Gwangmyeong City and Korean Railroad Corporation to Create Model Case of KTX Station Development Partnership

Gwangmyeong City and Korean Railroad Corporation (Korail) have agreed to devise special measures to invigorate KTX Gwangmyeong Station and actively implement them through mutual cooperation.

On the 22nd, Mayor Yang Gi-dae of Gwangmyeong City signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korail President Hong Soon-man at KTX Gwangmyeong Station to enhance user convenience and vitalize the station area.

The main agreements include △establishing a new direct express bus route between KTX Gwangmyeong Station and Sadang Station △constructing a parking tower at KTX Gwangmyeong Station △expedited installation of the in-progress urban airport terminal and joint efforts to attract duty-free shops △expanding railway networks connecting to KTX Gwangmyeong Station △developing KTX tourism products linked to Gwangmyeong Cave tourism resources.

◆Direct Express Bus Route Between KTX Gwangmyeong Station and Sadang Station to Enable Access to Gangnam Area within 20 Minutes via Public Transportation

-Construction of Parking Tower to Resolve Citizen Inconvenience by Expanding Insufficient Parking Facilities

With the opening of the Suwon-Gwangmyeong Expressway on April 29 and the partial opening of the Gangnam Loop Expressway on July 3, road accessibility to KTX Gwangmyeong Station, which serves more than 23,000 users daily on average, has been steadily improving.

However, there is a lack of public transportation connections linking Seoul's Gangnam area with KTX Gwangmyeong Station, making it urgent to improve user convenience through measures such as establishing a direct express bus route and securing additional parking facilities.

Accordingly, Gwangmyeong City and Korail have confirmed establishment of a circular direct express bus route between KTX Gwangmyeong Station and Sadang Station, and plan to take specific measures such as issuing limited operating licenses in the near future.

Gwangmyeong City expects that with the establishment of a direct express bus route between KTX Gwangmyeong Station and Sadang Station, access to Gangnam area from KTX Gwangmyeong Station will be possible within 20 minutes. This will not only shorten travel time for Gwangmyeong citizens to Seoul's urban areas but also facilitate use of KTX Gwangmyeong Station for Gangnam area residents, thereby greatly contributing to improved accessibility of the station area and regional economic revitalization.

Additionally, Gwangmyeong City and Korail have agreed to construct a parking tower at KTX Gwangmyeong Station and plan to discuss specific detailed plans for this.

◆Expedited Installation of Urban Airport Terminal

-Joint Efforts to Attract Duty-Free Shops and Expand Railway Networks Connecting to KTX Gwangmyeong Station for Regional Economic Revitalization

On June 28, Mayor Yang Gi-dae of Gwangmyeong City met with Korail President Hong Soon-man to have in-depth discussions on "measures to enhance user convenience at KTX Gwangmyeong Station and vitalize the station area," including expanded user convenience, expedited urban airport terminal installation, and joint efforts to attract duty-free shops, and subsequently signed an MOU to specifically implement these measures.

In this regard, President Jung Il-young of Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 20th when meeting Mayor Yang Gi-dae that "we plan to select an operator for the 'Gwangmyeong Station Urban Airport Terminal' in October and complete facility installation by the first half of 2017," and Gwangmyeong City and Korail plan to actively support this.

Previously, passengers traveling from provinces using the KTX Gyeongbu and Honam lines had to transfer through the urban airport terminal at Seoul Station to reach Incheon International Airport. However, using the KTX Gwangmyeong Station urban airport terminal will shorten travel time to Incheon International Airport by approximately 48 minutes from Busan Station on the Gyeongbu line and approximately 1 hour 8 minutes from Songjeong Station in Gwangju on the Honam line. This will not only increase users of KTX Gwangmyeong Station but also facilitate attraction of foreign tourists, greatly contributing to station area revitalization. It is expected that both domestic and international passenger and cargo transfer systems will undergo significant changes.

Additionally, there will be joint efforts to attract duty-free shops for both domestic and foreign tourists, and plans are underway to create a vibrant station area combining shopping and tourism by linking with existing shopping facilities such as Costco, IKEA, and Lotte Premium Outlets, as well as cultural tourism products of Gwangmyeong Cave.

Furthermore, the two parties agreed to make joint efforts to include various policy development projects including expansion of railway networks connecting to KTX Gwangmyeong Station, such as "establishing a new KTX route between KTX Gwangmyeong Station and Incheon International Airport" and "developing KTX Gwangmyeong Station as a departure station for the Eurasian continental railway."

Currently, Gwangmyeong City is developing KTX Gwangmyeong Station as a departure station for the Eurasian continental railway focused on advanced, first-class logistics and air cargo. The city has signed economic and friendly exchange agreements with Dandong and Hunchun in China, which are adjacent to Sinuiju in North Korea, in March and June respectively, and on September 8 signed an economic and friendly exchange agreement with Khasansky Autonomous Area in Russia, adjacent to Rajin in North Korea, implementing plans for the Eurasian continental railway departure station on a phased basis.

◆Development of KTX Tourism Products Linked to Gwangmyeong Cave Tourism Resources

In addition, the two parties agreed to cooperate in developing new KTX tourism products utilizing Korail's KTX train routes in connection with Gwangmyeong Cave's vast tourism resources, which has been visited by 1.24 million people as of September 20 of this year.

When new KTX tourism products linked to Gwangmyeong Cave are developed and operated utilizing existing KTX train routes, the KTX Gwangmyeong Station area will become a single tourism living sphere accessible for sightseeing from anywhere in the nation and establish its position as the nation's premier tourism theme park. This will not only generate direct economic benefits for the region but also greatly contribute to secondary economic revitalization such as increased employment and commercial activation for local residents.

Currently, Korail operates tourism trains including the Jungbu Inland Tourism Train, Namdo Marine Train, Bada Train, and Wine & Cinema Train, as well as free travel and various package travel products.

Mayor Yang Gi-dae of Gwangmyeong City said in his remarks, "With active cooperation from Korail, it is expected that significant changes will occur with public transportation access from KTX Gwangmyeong Station to Seoul's Gangnam area within 20 minutes." He added, "Once the direct express bus route is established and the urban airport terminal installation is completed, KTX Gwangmyeong Station will become Korea's premier KTX station in both name and reality, and the path will open to take one step further toward becoming a departure station for the Eurasian continental railway."

Meanwhile, a Korail official stated, "At a time when we are about to open Suseo Station, a private high-speed railway, we will make greater efforts in developing various policies to improve user convenience at KTX Gwangmyeong Station, which was the starting station of KTX high-speed railway, and to vitalize the station area."