Suwon City Takes Note of Yongin Light Rail Project

As Suwon City pursues the introduction of a light rail system connecting the north and south of the region, Yongin City has drawn attention by unveiling trains for the 'Yongin Light Rail,' Korea's first light rail system.

On September 6th, Yongin City held a vehicle delivery ceremony at the Yongin Light Rail Co., Ltd. vehicle depot in Samga-dong and unveiled six train cars imported from Canada's Bombardier.

The light rail unveiled that day is the same model as trains operating at New York's JFK International Airport and is also in operation in Vancouver and Kuala Lumpur. Yongin Light Rail Co., Ltd. plans to bring in an additional 30 cars by June, following the initial vehicle delivery, and conduct system integration tests and trial operations for fully automated unmanned operation using advanced centralized control systems.

If the project proceeds as scheduled, by June next year, the Yongin Light Rail is expected to operate on a 18.4-kilometer section with 15 stations from Gugal Station, an extension of the Bundang Line, to Everland in Cheoin-gu.

When the Yongin Light Rail begins full operations next year, it is expected to have significant ripple effects on Suwon City. Currently, there is intense debate over whether to introduce the Suwon Light Rail, and public opinion may shift based on the impact of the Yongin Light Rail project.

Suwon City began publicizing the Suwon Light Rail introduction starting in March last year with the launch of a basic planning study for Suwon Urban Railway. The rationale is that introduction is necessary considering traffic demand in a major city approaching a population of 1.1 million.

The city plans to pursue the 18.75-kilometer (22 stations) Suwon Light Rail North-South Line connecting Seryue Station, Bus Terminal, City Hall, World Cup Stadium, Sports Complex, Jeongja and Cheoncheon District, and Seongdae Station as a private investment proposal project. Additionally, the city planned to conduct feasibility studies for the Suwon Light Rail East-West Line connecting Homaesil District, Gwonseon Administrative Town, Suwon Station, East Suwon Intersection, Court Intersection, and Woncheong Recreation Area.

However, questions have been raised about the light rail's feasibility given the project cost of approximately 1 trillion won (941.9 billion won) and profitability concerns. Additionally, public opinion calling for long-term postponement or abandonment of the project due to unconfirmed regional rail plans is gaining traction.

As a result, the city has decided not to pursue forced measures. It has put the basic planning study on hold, deciding to proceed with the light rail project while monitoring the progress of the '2020 Suwon City Master Plan (Amendment)' and the regional traffic improvement measures for Dongtan 2 District, which Gyeonggi Province is currently reviewing.

Beyond these reasons, the cautious stance is interpreted as the city's intention to analyze the performance of the Yongin Light Rail operations and observe public opinion trends accordingly.