Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-Soo boarded the first Gyeongeui train, which departed at 5:50 A.M., June 1, 2009, when the Gyeongeui Line began operation. The launching ceremony for Gyeongeui Line was attended by more than 20 guests, including Governor Kim, Ewha Women’s University President Lee Bae-Yong, Paju Mayor Ryoo Hwa-Sun and officials from the Metropolitan Railway Business Division. The train departed from Seobu Station, Seoul, for Wollong Station, Paju.

Governor Kim attended a briefing on the railroad’s operations given by an official of the Metropolitan Railway Business Division, and offered his congratulations on the opening of the Gyeongeui Railroad, stopping to converse with passengers on the first train.

Passing through each station, Governor Kim talked about the history of each region, saying “We will be able to go to Siberia as well as China via the Gyeongeui Line when we build friendlier relations with North Korea. The Gyeongeui Line is a dream railroad, reaching toward national unification and the vastness of the continent.”

In her remarks, Lee Bae-Yong, President of Ewha Women’s University, said, “We plans to build a branch campus in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, a city of history and culture, in order to play a leading role in bringing about national unification. When the Gyeongeui Line to North Korea is fully opened, young generations of Koreans will be able to realize their dreams in a broader land spanning Siberia and Europe.”

The newly launched Gyeongeui Line has a length of 40.6km and stops at a total of 18 stations, connecting Seoul Station to Munsan. Previously, Gyeongeui commuter trains had run only 38 times per day, but the launch of the Gyeongeui Line increases this number to 150 times per day.

From Seoul Station to Munsan, the trains stop at 25-minute intervals during rush hours and at 50-minute intervals during normal times, and 46 trains operate on this route each day. A total of 104 trains operate from Seongsan to Munsan, and these trains stop at 12-minute intervals during rush hours and at 15-minute intervals during normal times.

The train covers the distance from Seoul Station to Munsan in 65 minutes, 9 minutes less than the trains previously operated, which took 74 minutes. When passengers use the express trains, which only stop at 10 stations including Seoul, Sinchon, Ilsan and Musan, they can save up to 24 minutes.

Gyeonggi Province expects that the launch of the Gyeongeui Line will improve traffic conditions on the now severely congested National Road No. 1 and Susaekro, improve convenience for travelers in Northwestern Gyeonggi, facilitate local development and build a base for national unification.