A KTX-Eum train. [Korea Railroad Corporation]
A KTX-Eum train. [Korea Railroad Corporation]

A project to add a KTX-Eum stop at Sosa Station on the West Coast Line has cleared both economic and ridership thresholds, moving Bucheon's long-sought rail upgrade into its formal review phase.

The city announced Thursday that it submitted the results of a preliminary feasibility study to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on July 14, formally launching the administrative process.

The report found the project viable across all major evaluation categories, including economic feasibility, transportation demand and safety.

The study put the benefit-cost ratio at 1.24 — above the threshold of 1.0 that indicates project benefits outweigh costs — confirming that social and economic gains from reduced travel times and lower commuting costs would exceed the project's price tag.

Ridership projections also cleared the bar. Daily boardings at Sosa Station are forecast to reach 1,843 by 2031.

That figure would rank among the higher-performing stops on the current West Coast Line KTX-Eum route, surpassing projected ridership at both Daegok Station and Gimpo Airport Station.

The city also expects Sosa Station's role as a transfer hub where the Gyeongin Line and West Coast Line intersect to further boost passenger numbers.

The city has drawn up a facility improvement plan to meet the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's safety standards. It calls for extending the current 125-meter platform to 140.55 meters and installing multi-slide platform screen doors capable of accommodating train doors at varying positions.

The same system is already in operation at Gimpo Airport Station, Daegok Station and Choji Station.

The KTX-Eum is a semi-high-speed train running from Daegok Station in Goyang through Seo-Hwaseong and Hongseong to Iksan. Sosa Station is currently not among its stops, forcing Bucheon residents to travel to other stations to access the high-speed rail network.

The city aims to complete technical and demand verification by Korea National Railway in the first half of next year and secure Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approval in the second half. Platform extension and other facility upgrades would then follow, with the KTX-Eum stop at Sosa Station targeted for the second half of 2029.

"The preliminary feasibility study confirmed economic viability, ridership demand and technical feasibility across the board," Bucheon Mayor Cho Yong-ik said. "We will focus our administrative efforts on completing the remaining verification and approval steps without delay to make the KTX-Eum stop at Sosa Station a reality."


gilbert@heraldcorp.com