Gimpo Gold Line to Extend 7km to Incheon's Geomdan District

Gimpo city in Gyeonggi Province announced Wednesday that the "Gimpo Gold Line Hakun Extension" has been included in the 2nd Gyeonggi Province Urban Railway Network Construction Plan (2026-2035). The National Transportation Committee approved the plan the same day, establishing the legal basis for the project.

The project will connect a 7.04-kilometer section from the existing Yangchon Station to Geomdan Oryu Station on Incheon Metro Line 2, with total project costs of 739.5 billion won ($518 million). Once the line opens, travel time from Yangchon Station to Geomdan Oryu Station will be reduced to approximately 9 minutes, significantly improving regional transportation convenience for western Gimpo.

The Yangchon and Hakun industrial complexes, including Gimpo Gold Valley, have long struggled with workforce recruitment and industrial complex activation due to poor public transportation access. The situation worsened after the free commuter bus service for Gimpo Industrial Complex workers (Gurae Station to the industrial complex) ended in late 2021.

Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo has continuously requested the line extension through meetings with the Gyeonggi Province Governor since taking office. Gimpo city reviewed routes meeting either economic feasibility (B/C) of 0.7 or higher, or comprehensive evaluation (AHP) of 0.5 or higher, according to the Urban Railway Network Construction Plan guidelines, and submitted them to Gyeonggi Province.

After multiple consultations with related agencies including Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the plan passed deliberations by the Urban Transportation Policy Working Committee and the National Transportation Committee.

"This extension is expected to significantly reduce both average travel time and transportation costs for bus and car users, greatly helping regional economic revitalization through corporate attraction and job creation," Mayor Kim said. "We will strengthen transportation welfare in line with our population plan of 735,000 by 2035 and gradually expand areas benefiting from rail transportation."

The city plans to secure budget in the second half of next year to conduct a preliminary feasibility study and aims to apply for a preliminary feasibility assessment in 2027. The Urban Railway Network Construction Plan is a statutory plan for constructing and operating urban railways within urban transportation zones, with basic plans to be established after preliminary and full feasibility studies.