The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 18th that it plans to build a dedicated high-speed rail line in the greater Seoul area (Susaek–Seoul–Yongsan–Gwangmyeong) as early as 2036. Until now, in central Seoul, KTX had to share tracks with conventional passenger trains, freight trains, and Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1, forcing a sharp reduction in operating speeds, but the opening of the dedicated line is expected to ease much of this bottleneck.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will finalize and announce on the 19th the master plan to build a dedicated high-speed rail line on the 24.5-kilometer Susaek–Gwangmyeong section. When the Susaek–Gwangmyeong high-speed line, with a total project cost of 323.3 billion won, is completed, the entire Gyeongbu High-Speed Railway will have a full dedicated-line system.
First, separating the operating routes of high-speed rail and conventional rail will improve travel time and punctuality. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) expects the Haengsin–Gwangmyeong section to be shortened by about 17 minutes 30 seconds, and the Seoul–Gwangmyeong section by about 9 minutes 15 seconds.
As the capacity of high-speed rail tracks increases, the number of train services will expand and headways will be reduced. The number of daily KTX services is expected to rise from the current 147 to 183. The maximum capacity will increase to around 238 services, but operations typically run at 80%–85% of capacity.
Kim Tae-byeong, director general for rail at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said, "When the Susaek–Gwangmyeong dedicated high-speed rail line is built, high-speed trains operating from Seoul and Yongsan will be able to run faster and more frequently," adding, "In conjunction with the Pyeongtaek–Osong high-speed rail capacity expansion project, we will proceed without delay so that people can use high-speed rail more conveniently."