Ganghwa County Pursues New Direct M-Bus Service to Seoul Station... Targeting Arrival Within One Hour

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] Ganghwa County announced on the 3rd that it is pursuing the establishment of a new express M-bus route that directly connects Ganghwa to Seoul Station, marking an innovation in transportation infrastructure to enable residents to reach Seoul within one hour.

Currently, Route 3000 direct express bus is the only metropolitan bus service connecting Ganghwa County to Seoul. However, since this route passes through Gimpo City, it takes approximately two hours to reach Sinchon Station in Seoul, failing to meet the needs of residents seeking faster access to Seoul.

The M-bus under consideration will secure on-time performance by using the Gimpo Hangang Express Highway and minimize intermediate stops, with the goal of arriving at Seoul Station from Ganghwa within one hour. The route will have a total of 12 stops—5 in Ganghwa, 1 in Gimpo, and 6 in Seoul—less than half the 30 stops of the existing Route 3000.

With the introduction of the M-bus, travel time for Ganghwa County residents to Seoul will be reduced by 50 to 60 minutes or more. This will not only improve residential conditions and increase transportation satisfaction, but is also expected to invigorate local tourism and small business sectors through enhanced KTX connections via direct Seoul Station service.

The county is pursuing the M-bus establishment as a transportation pledge project of the 8th elected administration, and has made multiple visits to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Metropolitan Area Wide Transportation Committee, the National Assembly, and Incheon City to actively persuade stakeholders of the project's necessity and rationale. Since the beginning of this year, the county has visited Incheon City and the committee three times each. Additionally, it met with National Assembly member Bae Jun-young to discuss the matter, and on August 8, submitted an official proposal to Park Maeng-sung, chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Accordingly, in May, the county applied for M-bus establishment to the Ministry's Metropolitan Area Wide Transportation Committee through Incheon City, and review is currently underway. The final approval decision is scheduled to be announced in the latter half of this year, and the county plans to make every effort to ensure project success through close coordination with relevant agencies.

County Governor Park Yong-chul said, "The die has been cast for Ganghwa County's transportation innovation," adding, "The M-bus is a key project for improving residential conditions and addressing rural depopulation, and since it will bring significant changes to residents' lives and the regional economy, we will do our utmost to ensure its success."