The Metropolitan Rapid Transit (GTX) C-Line, which runs from Deokjeong Station in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province to Samsung Station and Suwon Station in Seoul, entered full construction on September 15.
This was not the first time. A groundbreaking ceremony was already held on January 25, 2024, but actual construction had been halted for 964 days due to conflicts over construction costs.
It was the second time the same line announced its "start," but would this time truly be different?
3-Line Summary
1. GTX-C entered actual construction 964 days after the groundbreaking ceremony
2. Deokjeong to Samsung is 30 minutes, Suwon to Samsung is 25 minutes
3. The additional stop at Yangju Station has not yet been confirmed
964 Days Between Groundbreaking and Actual Construction
The Metropolitan Rapid Transit (GTX) C-Line spans an 86.6 km section running from Deokjeong Station in Yangju through Cheongnyangni Station, Samsung Station, and Yangjae Station, extending to Suwon Station and Saengrok-su Station in Ansan. The total project cost is 4 trillion 9272 hundred million won, and it is being pursued through a Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) method where the private sector builds and operates it, recovering investment costs through usage fees. This line held a groundbreaking ceremony on January 25, 2024, but actual construction had not proceeded thereafter. As raw material and construction costs surged following COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, disagreements between project stakeholders over increased costs led the project to stall without even signing a construction contract. In April of this year, the Korea Commercial Arbitration Board issued a mediation decision on the project cost increase, and in August, the Private Investment Project Review Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance approved the revised contract terms, thereby resolving the obstacles. Thus, on September 15, full construction began 964 days after the groundbreaking ceremony.
Completion Target Pushed Back from 2028 to 2031
The line, which originally aimed for completion by the end of 2028, has set a new target of September 2031 for completion due to construction delays. Once operational, Gyeonggi Province estimates that travel time from Deokjeong Station to Samsung Station will be approximately 30 minutes, and from Suwon Station to Samsung Station approximately 25 minutes. Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae attended the opening ceremony of the construction promotion center held at Suwon Station on the 15th and announced that the province would cooperate for construction and timely completion. To publicize this, Gyeonggi Province has been operating promotion centers at Suwon Station from September 16 to 18, and at Uijeongbu Station from September 20 to 22. However, reactions from residents living near the line are mixed with both anticipation and concern. Having observed no significant activity at the construction site for over two years and eight months, residents are calling for assurance that the target schedule can be met this time. There are also demands that surrounding transportation infrastructure, such as transfer parking lots and connecting bus routes, be equipped to coincide with the opening.
One Station, Still Undrawn
Separate from construction, voices from the region continue to call for an additional stop at Yangju Station. Analysis from a preliminary feasibility study showed that the cost-benefit (B/C) ratio reached a maximum of 3.98, and arguments for the practical value of an additional stop have gained momentum in relation to ongoing development projects such as the Gyeonggi Yangju Techno Valley in the vicinity. A local member of the National Assembly has also championed this as a campaign promise and is pushing for its realization. However, this remains merely a request and assertion from the region; it has not yet been officially confirmed as a plan by the project implementing agency. One cannot definitively say that the station has been decided simply based on the news of construction commencement.
References
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