Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy grants final approval to replace BRT with tram line

Gangseo Line connecting Daejeo, Eco Delta City and Myeongji set for completion in 2034

Eco Nubi Bus service to run alongside 5 billion won in transit subsidies over five years

An autonomous driving mobility launch ceremony held in March at the Eco Delta Smart City national pilot zone in Busan [Busan city government]
An autonomous driving mobility launch ceremony held in March at the Eco Delta Smart City national pilot zone in Busan [Busan city government]

Busan city government said Wednesday it received approval from the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy for a revised metropolitan transportation improvement plan for Eco Delta City in Gangseo-gu, aimed at upgrading the area's transit network in line with ongoing development and improving public transport access for residents.

A metropolitan transportation improvement plan is a legally mandated blueprint required under the Special Act on Metropolitan Transportation Management for any large-scale development exceeding 500,000 square meters. It sets out how to build a transport network capable of handling the surge in regional traffic demand that accompanies the creation of a major new town.

The city worked with Korea Water Resources Corporation, the developer behind the Eco Delta City project, to submit a proposed revision to the government last September. The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy completed its review by the Waterfront Zone Development Committee and granted final approval on Tuesday.

The revision scraps the bus rapid transit system included in the original 2014 plan as a new transit mode, replacing it with a tram line — the Gangseo Line — to connect Daejeo, Eco Delta City and Myeongji. The urban railway line stretches 21.1 kilometers with 25 stations and three depots, running from Daejeo Station on subway Line 3 through Eco Delta City and Myeongji International New Town to Myeongji Ocean City. The 6.6-kilometer tram segment within Eco Delta City is scheduled for completion in 2034.

The inclusion of the tram plan is expected not only to remove a long-standing obstacle to the urban railway project — which had been held up by the earlier BRT designation — but also to serve as a catalyst for a broader shift to new transit modes across western Busan.

Meanwhile, to ease public transport inconveniences for early Eco Delta City residents, the city introduced six Eco Nubi buses operating on two routes last October and plans to provide a total of 5 billion won ($3,250,000) in new public transit subsidies over five years through 2029. Road infrastructure, access facilities and the planned Eco Delta City Station will proceed under the existing project framework, with implementing agencies and other arrangements updated to reflect changed conditions.

Im Gyeong-mo, head of the city's Urban Innovation and Balanced Development Office, said the approval marks "the first step toward introducing the Gangseo Line tram as a new transit mode." He added that once the tram and the Eco Delta City stop on the Bujeon-Masan line are in place, "residents' transport inconveniences will be resolved and Eco Delta City will emerge as an advanced city of the future."


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com