Terminal, which currently takes over 70 minutes by bus, is expected to be reduced to around 40 minutes when using the train.
The same electric trains currently used on Line 3 will be deployed for operations. After the opening, there are expectations for a reduction in road traffic volume, as Hanam City will no longer rely heavily on Misadaero and Olympic-daero.
Kim Su-sang, the MTC chairman, noted, "The approval of the basic plan for the Songpa-Hanam Line, following the Goyang-Eunpyeong Line and the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju Line, has marked the full-scale commencement of the metropolitan transportation facility construction for the third phase new town." He added, "The MTC will actively support the project to ensure its timely completion by 2032 and will also strive to secure integrated transport networks to minimize the transportation inconveniences for new town residents."