The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on September 14 that the Seoul Metropolitan Area Great Train eXpress C Line (GTX-C) would begin construction on the 15th.
The project’s actual construction had been delayed over construction-cost issues following its groundbreaking ceremony in January 2024.
This start does not mean the line is opening; it means that the delayed main construction is beginning.
Three-line summary
1. GTX-C will enter main construction on the 15th.
2. The total length is 86.6㎞, and the construction period is 60 months.
3. Opening in the second half of 2031 is a target.
Moving into the Main Construction Phase After Resolving the Construction-Cost Dispute
GTX-C is a metropolitan express railway project that starts in Deokjeong-dong, Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, passes through central Seoul—including Uijeongbu, Changdong, Cheongnyangni, and Samseong Station—and connects Suwon Station with Sangnoksu Station. Its total length is 86.6㎞, and it is being developed as a build-transfer-operate (BTO) private-sector investment project.
The project received approval for its implementation plan in December 2023, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in January 2024. However, actual construction could not begin because a construction contract was not signed amid rising material and construction costs. Reports identified the demand by the Hyundai E&C consortium, which is responsible for construction, for an increase in construction costs as the direct background to the delay.
A turning point came with an arbitration decision by the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board last April. After the decision called for an increase in the total project cost, the government’s Private Investment Project Review Committee incorporated it, creating the basis for entering main construction. The total project cost was presented as 4조9천272억원—that is, 4 trillion 9,000 million won plus 272 hundred million won.
“Around 30 Minutes” Is an Expectation for After Opening
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimates that travel from Deokjeong Station to Samseong Station will take 30 minutes, compared with the current 80 minutes, after opening. Travel from Suwon Station to Cheongnyangni Station is expected to take 30 minutes, compared with the current 75 minutes. These are projections for when the line operates after construction is completed, not changes to transportation conditions occurring at the same time construction begins on the 15th.
The construction period is approximately 60 months from the start of construction. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and related reports have presented opening in the second half of 2031 as the target. Kim Yong-seok, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, stated that he would manage quality and safety to ensure the line opens on schedule. Accordingly, readers should distinguish between the start of construction, which is a confirmed schedule, and the opening date and reduced travel times, which are targets and projections premised on construction proceeding as planned.
Yangju Anticipates Improved Transportation Conditions
Yangju welcomed the start of main construction and stated that it would work with relevant organizations to reduce inconvenience to residents during construction. The city expects improved commuting conditions to central Seoul and the Gangnam area, as well as a strengthened role as a transportation hub in northern Gyeonggi Province.
However, the effect of GTX-C in transforming daily living areas will emerge only after the tracks are actually completed and operations begin. The key point of this news is that a project that had been stalled for an extended period has moved into the construction phase after going through a cost-adjustment procedure.
References
Tags #GTXC #SeoulMetropolitanAreaGreatTrainExpress #GTXCLine #GTXCConstructionStart #GTXCOpening #YangjuDeokjeongStation #SamseongStation #SuwonStation #CheongnyangniStation #YangjaeStation #MetropolitanExpressRailway #SeoulMetropolitanTransportation #MinistryOfLandInfrastructureAndTransport