GTX Designated as National Project

All three lines of GTX to be included in the national railroad plan made official by the Ministry of Land, Transportation, and Maritime Affairs on April 4th, 2011.

Residents who live in the capital region will now be able to heave a sigh of relief.

The Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs announced its second national railroad plan (2011 to 2020) on April 4th. All three lines of GTX (high-speed rail system in the greater Seoul area) were selected as part of the first half of the plan. Two years have passed since Gyeonggi Province first presented GTX to the central government in April 2009 as a solution to heavy traffic and pollution in the capital region.

The GTX project consists of three lines spanning 140.7 km: 46.2 km between Ilsan and Suseo (Dongtan); 48.7km between Songdo and Cheongryangri; and 45.8km between Uijeongbu and Geumjeong. The section between Suseo and Dongtan on the Ilsan-Suseo line is to be shared with the KTX.

The Ministry of Land, Transportation, and Maritime Affairs has estimated construction costs at KRW 4.531 trillion for the Ilsan-Suseo (Dongtan) line, KRW 4.6337 trillion for the Songdo-Cheongryangri line, and KRW 3.827 trillion for the Uijeongbu-Geumjeong line, amounting to KRW 13.638 trillion in total. The national railroad agenda is divided into ten-year units. The GTX project will be part of the first ten-year plan. Construction will begin in 2015.

Since GTX has been proposed as a private sector investment project, the construction work will begin next year after the reviewal of private investments and selection of collaborators. The Ministry has already proposed the commencement of construction in 2012. According to Gyeonggi Province’s estimate, all three lines of GTX will be running by 2017.

Governor Kim Moon-soo issued a statement on the same day that the construction project became official. He said, “The twelve million Gyeonggi Province residents are extremely happy about this decision. The GTX is an advanced, people-friendly and eco-friendly solution to traffic conditions around the capital. We will ensure that they proceed with the three construction projects simultaneously so that the work is completed as soon as possible.

The GTX (short for Great Train eXpress) lines will connect important junctions throughout the metropolitan area. The railway lines will be built between 40 and 60 meters underground and the trains will run at speeds of up to 200km per hour, though the planned speed is 100km per hour. Once GTX is fully operational, it will take 19 minutes to travel from Dongtan to Samseong Station, 22 minutes to Ilsan, and 12 minutes from Cheongryangri to Uijeongbu,slashing commuting time dramatically.

Once completed and fully operational, Gyeonggi Province expects 760,000 people to commute on GTX daily, which could result in the removal of 380,000 thousand cars from the roads, savings of KRD 700 billion per annum, a production increase worth KRW 27 trillion, the hiring of 260,000 employees, savings of KRW 80 billion in electricity consumption, and a reduction of carbon emissions by one million tons.

The Ministry of Land, Transportation, and Maritime Affairs introduced GTX to last January’s national mainstay transportation plan. A government official stated, “The plan encompasses ports, railroads, and highways throughout the nation. The national railroad agenda was the government’s detailed plan on that division. Now that the GTX has become part of the nation’s plan, we will give it our continuous support.”

 G News+ News | Nam Gyeong-wu echo2008@kg21.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201104041104217055C052&s_code=C052