Guri City in Gyeonggi Province has designated the Galmae-dong area as a traffic noise management zone in preparation for the opening of the Greater Metropolitan Express Rail (GTX) Line B. The move comes as a preemptive response to concerns over noise damage in residential areas caused by increased train operations following the expansion of the metropolitan transportation network.
Guri City announced Wednesday that it has designated an approximately 3-kilometer section around the Gyeongchun Line railroad in Galmae-dong as a traffic noise (rail) management zone under Article 27 of the Noise and Vibration Control Act. The designation comes as train operation frequency is expected to surge sharply with the GTX-B Line utilizing the Gyeongchun Line railroad as a shared section.
Once designated as a management zone, a legal basis is established to request soundproof walls and vibration-proofing facilities from relevant agencies when railroad noise and vibration exceed management standards of 70 decibels (dB) during the day and 60 decibels (dB) at night. Guri City plans to cooperate with the Korea Railroad Corporation and the Korea National Railway to promptly pursue noise reduction measures.
The designation reflects continued requests from Galmae-dong residents. The GTX-B Line is a metropolitan express railway connecting the western and eastern parts of the Seoul metropolitan area, and commuting times are expected to be significantly shortened once it opens. However, residents had expressed significant concerns, as changes to the noise environment in nearby residential areas were inevitable due to the increased number of train operations on the shared Gyeongchun Line section.
"This is a preemptive measure to respond to concerns over residents' exposure to noise and vibration following the opening of the GTX-B Line," a Guri City official said. "We will do our best to protect the comfortable and stable living environment of Galmae-dong residents."
Guri City plans to conduct quarterly traffic noise monitoring to systematically manage the area until the project is completed in 2033.
