A plan to extend the Hongdaewon Line will be promoted in the Daejang District of Bucheon, the third new city. The Hongdaewon Line is a 16.3km long line connecting Sangam and Hongik University entrances through Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul from Wonjong, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do. It was included in the 3rd national rail network construction plan in 2016, but the project did not receive momentum due to problems such as business feasibility. However, there is a growing expectation that Hyundai E&C will take over this project by proposing to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. If the project is confirmed through the government’s private investment eligibility survey, transportation conditions in the western part of the metropolitan area, including Daejang District, are expected to improve significantly.
The area of Daejang District in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the extension of the Hongdaewon Line is being promoted. Hankyung DB
○ Hongdaewon Line, extended to Daejang District in Bucheon
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Bucheon City on the 4th, a consortium formed by Hyundai E&C such as Dohwa Engineering recently submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to construct the Hongdaewon line as a’BTO (profitable private investment) and BTL (rental private investment) hybrid model’ did.
This includes a plan to extend the Hongdaewon Line to the Daejang district of Bucheon. The project is to build a total of 17.8km, extending 1.5km to Daejang District from 16.3km of the existing Hongdaewon line. Build a new station in the Daejang district. An official from the construction industry said, “It seems that it is a judgment that the business feasibility is sufficient if the route is increased to the Daejang District, which will accommodate 20,000 households.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to introduce a 17.4km S (super)-BRT (arterial express bus system) route connecting the two districts and Gimpo Airport as the third new cities in Gyeyang and Bucheon, Incheon were announced in May 2019. Unlike conventional BRT, S-BRT is called’the subway on the road’ because it runs without receiving a traffic signal and stops only at the stop.
However, Bucheon City responded skeptically to S-BRT. This is because the transportation capacity is lower than that of the subway and it has not been verified. For this reason, Bucheon City has requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to “extend the Hongdaewon Line to Daejang District.” In the case of the extension of the Hongdaewon Line proposed by Hyundai E&C, an additional 1.5km extension from Wonjong Station to the Daejang District is expected to cost around 200 billion won. It is less than the project cost (360 billion won) for the 9.3km section of the S-BRT route to Bucheon Daejang District.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “We recently received a project proposal from Hyundai E&C.” After reviewing, we will apply for a private-funded eligibility review at the Korea Development Institute (KDI) Public Investment Management Center (PIMAC) sooner or later. The screening results are expected to come out early next year.
Inside and outside the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, if the Hongdaewon line is confirmed, it is expected to replace the S-BRT line in Daejang District. The railway industry predicts that if the construction of the Hongdaewon Line is commenced in 2022, it will be able to open in 2027-2028 considering the construction period (60 months).
○3rd New City Traffic Plan Final Stage
When it is decided to extend the Hongdaewon Line, the transportation plans of the five new cities in the 3rd phase enter the final stage. On the 29th of last month, the government confirmed measures to improve wide-area traffic in the Wangsuk district of Namyangju and the Changneung district of Goyang. In Wangsuk District, the extended section of Subway Line 9 passes through both Districts 1 and 2. In the Changneung area, the Goyang line and the metropolitan metropolitan express train (GTX)-A line will be newly established. In addition, the Gyosan district is being caught by extension of Line 3. Although there is no railroad route directly connected to Incheon Gyeyang District, it is expected to benefit from the extension of the Hongdaewon Line as it is connected to Daejang District.
However, it is unclear whether it will open at the scheduled time. This is because there are many cases of delayed railway projects due to protests from residents. The section between Seoul Central Veterans Hospital Station and Godeok Gangil District (4.12 km), which is a phase 4 project of Line 9, passed a preliminary feasibility study in 2018, but its opening is aimed at 2027.
Equity with the second new towns such as Gimpo Han River New Town is also a problem. Kim Deok-rye, head of the Housing Industry Research Institute’s Housing Policy Research Department, said, “The second new town is not yet equipped with a transportation network. If only the third new town is speeded up, the opposition of residents of the second new town may increase.”
Reporter Jinseok Choi/Hyungjin Jeon [email protected]