Metropolitan transport body, Seoul city government and Seoul police agree to cooperate

The Wirye Line tram. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]
The Wirye Line tram. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport convened a dispute mediation committee Thursday afternoon in Seoul and passed a resolution to settle a conflict over the Wirye Line tram construction project, the commission announced Friday. The decision has raised hopes that the tram's scheduled December opening will proceed on time.

The mediation committee was convened to resolve disagreements between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency over the installation of traffic safety facilities at intersections and crossings along the tram route, as well as the scope of required traffic safety reviews.

The Wirye Line tram will be the first tram system introduced in South Korea. The Seoul Metropolitan Government had been pushing ahead with construction, but the project faced potential delays due to disputes among relevant agencies over whether the tram tracks qualify as roads under existing law and what falls within the scope of mandatory traffic safety reviews.

In response, the commission accepted Seoul's request for mediation, carefully reviewed the positions of all relevant agencies and applicable provisions including the Road Traffic Act, and finalized a resolution after two working-level committee sessions and a full mediation committee meeting.

Under the resolution, Seoul will designate the tram tracks as local roads to meet the requirements for a traffic safety review, promptly conduct a traffic facility safety assessment under the Traffic Safety Act, and then request a traffic safety review from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency based on the findings.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province and Seongnam will designate the tram tracks running through Seongnam as municipal roads to facilitate the traffic safety review in that section. Once Seoul has fulfilled all of the above conditions and formally requests a review, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will carry out the review and assess any safety risks the tram may pose to pedestrians and vehicles.

To keep the Wirye Line project moving forward, the commission will mediate any further disputes that arise among the relevant agencies, and all parties have agreed to cooperate closely to ensure the tram opens on schedule.

Commission Chairman Kim Yong-seok urged all parties to proceed carefully, noting that as the country's first tram, the Wirye Line must be thoroughly reviewed to ensure both the transportation convenience of residents in the Wirye new town and adequate road safety. "The commission will actively support the smooth progress of the Wirye Line project by working closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and other relevant agencies," he said.


hss@heraldcorp.com