'2020 is the Year of Suwon's Transportation Network Upgrade'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] 2020 is shaping up to be 'the year of transportation network upgrade' for Suwon City with improvements in railways and roads.

With the Shinbundang Line extension project confirmed, the Suinline Suwon section and the Suwon Outer Ring (Northern) Expressway connecting Imok-dong in Jangan-gu to Iui-dong in Yeongdeung-gu are slated to open, and the double-track railway 'Shinsuon Line' is entering the detailed design phase this year, accelerating various well-connected railway and road projects.

The metropolitan railway network construction plan gained momentum with the passage of the preliminary feasibility study for the Shinbundang Line Homaesilextension on the 15th. Once the Shinbundang Line extension opens, travel from Homaesil to Gangnam will take only 47 minutes. This cuts in half the approximately 100 minutes previously required by metropolitan bus. Construction is scheduled to begin as early as 2023.

The Suinline connecting Suwon Station and Incheon Songdo Station will open in August. The Suwon section (5.35km) will feature two stations in Gosaeq-dong and Omokcheon-dong. The Suinline Suwon section will be constructed underground, with the upper space reborn as a promenade and other public amenities. A 3km eco-friendly linear space featuring walking paths, bicycle roads, and forests will be created and opened to citizens. Once the Suinline connects with the Bundang Line, a southern metropolitan circular railway network centered on Suwon Station will be completed.

The 'Shinsuon Line,' a double-track railway connecting Indeokwon (Anyang), Uiwang, Suwon, and Dongtan, will undergo detailed design work this year. According to the basic plan, the Shinsuon Line will be constructed on a 37.1km section connecting Indeokwon, Uiwang, Suwon, and Dongtan, with 6 stations in the Suwon section (13.7km). Construction is slated to begin next year with an opening planned for 2026.

Once the Shinsuon Line, which traverses Suwon, opens, congestion during rush hours on Gyeongsu-daero is expected to be alleviated to some degree.

The GTX (Seoul Capital Area Commuter Line) C Line, which passed the preliminary feasibility study in 2018, is currently undergoing basic plan design. Once the GTX C Line opens, travel from Suwon Station to Samsung Station in Seoul will take 22 minutes, and to Uijeongbu about 40 minutes.

The 'direct KTX service from Suwon' project, which involves building a railway connecting Seojongni Station and Jije Station to make Suwon Station a KTX departure hub, will undergo detailed design work this year.

Suwon Station stands at the center of all ongoing metropolitan railway construction projects. Going forward, Suwon Station will provide access to KTX, GTX, Suinline, Bundang Line, and Line 1 national railway. It has been reborn as 'the transportation hub of southern Gyeonggi Province.'

Just eight years ago, there were only four railway stations within Suwon City: Sungkyunkwan University, Hwaseo, Suwon, and Seryoo (Line 1 national railway). With the successive openings of the Bundang Line and Shinbundang Line, the number of railway stations has continued to increase. Once the Suinline, Indeokwon Line, and the Shinbundang Line extension from Gwanggyo to Homaesil all open, the number of railway stations in Suwon City will grow to about 20.

The road network is also being expanded. The Suwon Outer Ring (Northern) Expressway with a total length of 7.7km connecting Imok-dong in Jangan-gu and Iui-dong in Yeongdeung-gu is scheduled to open in September. Approximately 45,000 vehicles per day are estimated to use the Suwon Outer Ring Expressway. When vehicles traveling between Imok-dong and the Gwanggyo and Sanghyun interchanges use the Suwon Outer Ring Road instead of moving via National Route 1, they can save approximately 30 minutes.

On the 15th, the elevated road at Gwonseon-gu Administrative Town intersection was temporarily opened. With the opening of the elevated road, vehicle congestion on the section from the Homaesil interchange to Suwon Station has noticeably decreased. The 940m elevated road is scheduled for completion by the end of February.

Additionally, plans are underway to develop 35 road opening and expansion projects throughout the year, including the opening of a road from Bulter in Ipbuk-dong to Gangnam Apartments (Geumgok-dong).

A city official stated, "We will spare no administrative support so that the Shinbundang Line extension project can be realized in the near future," and "We will activate public transportation centered on the metropolitan railway network to create a 'people-centered urban transportation system.'"