The Year of the Snake Is Also the Year of GTX!
(Published January 01, 2013)

The bill for the GTX KRW 10 billion budget was passed by the National Assembly this January 1^st
 

◇ The KRW 10 billion budget for the GTX project, which consists of three new railroad routes, was secured after the relevant bill was passed on January 1^st. Now that the necessary framework has been established, the initial Cultural Index Investigation and other preparations are being carried out. Virtual image of GTX ⓒ G-News Plus
 
With the GTX budget having been passed by the National Assembly on the 1^st of January, it is very likely that the initial construction work will begin earlier than planned.

The Gyeonggi government announced on January 1^st that “After a rollercoaster ride, the opposing parties have finally come to an agreement on the 2013 budget. We are now on track to construct the GTX with a budget of KRW 10 billion, which will be used for the Cultural Index Examination and other necessary steps.”

The GTX Project, announced in April 2011, has gone on to become the central government’s national railway establishment scheme. The initial validity investigation was begun on December 14 of the same year and is still pending. Gyeonggi Province has now secured KRW 10 billion in national funds to carry on with the overall planning of the project, reviewal of its environmental impact, and performance of the cultural index investigation.

Governor Kim Moon-soo touched upon the project in his New Year’s speech, stating that he “wishes the GTX can move forward to construction in 2013, so it can redefine the logistical structure of the metropolitan area. GTX is a green and revolutionary means of transportation that will give Gyeonggi Province the competitive edge it needs as an international city.”
 
Director of Railway & Harbor Bureau, Seo Sang-gyo, remarked, “The fact that the central government has allocated KRW 10 billion to this project reflects just how important it is to start constructing the GTX. President-elect Park Geun-hye has promised to carry on with the GTX project, so I expect things to pick up in 2013. Furthermore, the expansion of the KTX Suseo – Pyongtaek leg all the way to Suseo as part of the GTX project will have enormously beneficial effects.”
 
Gyeonggi Province’s government first proposed the mammoth project as a solution to heavy traffic and pollution in the Seoul metropolitan area. According to the plan, the GTX train will run at a maximum speed of 200km per hour and have an average speed of 100km per hour. As such, it will take only 18 minutes to get from Dongtan to Samseong, and 22 minutes from Samseong to KINTEX, connecting important locations in and out of the city within an hour.
 
The three GTX routes will include the 46.2km stretch between Ilsan and Suseo (Dongtan), the 48.7km from Songdo to Cheongnyangni, and the 45.8km from Uijeongbu to Geumsan, totaling 140.7km. The budgets for each of the three routes have been set at KRW 4.6 trillion, KRW 4.6 trillion, and KRW 3.8 trillion respectively, and the entire project is expected to cost about KRW 13.6 trillion.

ⓒ G-News Plus News | Nam Gyeong-u echo2008f@gg.go.kr
 
http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201301012001577055C052&s_code=C052