Construction of a dedicated high-speed rail line running from Susaek through Seoul Station to Gwangmyeong is set to begin in earnest, with more KTX services from Seoul Station and Yongsan Station expected from 2036.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Wednesday it had finalized and published the master plan for building a 24.5-kilometer dedicated high-speed rail line between Susaek and Gwangmyeong.
The project will cost 3.23 trillion won ($2.28 billion) and involves constructing a below-ground high-speed shortcut along the Susaek–Seoul–Yongsan–Gwangmyeong corridor, with a target opening date of 2036.
The Seoul–Gwangmyeong corridor currently requires high-speed, conventional, commuter and freight trains to share the same tracks, limiting both travel-time reductions and service increases. The ministry said the project would separate high-speed and conventional rail routes, enabling more frequent and faster KTX services.
Travel time between Haengsin and Gwangmyeong is expected to fall by about 17 minutes and 30 seconds to 23 minutes, while the Seoul–Gwangmyeong leg would be cut by roughly 9 minutes and 15 seconds to just 9 minutes. Daily KTX services on the corridor would increase from 147 to 183 runs once the dedicated line is in place.
"Once the Susaek–Gwangmyeong dedicated high-speed line is built, high-speed trains operating from Seoul and Yongsan will be able to run faster and more frequently," said Kim Tae-byeong, director general of the ministry's railway bureau. "We will push ahead without delay, in coordination with the Pyeongtaek–Osong high-speed rail capacity expansion project, so that the public can use high-speed rail more conveniently."
smh@heraldcorp.com
