Gyeonggi Province has announced detailed plans for GTX, nicknamed the “Dream Transportation Vehicle,” which will enable users to travel from Dongtan to Gangnam in 18 minutes.

Gyeonggi Province hosted a special press conference entitled “GTX, the Transportation Revolution of the Metropolitan Area,” which was attended by approximately 150 participants including Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-Soo, journalists for provincial media and representatives of Dongtan residents on April 14, 2009. At the conference, the Province announced the results of a feasibility study that was conducted on the economic efficiency and technological feasibility of GTX, the express train line that Gyeonggi Province plans to build.

The study covered the plan to introduce GTX on routes spanning 145.5km in the metropolitan area. The planned routes consist of three lines: Line A connecting KINTEX and Suseo (Dongtan) with a length of 46.3km (74.8km); Line B connecting Songdo, Incheon, and Cheongnyangni with a length of 49.9km; and Line C connecting Euijeongbu and Geumjeong with a length of 49.3km. 

* The figure in parentheses refers to the length of the route, including lines shared with KTX.

The number of the GTX users per day is expected to reach 0.76 million by 2016, and Lines B and C are estimated to have an economic efficiency level of 1.24, proving the feasibility of the plan. The total budget is estimated at KRW 13.9 trillion.

The Korean Society of Transportation listed the expected benefits of the GTX as a decrease of 0.88 million cars on the road per day, an annual CO2 emission reduction of 1.5 million tons, a reduction in energy consumption worth KRW 580 billion, a reduction in annual costs incurred by traffic jams of KRW 700 billion, and the creation of 0.26 million jobs.

The study also covered detailed plans related to GTX, including a plan to introduce domestically developed trains with a maximum speed of 160~200km/h and an average speed of 100km/h, a plan to operate six cars per train, and a plan to run trains at 5.5-minute intervals on Line A connecting KINTEX and Dongtan during rush hours.

Gyeonggi Province has been steadfast in its support for the GTX plan as a means by which to solve transportation issues in the metropolitan area, and formally requested the Korean Society of Transportation to conduct a study on the technical feasibility, economic efficiency, and overall feasibility of the GTX in April of 2008. The Province plans to submit the results of the study to the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs as early as this week.

Gyeonggi Province first proposed the plan to introduce the GTX in the metropolitan area, and many believe that the plan is highly likely to be implemented, as it is currently being actively reviewed by the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs. Gyeonggi Province expects that efforts to implement the plan will be accelerated when the Ministry of Land, Transport,
and Maritime Affairs incorporates the plan in its governmental initiatives.

Gyeonggi Province tentatively named the train GTX (Great Train eXpress) at the conference, and announced that it will be cooperate with the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs and host a design competition.