Lee Jae-myung: "Gyeongui Line as Stepping Stone for Northern Gyeonggi Province Balanced Development"...Full-Scale Reopening in 2024

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is joining hands with Goyang, Uijeongbu, Yangju, Korea Railroad Corporation, and Korean Railroad Corporation to push forward with business promotion in earnest for the 2024 opening of the 'Gyeongui Line,' which will serve as a foundation for enhanced railway transportation in northern Gyeonggi Province and balanced development of the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

Governor Lee Jae-myung signed an 'MOU for Gyeongui Line Operation Resumption' with this content on the 23rd at Gyeonggi Province Government Office with Goyang Mayor Lee Jae-jun, Uijeongbu Mayor Ahn Byeong-yong, Yangju Vice Mayor Kim Jong-seok, Korea Railroad Corporation President Kim Han-young, and Acting President Jung Wang-guk of Korean Railroad Corporation.

In accordance with the MOU, each agency pledged to faithfully fulfill its assigned role in ensuring timely resumption of operations of the 'Gyeongui Line,' which connects a total of 32.1 km section east-west from Neungkok in Goyang through Janghung in Yangju to Uijeongbu.

To this end, the province will provide inter-city coordination and administrative support, Goyang, Uijeongbu, and Yangju will bear the costs of stations and train operating losses and railroad vehicle safety inspection fees, Korea Railroad Corporation will handle facility improvements, and Korean Railroad Corporation will manage operations, respectively.

The project will be promoted based on 49.7 billion won in national funding by Korea Railroad Corporation, with feasibility design for aging railway facility improvement to be conducted from September this year through August 2022, followed by construction beginning in September next year and completion by the end of 2023.

The annual operating loss of 4.5 billion won, precision safety inspection fee of 10.3 billion won, and level crossing improvement fee of 1.3 billion won will be borne by the three cities in accordance with the principle of causer responsibility, while the province will support 3.1 billion won, equivalent to 30% of the precision safety inspection fee, to alleviate the financial burden of basic local governments.

Stations will be located at Uijeongbu, Songchu, Janghung, Ilyeong, Wol-leung, and Daegok—six in total. The vehicles will consist of three diesel rail cars (RDC) in one formation, operating 24 times on weekdays (Monday-Friday) and 16 times on weekends and holidays.

Governor Lee Jae-myung said on the day, "The Gyeongui Line will fully serve its role as the long-lacking transportation infrastructure for the northern region and, in the long term, will serve as one axis of Gyeonggi Province's circular railway." He added, "As railroad demand continues to increase, I hope the resumption of Gyeongui Line operations will become an opportunity to achieve expansion of infrastructure and urban development in northern Gyeonggi Province."

He continued, "I am grateful to the related agencies for reaching an agreement through smooth consultation with mutual concession and compromise for the resumption of operations," and added, "I hope that we will proceed with administrative work as quickly as possible going forward and resume train operations within a shorter time frame."

The Gyeongui Line, known as a train of nostalgia for the baby boomer generation, was initially established in August 1963 and has since contributed to economic revitalization in northern Gyeonggi Province through tourism, passenger, and freight transportation. However, operations were suspended in April 2004 due to low demand.

In response, the province signed an MOU with the three cities in September 2019 for Gyeongui Line electrification, and has since made various efforts to resume the Gyeongui Line, including issuing joint proposals, requesting reflection in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan, and signing timely opening agreements.

Subsequently, based on the results of a feasibility study on Gyeongui Line operation resumption conducted from March to December 2020, consultations were held with the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Railroad Corporation, Korean Railroad Corporation, and the three cities, establishing the basic direction for operation resumption through diesel rail cars.

In this context, 4 billion won in facility improvement costs were reflected in the 2021 national budget, and the province, in line with this, signed an MOU with the three cities in December last year for timely opening, and from January to July this year conducted multiple consultations with related agencies including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on design promotion and local government cost sharing, arriving at agreement on the business promotion plan.