Suwon-Handae Line Section Suwon~Handae Opens at Goesaek Station

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The opening ceremony for the third phase Suwon~Handae section of the Suwon-Incheon Line double-track railway was held on the 10th at Goesaek Station.

Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, and Assemblymember Baek Hye-ryeon (Suwon-gu Eul) attended.

The Suwon-Incheon Line, which begins operations on the 12th, is poised for a revival after 25 years. The narrow-gauge railway opened on March 1, 1937, and served as the "transportation of the common people" for 58 years before operations ceased on December 31, 1995.

The Suwon-Incheon Line double-track railway saw its Phase 1 Oido~Songdo section (13.1㎞) open in June 2012, and Phase 2 Songdo~Incheon section (7.3㎞) opened in February 2016.

With the opening of the Suwon~Handae section (19.9㎞), the entire line (52.8㎞) from Suwon Station to Incheon Station is now connected. The Ansan section shares existing urban railway tracks (12.5㎞).

The Suwon~Handae section includes five stations: Goesaek and Omokcheon stations (Suwon section), and Eocheon, Yamok, and Sari stations. The Suwon section is 5.35㎞. The Suwon-Incheon Line will operate six-car trains. With the opening, passengers can travel from Suwon Station to Incheon Station in 75 minutes without transfers.

Mayor Yeom Tae-young said, "When the KTX departing from Suwon, the GTX-C line, and the New Suwon Line open in the future, Suwon will have a railway network connecting east, west, south, and north, and the public transportation system will become much more convenient. On top of the Suwon section of the Suwon-Incheon Line, we will create spaces for citizens, including urban forests and 'participatory gardens' designed by citizens, bicycle paths, and walking trails."