Seoul City is Moving Forward with Plans to Eliminate Above-Ground Railways

On October 23, 2024, Seoul City announced the “Integrated Development Plan for Railway Undergrounding”

Based on this plan, the city will receive proposals from local governments and select a pilot project site within the year. Once designated as a pilot project site, it is expected that, following the establishment of a comprehensive plan by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the design will be completed by 2027 and construction will begin in 2028.

The railway undergrounding sections within Seoul are primarily divided into the Gyeongbu Line (34.7 km) and the Gyeongwon Line (32.9 km). These lines were once key infrastructures that drove urban growth but have become obstacles to urban development due to noise, vibrations, and aging facilities. Seoul City plans to utilize the development potential of the station sites to create a multi-purpose complex that integrates business, commercial, and cultural spaces above ground.

The city has a vision to underground the railway across 39 stations and 2.93 million square meters, subsequently developing parks and mixed-use business districts in the vacated spaces. The project to underground 67.6 km of above-ground railways throughout Seoul is unprecedented on a global scale. For reference, the RIVE GAUCHE project in Paris, France, achieved regional revitalization by undergrounding only 3 km of railway.

Seoul City believes that the project can be realized solely through development profits without the need for separate financial investments. The project operator, KORAIL, plans to issue construction bonds using the underground railway site as collateral to fund the initial construction, with the intention of repaying the debt by selling the land above to private developers.

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