Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province is mounting an all-out campaign to secure preliminary feasibility study approval for the Wirye-Sinsa urban rail construction project, submitting more than 36 petitions to the central government.
The city sent an official letter to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Korea Development Institute on December 22 last year urging swift approval of the preliminary feasibility study. Hanam has continuously petitioned central government agencies including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Metropolitan Transport Commission to expedite the Wirye-Sinsa line and extend it to Hanam.
Hanam Mayor Lee Hyun-jae issued a statement on January 15 criticizing the delays. "Trust in government policy has collapsed as the Wirye-Sinsa project has been excessively delayed," he said. "Residents' transportation inconveniences have reached a level that can no longer be tolerated."
The Finance Ministry's Fiscal Project Evaluation Subcommittee conducted an AHP comprehensive evaluation on January 6. The final decision is expected to be announced at the Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee meeting on January 10.
A Hanam City official said the Wirye-Sinsa line had already demonstrated financial viability by passing a private investment eligibility review in 2018. "With 130,000 Wirye New Town residents watching closely, we hope the project will be approved to relieve their hardship," the official said.