Seven Seoul districts along the Gyeongwon Line issue joint statement calling for the railway undergrounding master plan to include their corridor
Seven Seoul districts along the Gyeongwon Line — Yongsan-gu, Seongdong-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Dobong-gu and Nowon-gu — have joined forces to press the government to release its railway undergrounding integrated development master plan without delay and to ensure the Gyeongwon Line corridor is included.
The inter-district council issued a joint petition Wednesday at the Dongdaemun-gu Office planning room, formally requesting that the government designate the Gyeongwon Line section between Yongsan Station and Dobongsan Station — including branch lines — as a target route for undergrounding.
About 30 district heads and officials from the seven districts attended the event, including Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min, Dobong-gu District Mayor Kim Dong-wook, Seongbuk-gu Deputy District Mayor Choi Kyung-joo, Yongsan-gu Deputy District Mayor Kim Gwang-deok, Seongdong-gu Deputy District Mayor Ko Gwang-hyeon, Jungnang-gu Deputy District Mayor Jeong Sang-taek and Nowon-gu Deputy District Mayor Shin Jong-woo.
The joint petition urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to stop delaying the release of its railway undergrounding master plan, and called for the Gyeongwon Line corridor — which has long suffered from urban fragmentation, noise and vibration — to be given priority as a designated undergrounding route.
The ministry had originally pledged to release the master plan, including a list of target routes, by the end of 2025, but has yet to disclose any specifics.
The delay has deepened anxiety among local residents who fear the Gyeongwon Line corridor could be left out of the plan, even though the Special Act on Railway Undergrounding and Integrated Development of Railway Sites was enacted on Jan. 30, 2024.
The council said undergrounding the Gyeongwon Line goes beyond simple urban development — it represents the minimum right of residents who have long borne the burden of the railway's presence, and would serve as a key driver of local revitalization by enabling development of land above the tracks to create jobs, housing and cultural amenities.
Choi, who chairs the Gyeongwon Line Railway Undergrounding Promotion Council, said the project is "an urgent task that will lead the future of Dongdaemun-gu and the other districts along the Gyeongwon Line, and drive balanced regional development." He added that the council would "continue to work closely and forcefully with the relevant local governments to ensure the Gyeongwon Line is ultimately designated as a target route in the master plan through a decisive government commitment."
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