Osan Mayor Gwak Sang-wook: "Full Steam Ahead for Tram Opening in 2027"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The 'Daedan Urban Railway (Tram) Project,' an eco-friendly transportation system connecting Suwon through Osan and Hwaseong cities, is set to be pursued in earnest following basic plan approval.

Osan City announced on the 26th that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Gyeonggi Province and Hwaseong City in February of last year, and through mutual cooperation and support in implementing related procedures for establishing the basic plan, Gyeonggi Province finalized the 'Daedan Urban Railway Basic Plan (draft)' and submitted it for approval to the Metropolitan Area Transit Committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 22nd.

Once the basic plan (draft) is approved and announced in the first half of 2021, it will proceed through phased procedures including basic and detailed design in 2022, and construction from 2023 to 2027, with a target opening date of 2027.

So far, Osan City made every effort to advance the Osan section connection through the working-level consultative meeting established for basic plan formulation, coordinating route consultations in connection with the Unamamttul Complex Development Project in the Osan section to ensure the Daedan urban railway project secures economic feasibility and enables tram project implementation.

Osan Mayor Gwak Sang-wook stated, "When the tram from Mangpo Station to Daedan Station to Osan Station is constructed in the future, it will establish an all-directions transportation infrastructure through connection and transfer with SRT, GTX-A line, Indeokwon line, and Bundang line, significantly improving Osan citizens' accessibility to Gangnam and Sadang areas and commuting convenience," and "We will work in partnership with related agencies to ensure the tram project proceeds promptly to secure eco-friendly transportation infrastructure."

The 'Daedan Urban Railway' is Gyeonggi Province's first new transit system being pursued as part of the Daedan New City 2 metropolitan traffic improvement plan, investing a total project cost of 977.3 billion won to introduce trams across two sections: Suwon Mangpo Station-Daedan Station-Osan Station and Byeongjeom Station-Daedan Station-Vehicle Base.