Uijeongbu, a city in Gyeonggi Province, is making an all-out effort to extend Seoul's Subway Line 8. The project goes beyond a simple line extension, as it could lead to the completion of the metropolitan area's northeastern regional transportation system.
According to the city on Tuesday, Uijeongbu Vice Mayor Kang Hyun-seok visited the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) the previous day to explain the need for the Line 8 Uijeongbu extension project and to request its inclusion in the "5th Metropolitan Transport Implementation Plan."
The Line 8 Uijeongbu extension is a regional railway project connecting the line from Byeollae Byeolgaram Station in Namyangju to Uijeongbu Station. Five new stations will be built: Cheonghak, Gosan, Millak, Eoryong, and Uijeongbu.
The core of the project is "connectivity." If the project moves forward, it will link up with existing rail networks, including the Great Train Express (GTX)-C Line, Subway Line 1, the Uijeongbu Light Rail Transit, and the Suburban Line. In particular, the Uijeongbu-Namyangju section, the last severed segment of the metropolitan circular rail network, will be connected.
It is the "final piece of the puzzle" that will improve the operational efficiency of the national railway network while completing the metropolitan circular rail network.
Behind the project lies the issue of transportation isolation in the eastern living zone. The Millak and Gosan districts are new towns developed under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's large-scale public housing supply policy. However, they have been left out of rail transportation, and residents have long suffered inconvenience. In addition, once development of the Yonghyeon public housing district begins in earnest, the population and transportation demand in the eastern living zone are expected to grow further.
The city has continued to carry out preliminary feasibility studies on rail network efficiency measures, expert consultations, and discussions with relevant agencies. This visit to KOTI is also part of a strategic response aimed at inclusion in the 5th Metropolitan Transport Implementation Plan. Going forward, the city plans to concentrate its administrative efforts on getting the project included in the national plan, in cooperation with relevant agencies such as Namyangju.
"The eastern living zone of Uijeongbu continues to lack rail accessibility despite ongoing urban development, and residents continue to experience inconvenience," Kang said. "The Line 8 Uijeongbu extension is a key project that will resolve a longstanding wish of residents and complete the northeastern metropolitan regional transportation system, so we will do our utmost to the end to ensure it is included in the 5th Metropolitan Transport Implementation Plan."
