[Suwon Ilbo=Eom In-yong Reporter] Guri City has reiterated the necessity of adding a stop at Galmaae Station on the Metropolitan Express Railway (GTX)-B line and urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and private operators to make a policy decision.
Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun held a press conference on the 29th, stating, "The GTX-B Galmaae Station stop is not simply a matter of an additional stop, but a transportation survival rights issue for approximately 60,000 citizens in the Galmaae area," and emphasized, "The unreasonable situation where citizens of Galmaae District and Galmaae Station Area Development District, expected to be completed in 2027, endure only environmental damage such as noise and vibration, must be corrected."
Guri City's eighth popular election administration has continuously raised the necessity of Galmaae Station stop through multiple consultations with relevant agencies including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport minister, vice minister, GTX promotion team, Korea Railroad Corporation, Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Commission, and private operators since October 2022.
In particular, during GTX-B environmental impact assessment resident briefings and public hearings conducted from 2023 to early 2024, members of the National Assembly, provincial and municipal council members, and residents unanimously demanded the addition of Galmaae Station stop.
Additionally, in 2024, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon visited the site and expressed strong cooperation, and the matter was included in National Assembly member Yoon Ho-jung's campaign promises in the 2024 general election and President Lee Jae-myung's regional pledges in 2025.
Accordingly, the city commenced a preliminary feasibility study for GTX-B Galmaae Station stop in March last year and submitted the result of 'benefit-cost ratio (B/C) 1.57 based on shared platform method' to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in June of the same year.
Subsequently, in the Korea Railroad Corporation's feasibility verification study conducted in December, it was confirmed that the shared platform method has sufficient economic viability with a B/C of 1.45, and there are no technical issues regarding average speed maintenance, train operation, and signal systems.
In contrast, the separated platform method was analyzed to have insufficient economic viability with a B/C of 0.83.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently stated that "it is difficult at the current point and needs to be reviewed in the future," citing reasons that the distance between Galmaae Station and Byeolnae Station is 1.5km, falling short of the inter-station distance standard in administrative guidelines, and private operators' position of non-feasibility for shared platform method.
In response, the city pointed out, "While bearing approximately 4 billion won in GTX-B construction contributions, citizens are enduring noise and vibration damage from the train passing through without stopping, and there are concerns that transportation services will actually deteriorate when after GTX-B opens and Gyeongchun Line shuttle trains are relocated with increased intervals between departures."
Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun stated, "Structural limitations have arisen as Galmaae Public Housing District and Galmaae Station Area Public Housing District are developed separately without establishing metropolitan transit improvement measures, leading to citizen hardship," and added, "This is sufficient reason to apply an exception to the inter-station distance standard."
He continued, "In 2026, we will respond without giving up so that the GTX-B Galmaae Station stop can be confirmed," and reemphasized bipartisan cooperation, stating, "The GTX-B Galmaae Station stop is an issue to resolve transportation inconvenience for Guri citizens, transcending political parties and political advantages, and can only be resolved when the political circle of both ruling and opposition parties unite their efforts."
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