Plan to build high-speed rail station in southern Seoul passed

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday passed the central government’s plan to build a new high-speed rail station in the Suseo district of southern Seoul.

Though its request for changing the location of the new station to Samseong Station was rejected, Seoul agreed with the Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry to study extending the KTX bullet-train line to Samseong over the mid to long term.

Ground will be broken on the KTX Suseo station late this year for scheduled completion in late 2014. The development of a transit center and nearby commercial complexes will be completed in 2018, according to the plan.

The city government passed the plan submitted by the state-run Korea Train Network Authority for the construction of the new station with conditions.

The conditions will require the authority to prevent flooding in the area where the KTX line passes, expand a road west of the station site, and secure more facilities to elevate passenger convenience.

In addition, the city urged the authority to lower the height of the railroad from the planned 3 meters to about 1 meter to prevent flooding in areas on both sides of the railroad.

A city official said Seoul had asked the central government to extend the line to Samseong Station in consideration of a long-term urban development plan for the city’s southern Gangnam district. The planned construction of the new KTX station is part of a project to link Suseo to Pyeongtaek, a suburb of Seoul located 61 kilometers south.

Valued at 3.9 trillion won (3.5 billion U.S. dollars), the project is scheduled for completion by 2015.

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