Mayor Seungwon Park: “We Must Seize the Golden Time to Advance the Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line”

Mayor Park Urges Ministry of Land to Expedite Project
Easing Severe Traffic for 1.5 Million in Southwestern Greater Seoul
“Golden Time” for Gwangmyeong-Siheung 3rd New Town Transport Measures
Calls for Concurrent Private Investment... "Urgent to Resolve Congestion for 1.5 Million Residents"

Seungwon Park, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, has launched efforts to convince the government to expedite the “Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line,” considered a key metropolitan transportation route for southwestern Greater Seoul.

Mayor Seungwon Park on the 15th met with Deputy Minister Jiseon Hong of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the National Land Development Exhibition Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, and handed over a proposal to include the Sincheon~Haan~Sillim Line in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan and to simultaneously promote private investment methods to shorten the project duration. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

On July 15, at the Land Development Exhibition Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, Mayor Park met with Hong Jiseon, the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and officially proposed the inclusion of the Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan, as well as the concurrent use of a public-private partnership to shorten the project timeline.

This meeting followed discussions in March with Yoondeok Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It is particularly notable as it involved detailed conversations with the second vice minister, who oversees major social overhead capital (SOC) projects, regarding concrete implementation methods for the project.

Mayor Park stated, “The southwestern region of Greater Seoul is already facing severe traffic congestion. Missing the golden time to proceed with the Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line would be detrimental to resolving the inconveniences of the 1.5 million residents and ensuring the smooth development of the Gwangmyeong-Siheung 3rd New Town.”

He further requested, “It is essential that the project is included in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan so that it can move forward swiftly, and for active government-level support to make this possible.”

Mayor Park also proposed concurrently pursuing a public-private partnership method as a means of accelerating the project. He explained that by utilizing private investment alongside public funding, the private investment eligibility review could replace the standard preliminary feasibility study, which would reduce administrative procedures and advance the opening date of the line.

He added, “As large-scale development projects like the Gwangmyeong-Siheung 3rd New Town progress, transportation demand is expected to increase explosively. It is urgent to implement comprehensive metropolitan transport measures that can handle the growing traffic volume.”

On this day, Mayor Park also requested government support to address other local transportation issues in addition to the Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line.

The main proposals included: ▲establishing a stop for regular trains on the Wolgot-Pangyo Line at Hak On Station on the Sinansan Line, ▲early construction of four roads connecting Gwangmyeong-Siheung New Town to Seoul, and ▲accelerating the construction of the North-South Railway (Gwangmyeong-Siheung Line).

Hong Jiseon, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “We will closely examine, at working level, the integration of key Gwangmyeong City issues, including the inclusion of the Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line in the national railway network plan and the use of public-private partnership methods, ensuring that these efforts are linked to new town development and broader metropolitan transportation improvement plans.”

Meanwhile, the Sincheon-Haan-Shinlim Line is a metropolitan rail route running from Sincheon Station in Siheung, passing through Gwangmyeong-Siheung 3rd New Town and Haan-dong, and connecting to Doksan and Shinlim in Seoul. As it is regarded as a core transportation link that would greatly improve Seoul accessibility for residents in southwestern Greater Seoul, much attention is focused on whether it will be included in the upcoming national railway network construction plan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.