The government is reviewing a plan for a high-speed rail line that would cut through the underground of a redevelopment area in Seoul. The area is slated for apartment buildings up to 49 stories, but residents, including redevelopment association members, oppose the plan, saying it could raise safety issues such as ground subsidence. The high-speed rail would also pass under some elementary schools. The relevant district offices, including Dongjak District and Yeongdeungpo District, also voiced concern about a high-speed rail line running through densely populated residential areas and asked the government to change the route.
According to the maintenance and redevelopment industry on the 26th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has set a provisional route for the "Susaek–Gwangmyeong high-speed rail construction project" and is proceeding with procedures to gather residents' opinions, including a public hearing. The project will build a high-speed rail line connecting Susaek Station on the Gyeongui Line and Gwangmyeong Station on the Gyeongbu high-speed line, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has tentatively set a 24.525-kilometer route. The government plans to build a rail line with a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour, aiming to open in 2034.
However, redevelopment association members are pushing back because the government's designated route includes Noryangjin Redevelopment Promotion Zones 1 through 8 (Noryangjin New Town). Many association members oppose it, saying, "There is no precedent for a high-speed rail passing through a densely populated residential area. Why should only the Noryangjin New Town redevelopment suffer this kind of damage?"
The government's planned route passes through Zones 1, 5 and 8 in Noryangjin. Zone 1 has designated POSCO E&C as the builder and plans to create the 2,992-household Otierre Dongjak complex. Zone 5 will be developed by Daewoo E&C as the 740-household Summit The Tresia, and Zone 8 will be developed by DL E&C as the 987-household Acro River Sky.
At the public hearing on the 21st, one association member raised concerns about ground subsidence, saying, "They say a KTX-class high-speed rail at 250 kilometers per hour will pass under Zones 1, 5 and 8, but there has been no such case before." Another member said, "They said it is safe because the tunnel will be bored 80 to 100 meters underground, but to build parking garages and electrical facilities for high-rise apartments, you have to excavate down to 40 meters," arguing that "the gap between the apartment structures and the tunnel becomes extremely narrow."
Oh Su-young, head of road construction at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), who attended the public hearing that day, said, "Nothing has been decided. The basic plan route is not a finalized route and there are procedures to follow," adding, "After the basic plan route is announced, we do the basic design, and after the basic design, we do the detailed design." The point was that it is not a finalized route and opposing views will be taken into account.
The government's planned route also passes under Daebang Elementary School in Singil-dong, Yeongdeungpo District. It is also known to be adjacent to some apartment complexes formed as part of the Singil New Town. A Yeongdeungpo District official said, "Residents' backlash is intense."
Regarding a high-speed rail line cutting through densely populated residential areas, Dongjak District and neighboring Yeongdeungpo District also sent official letters to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) requesting a review of the route. In May, Yeongdeungpo District Chief Choi Ho-gwon met with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to ask for reconsideration.
Still, some believe there will be no major issues with the high-speed rail running beneath densely populated residential areas. Jeong Hyeok-sang, a professor in the Department of Railway Construction Safety Engineering at Dongyang University, said, "Just because it is high-speed rail does not mean it carries a greater risk of ground subsidence than ordinary subways, and the government likely chose the optimal route after comprehensively considering convenience for rail users, economic efficiency and safety," adding, "The government should put in place double and triple safety measures to dispel residents' anxiety."
There is no regulation requiring the route to be changed just because residents oppose it when the government sets a high-speed rail route. Under the National Land Planning and Utilization Act, among other laws, the project implementer (the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, metropolitan or provincial governors, etc.) draws up a project plan, announces and discloses it to hear residents' opinions, and may reflect those opinions in the plan if, after a feasibility review, they are deemed valid. Whether residents' opinions were reflected must be communicated.
Attorney Jeon Jin-won of Yulchon said, "Although the law requires the government to hear the opinions of residents with interests at stake, it does not require that those opinions be reflected."