[Anchor]
Seoul has announced plans to underground most sections of the city’s above-ground railways to create a massive green space.
The project is expected to result in the creation of a second Yeoido Central Park, stretching 68 km across Seoul.
Notably, the city stated that this undergrounding project can be achieved without additional budget allocation.
Here’s a report by Kim Hyun-ah.
[Reporter]
This is the “Gyeongui Line Forest Park” in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul.
The railway that once split Yeonnam-dong in two has been moved underground, transforming the area into a long park that now serves as a city oasis and tourist attraction, with the local commercial district experiencing explosive growth.
This type of urban forest trail is expected to expand across 15 districts in Seoul, covering a total of 67.6 km and an area of 370,000 pyeong.
This accounts for more than 94% of the city’s total 71.6 km of above-ground railways, leading to the creation of park spaces 40 times the size of the current “Yeontural Park” throughout the city.
The total project cost is estimated at 25.6 trillion won. However, the Seoul city government is confident that it can fully cover the expenses through the development profits from selling station site land, without using city or national funds.
[Oh Se-hoon / Seoul Mayor: The development profit from the upper space of stations is estimated at 31 trillion won, covering 121% of the project costs. Additionally, the profits will be invested in the underdeveloped southwest and northeast areas of the city, primarily focusing on non-Gangnam regions for regional development.]
There are high expectations from residents for the underground railway project, a long-standing goal. However, some regions excluded from the integrated plan have shown resistance.
[Kim Ki-deok / Democratic Party Seoul Metropolitan Council Member (Mapo District): (The Gajwa-Susaek section is excluded) There are plans for the development of the Susaek area, which is expected to develop as a central axis linked with the DMC in the western region. However, areas like Seongsan, Susaek, and Jeungsan are divided by this railway, disrupting proper urban functions.]
Seoul city anticipates that if the plan is designated as a leading project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport this December, the actual undergrounding work will commence by 2027.
This has been Kim Hyun-ah for YTN.
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