Meeting of Four Mayors on Optimal Route for Seoul Line 3 Extension and Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway to Be Held on the 10th

[Suwon Ilbo=Ki-ho Choi, Reporter] Yongin Special City announced on the 8th that it plans to decide on an optimal route for the Seoul Metro Line 3 extension and Southern Gyeonggi metropolitan railway project that it has jointly pursued with Suwon, Seongnam, and Hwaseong cities through a meeting of mayors from the four cities on the 10th to increase the feasibility of the project.

The four cities including Yongin jointly commissioned the 'Seoul Metro Line 3 Extension and Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway Basic Concept and Preliminary Feasibility Study' last July, and will examine and determine a route plan that can enhance the economic viability and feasibility of the project.

Mayor Sang-il Lee of Yongin, Mayor Jae-jun Lee of Suwon, Mayor Sang-jin Shin of Seongnam, and Mayor Myeong-geun Jung of Hwaseong will meet at the Suwon Convention Center on the 10th in the afternoon to agree upon and select the optimal route plan, and plan to adopt a joint petition requesting that the project be reflected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 'Fifth National Railroad Network Construction Plan' for metropolitan railway projects to facilitate smooth implementation of the railway project.

The four cities, which have been working to extend Seoul Metro Line 3 to Southern Gyeonggi Province, commissioned a joint study to increase the feasibility of the metropolitan railway construction project, which is the citizens' aspiration, and plan to determine the best route plan based on the study results and submit it to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The mayors of the four cities met in December 2022 and agreed to make joint efforts for the Line 3 extension.

At that time, the mayors agreed to extend Seoul Metro Line 3 to Pangyo in Seongnam, Shinbong-dong and Seongbok-dong in Sujik-gu in Yongin, Gwanggyo in Suwon, and Hwaseong.

In 2019, during the seventh popularly elected administration, three cities—Yongin, Suwon, and Seongnam—pushed forward with the Line 3 extension, aiming to include it in the Fourth National Railroad Network Construction Plan (2021), and even commissioned a preliminary feasibility study, but the project fell through due to failure to secure the site for a vehicle depot. The mayors of the eighth popularly elected administration, which took office in July 2022, have revived the momentum of the project.

After taking office, Mayor Lee requested Mayor Myeong-geun Jung of Hwaseong to participate in the project in October 2022. When Hwaseong expressed its willingness to join, the mayors of the four cities met in December of the same year and resolved to jointly promote the project.

The mayors of the four cities including Mayor Lee signed the 'Cooperation and Mutual Benefit MOU for Joint Seoul Line 3 Extension and Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway Project' together with Governor Dong-yeon Kim of Gyeonggi Province in February 2023. Subsequently, in May of the same year, at Mayor Lee's initiative, the four mayors met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to explain the justification for pushing forward with the project to enhance transportation convenience for citizens in Southern Gyeonggi Province and the necessity for cooperation with Seoul City.

Mayor Lee has continuously recommended to the government to move up the timing of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Fifth National Railroad Network Construction Plan from the originally scheduled July 2026 to around July 2025, and his recommendation has been accepted.

At a press conference held ten days after taking office on July 1, 2022, Mayor Lee emphasized, "To more quickly expand the transportation infrastructure in Yongin and other regions, the timing of the establishment of the Fifth National Railroad Network Construction Plan should be moved up," and reiterated the same point when meeting with President Suk-yeol Yoon in October of the same year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport establishes the National Railroad Network Construction Plan in five-year units for efficient railroad construction. The Fifth Railroad Network Plan is scheduled to be determined next year, which is four years after the Fourth Plan. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport received applications for new high-speed and general railroad projects in February, including for the Gyeonggang Line extension route, and will receive recommendations for new metropolitan railway projects in May. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is known to hold an explanatory meeting for local government recommendations in June, go through a public hearing on the Fifth National Railroad Network Construction Plan (draft) in April 2025, and announce new projects and projects under further review around July next year.