Residents of Songdo International City's zones 8 and 9 in the Incheon Free Economic Zone rallied Tuesday to demand that Incheon city government move forward with extending Incheon Metro Line 1 into their district.
The Songdo 5-dong Residents' Representative Federation, the Incheon Line 1 Songdo Extension Promotion Committee and the Songdo Zones 8 and 9 Development and Future Council held a rally on the lawn plaza of Incheon City Hall, urging the government and the city not to hide behind a preliminary feasibility study result to delay the project. They called for an immediate ground-breaking.
Residents said zones 8 and 9 have grown into a residential area of 20,406 households — including apartments already occupied and those with move-ins pending — with a population of about 60,000, yet the complete absence of a rail link has left commuters with severe transportation difficulties.
They said the project's viability should not be judged solely on registered population figures, particularly given large-scale tourism and commercial facilities in the area — including Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal and Golden Harbor — as well as a planned Therme resort.
A B/C ratio of 0.3 is the result of policy failure, not residents' fault
Residents said the cost-benefit ratio of 0.3 for the Line 1 extension reflects not a lack of intrinsic value in the project but the consequences of delayed development and slow transportation infrastructure supply.
"As development was delayed, transportation infrastructure was not put in place, and as a result, commercial activity and tourism were slow to take off, reducing ridership demand," they said. "Using the resulting low cost-benefit ratio as a reason not to proceed with the project is shifting the blame for policy failure onto residents."
They also said transportation infrastructure must be built proactively to drive urban growth, rather than waiting until the population has fully arrived. "Accessibility has to improve first — that is what revives tourism and commerce, and what raises the cost-benefit ratio," they said.
Songdo's development profits spent elsewhere while its residents go without transit
Residents said the enormous revenues generated by Songdo's development have been channeled into stabilizing Incheon's finances and redeveloping older parts of the city, while transportation infrastructure in zones 8 and 9 has been left out entirely.
"It is hard to accept that Incheon city has drawn on nearly 10 trillion won ($6.75 billion) in Songdo development revenues, yet says it cannot pursue a 400 billion won subway extension because of fiscal constraints and low cost-benefit figures," they said.
They added that Songdo residents do not oppose the development of older city districts, but said that if development profits have been used for the benefit of all of Incheon, the basic right to transportation of Songdo residents must also be guaranteed.
City should fund the project directly, as it did for Cheonghak Station
Residents cited the Cheonghak Station case, arguing that when Incheon city recognizes a policy need, it can commit its own fiscal resources to a project. They called for the same standard to be applied to the Songdo extension.
They said the city should not only work toward clearing the preliminary feasibility threshold but also actively consider funding the project entirely from its own budget if necessary.
Residents present four demands
At the rally, residents urged the government and Incheon city to take four steps: assess the development delays and infrastructure shortfalls that caused the low cost-benefit ratio together as contributing factors; reflect the future population of 60,000, the broader daily-use population and transportation deprivation in the preliminary feasibility study; include projected tourism demand from Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal, Golden Harbor and other future facilities in the project viability assessment; and commit city funds to advance the Incheon Metro Line 1 Songdo extension without delay, regardless of the feasibility study outcome.
"The demands of residents who have lived without transportation infrastructure for nearly a decade are not a special privilege — they are a legitimate right to transportation welfare," they said, vowing to continue their solidarity and action until transit access for Songdo zones 8 and 9 is secured.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
