Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun said the city has long worked with neighboring municipalities to address transportation congestion in southern Gyeonggi Province, pursuing projects including the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway, the GTX-C line and the Dongtan-Indeokwon line. He added that the Sinbundang Line extension "will serve as the driving force reshaping the urban space of southwestern Gyeonggi."
Lee and the mayors of three neighboring cities formally petitioned the government Tuesday to include the Sinbundang Line extension through Suwon, Uiwang, Gunpo and Ansan in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan. Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun, Uiwang Mayor Kim Seong-je, Gunpo Mayor Han Dae-hee and Ansan Deputy Mayor Heo Nam-seok jointly announced and signed a petition at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly briefing room.
The officials said the extension, running from Gwanggyo in Suwon through Uiwang, Gunpo and Ansan, "will strengthen connectivity across the southwestern Gyeonggi region and serve as a vital foundation for balanced regional development and improved quality of life." They stressed that expanding rail infrastructure to dramatically improve access to major cities is essential to accelerating the transition to a sustainable era.
They also argued that the proposed line aligns with the national policy of building transportation infrastructure before residential development, and that it would stimulate advanced industries while becoming "a nationally vital asset with strategic value for the prosperity of future generations and urban development." The officials said the extension must be included in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan to improve metropolitan transportation for residents of southwestern Greater Seoul and to advance the national rail network.
The Sinbundang Line extension through Suwon, Uiwang, Gunpo and Ansan is a 14.54-kilometer metropolitan rail route running from Gwanggyo Station to Banwol Station in Ansan. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport first received a proposal to include it in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan in May 2024, and the line is expected to play a key role in building out the rail network across the southwestern metropolitan area.
Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly members Park Ok-bun, Lee O-su, Choi Sang-gyu and Han Un-ok, who represent constituencies along the proposed route, also attended the joint petition event.
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