Incheon Seo-gu and Gimpo City, Gyeonggi Province, have agreed to relocate a construction waste treatment plant for the Gimpo-Gumdan extension of Seoul Subway Line 5.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced today (Nov. 21) that MOLIT Minister Won Hee-ryong met with Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo and Incheon Seo-gu Mayor Kang Beom-seok and agreed that the Seoul Subway Line 5 extension project should be promoted as soon as possible to ease congestion in the western part of the metropolitan area, including dispersing demand for the Gimpo Gold Line.

Under Minister Won’s mediation, Mayor Kim and Mayor Kang drew up an agreement stating that the relocation site of the construction waste treatment plant will be outside the influence area of Incheon West, and that the detailed route will actively follow the mediation plan of MOLIT’s Metropolitan Area Transportation Committee.

In the meantime, the Seoul Line 5 extension project has been slowed down by differences between local governments over the relocation of the construction waste treatment plant in Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, which was a prerequisite.

In 2018, the Seoul Metropolitan Government pushed for the development of the Banghwa Vehicle Works site, making the relocation of the vehicle base and the building site a condition, while Incheon’s western district opposed the location of the building site, which was promoted by Gimpo City.

With the two local governments agreeing on the issue of the building site, which has been the biggest challenge, the Gimpo-Gumdan extension of Seoul Line 5 is also expected to move forward in earnest.

“The Gimpo-Gumdan extension of Seoul Line 5, which is one of the fundamental measures to relieve congestion on the Gold Line, should be promoted as soon as possible,” said Minister Won. “To this end, I am deeply grateful that Gimpo City and Incheon West District agreed on the issue of relocating the building site and decided to participate in the ‘route decision council’ mediated by MOLIT (Dae Gwang-wi).”

MOLIT will actively mediate the route planning agreement to expedite the Seoul Line 5 extension project, and will also actively discuss with the fiscal authorities ways to shorten the project implementation, such as exemptions from taxes먹튀검증.”

Meanwhile, Daegwangwi will operate a ‘Route Decision Council’ with the participation of Incheon City, Gyeonggi City, Incheon Seogu, Gimpo City, and transportation experts from May to accelerate discussions to finalize the route plan for the project.