The opening of Seoul's Wirye Line tram could be pushed to next year. The tram construction work overlaps in both period and area with the Wirye District Neighborhood Park No. 15 project by the Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corporation (SH), making delays unavoidable. To open the tram within the year, the city sought to take over SH's park development work and unify it under the city, but the plan was halted over potential legal violations.
According to the Seoul city government on the 23rd, the "Wirye Line urban rail construction design change" agenda item received a hold decision at the first 2026 Contract Review Committee meeting on the 15th. The main point was to amend the design by adding the neighborhood park work to the city's ongoing tram construction service contract. The Contract Review Committee is a body that reviews and examines the entire process of construction projects of 7 billion won or more and service or goods contracts of 2 billion won or more promoted by the city or its affiliated agencies.
The Wirye Line tram is a streetcar running within Wirye New Town (5.4 kilometers). It was slated to open in Sep. last year, but the timeline was pushed to Dec. this year due to time needed for procedures such as traffic reviews. The city expects that if the neighborhood park development proceeds simultaneously, the tram opening could be delayed by up to about eight months. The neighborhood park project is part of the Wirye New Town housing site development project implemented by SH. The park will be created on land lot 71-10 in Geoyeo-dong with an area of 28,565 square meters, about four times the size of a soccer field (about 7,140 square meters). The construction period runs from Mar. to next Mar.
The issue is that both projects must proceed within the year, but the work zones for the park and the upper structure of the tram depot overlap. The overlapping area is 53% of the entire park. It is not feasible to develop the park after a time gap once the tram opens. The city argues that if the two projects proceed separately, not only the tram opening but also the park construction will inevitably face schedule extensions. The city estimates indirect expenses due to delays at about 2.4 billion won. It also notes concerns over quality degradation and defect disputes stemming from split safety management responsibility.
However, the committee questioned the city's rationale for the design change. The Wirye Line tram is being carried out as a turnkey project—an integrated design-and-build contract—and it said it is not possible to tack on the park development work, for which SH has already established the project plan and completed the design. It also raised concern that adding new cost items through a design change could increase the expense, because costs would be recalculated based on unit prices at the time of the change rather than at contract signing. The committee said it would reach a conclusion after prior consulting by the Board of Audit and Inspection. Prior consulting is a system in which the Board of Audit and Inspection provides guidance to agencies that find it difficult to make proactive administrative decisions due to unclear laws or regulations.
An official at the Urban Rail Division of the Seoul Urban Infrastructure Headquarters said, "This was a measure to streamline the construction, but since it did not pass review, it seems we will have to proceed as separate projects," adding, "Even if the park development is delayed a bit, we will do our best to open the tram within the promised period."