Suwon-Gosaek Section of Suwon-Incheon Line Gets 'Green Light'

The train depot (yard for train storage) relocation issue for the 2.2㎞ section of the Suwon-Incheon Line between Suwon and Gosaek stations is showing increased possibility of relocation near the Suwon Air Force base, suggesting that long-stalled construction work will begin. In particular, depending on the depot's location, decisions on whether the line will be elevated or underground will be made, and residents are increasingly calling to expedite the completion date, which has been delayed over 7 years compared to the original plan.

● Songdo-Oido Section Opens Early in 2009

The Suwon-Incheon Line double-track railway project, which began in 1995, requires a total project cost of 1.2705 trillion won. Of the six construction sections total, construction is underway on four sections excluding sections 2 and 3 up to Suwon-Hanyang University. The overall progress rate stands at 8.9%.

Recently, Incheon City announced that the 10㎞ section of the Suwon-Incheon Line between Songdo and Oido stations will open early, four years ahead of the original schedule, by the end of next year. The detailed design for the Oido-Incheon station section was already completed in 2004, and conditional approval for the implementation plan was received in late 2006, allowing full-scale construction to begin.

Furthermore, last year the Korea Railroad Corporation decided to construct the Cheongha district section (1.11㎞) in the Yeonsu-gu section as underground. For the Ansan section (4.94㎞), the corporation is preparing to conclude an agreement with Ansan City to excavate 2.72㎞ between Sadong and Bonno-dong at a depth of 2.64m for semi-underground construction. With Ansan City, which has been demanding underground construction, agreeing to bear the construction costs for this section, both parties have reached an agreement to pursue semi-underground construction at lower cost.

● Conflict Resolution Council Ineffective

The Suwon-Gosaek section, which is part of the final section (sections 1, 2, and 3) of the Hanyang University-Suwon station 19.9㎞ segment, is targeted for completion by the end of 2015. Currently, construction is only progressing on the underground section of Suwon station in section 1, showing a sluggish progress rate of 12%. Construction on this section has been delayed due to requests from nearby residents, including the Gosaek-dong Development Committee (Chairman Baek Seon-gi), for underground construction and train depot relocation.

In March last year, the 'Suwon-Incheon Line Conflict Resolution Council,' composed of the Korea Railroad Corporation, Suwon City, and the Ministry of National Defense, was established to discuss the underground construction and train depot relocation issues for this section. However, the council has only met once to exchange opinions. A Korea Railroad Corporation official stated, "The Ministry of National Defense and the station design team are conducting concrete consultations regarding the train depot relocation," and added, "We will hold another meeting after the implementation plan is released."

The official did not deny that consultations are proceeding with the depot relocation in mind and regarding whether the line will be elevated or underground. Considering the Korea Railroad Corporation's previous reluctance to undergroundize due to budget and technical concerns, this suggests a higher possibility of above-ground construction.

● Train Depot Relocation Issue Must Be Resolved This Year

Both the Korea Railroad Corporation and Suwon City believe that the train depot relocation discussion must be finalized this year to allow opening in 2015 as planned. Currently, consultations with the Ministry of National Defense are underway regarding relocation to an area near the Air Force base as an alternative site. Both sides assess that relocation would be possible if there are no issues such as height restrictions.

A Suwon City official stated, "The train depot relocation issue must be resolved in order to address the underground construction problem," and said, "While I cannot provide specific details, the underground or above-ground nature of the line will be determined depending on where the train depot is located."