Korean Railroad Corporation to Transform Suwon Station into KTX Hub by 2015

The Korean Railroad Corporation has decided to pursue a project to transform Suwon Station into a KTX hub station, positioning Suwon Station to serve not only as a KTX departure point but also as a key transportation junction for the southern Gyeonggi region, including Incheon.

According to the office of Saenuri Party Congressman Nam Kyung-pil, Chung Chang-young, president of the Railroad Corporation, stated during a meeting with Congressman Nam Kyung-pil (Paldal District) at the Railroad Corporation on the 2nd to discuss KTX matters: "We have decided to upgrade the Suwon to Pyeongtaek section of the Gyeongbu Line to high-speed rail and make Suwon Station a KTX hub station rather than a passing station."

A hub station is a station where related transportation means converge and serves as an axis for connections, departures, and arrivals to various regions—a concept with expanded functions and scale compared to the KTX departure station that Congressman Nam had requested from the Railroad Corporation.

President Chung explained the necessity of making Suwon Station a KTX hub, stating: "From the Railroad Corporation's perspective, southern Gyeonggi is a significant market that cannot be ignored. We must also prepare for the integration of Incheon demand into Suwon Station once the Suin Line is opened."

President Chung emphasized that the accessibility of the Shinbundang Line and the extension of the Bundang Line, as well as subway lines such as Ansan~Geumjeong and Geumjeong~Gwacheon, which are set to open soon, also support the necessity of transforming Suwon Station into a KTX hub.

President Chung disclosed the implementation schedule, stating: "This April, we will begin a preliminary feasibility study on the Gyeongbu Line Suwon section acceleration and KTX connection construction between Seo서 and Pyeongtaek. By the end of the year, we will secure the budget for detailed design, complete the design in the first half of next year, begin construction in the second half, and completion is possible by 2015."

In response, Congressman Nam stated: "I will do my part to ensure there are no delays in the Railroad Corporation's budget allocation for the Gyeongbu Line Suwon section acceleration project."

The Railroad Corporation anticipates that the Gyeongbu Line Suwon section acceleration project will require a total of 280 billion won, including the "Gyeongbu Line (Seojeongni)~Metropolitan Express Railway (Jije Station) section connection construction" and "Suwon~Pyeongtaek existing Gyeongbu Line remodeling."