Subway Extension
Seoul City Hall has released a map of the 10 new subway lines that it plans to install by 2025, approximately 90 km of new subway. It gives better visual detail of the planned routes according to the “Seoul City Plan to Build Railways” released on June 30. For the benefit of our readers, BusinessKorea has translated the entire map into English.
Based on the map, the planned changes can be found in three major areas of Seoul – the western side, northeastern side, and southeastern side. The majority of the new changes will be done on the western side, with four new subway lines: Sillim Line, Mok-dong Line, Seobu Line, and Nangok Line. The northeastern side of Seoul will see two new lines and an extension: the Dongbuk Line, Myeonmok Line, and Wuyi New Extension. The southeastern side of Seoul will get a new line and two extensions: the Wirye Line, Wirye New Extension, and four additional stops added to the end of Line 9.
Western Side
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On the western side of Seoul the new Seobu Line will link up with the existing Saejeol Station on Line 6, head straight south through Seodaemun-gu and link up with Sinchon Station on Line 2. It will continue south through Yeouido and eventually end up at Seoul National University. This will link up the Sinchon-Hongdae-Ewha Woman's University area with Seoul National University, making it faster for students of both areas to intermingle. It could eventually be dubbed the Young Love Line.
Further to the west, the new Mok-dong line will start far out in Sinwol-dong, making its way through previously unconnected neighborhoods to Mok-dong Station on Line 5, and from there on to Dangsan, an intersection of Line 2 and 9. This effectively extends the Seoul public transportation network further west than ever before, and will hopefully take some population pressure off of the central districts. With its end in Dangsan next to the National Assembly building, perhaps Sinwol-dong and associated areas will become more full of governmental staff.
Yeouido will be the nexus for all four of these subway lines, easily seen because the new Sillim Line will be connected to Yeouido Station, then continue south to Boramae Park, and after that Seoul National University's front gate. This is especially significant for anyone who has visited Seoul National University before, because after reaching the existing station for the school on Line 2, a 15-minute bus ride or 45-minute uphill climb awaits for anyone who wants to actually reach the school. The Sillim Line will eliminate this problem.
Finally, branching off of the Sillim Line at Boramae Park station will be the Nangok Line, which will delve south into the mountains beyond Seoul, all the way to Nanhang-dong. These neighborhoods will also be new extensions for the Seoul rail network, and their connection will undoubtedly spark new urban sprawl.
Northeastern Side
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On the northeastern side of Seoul the Dongbuk Line will head northeast from Wangsimni. Wangsimni Station has seen a lot of buildup in recent years, and this new line will bring even more traffic to what is turning into another significant hub of the Seoul metropolitan area. The Dongbuk Line will run mostly through neighborhoods that do not see subway traffic now, a positive sign for them, and will end up in Sanggye, far to the north.
The other new line in this region, the Myeonmok Line, will head more east and less north, also reaching areas previously untouched by subway lines. The light blue line that runs parallel to this planned line is more of a traditional rail line, which does not have as regular service as a subway line. The Myeonmok Line will make up for that shortcoming.
Finally, the area of Wuyi-dong will be connected to Banghak Station on Line 4 to bring more accessibility to what looks like a valley nestled between steep hills. More apartment complexes will undoubtedly see their property values rise in Wuyi-dong.
Southeastern Side
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The Wirye-Sinsa Line, the subject of some controversy between Seoul City Hall and Gangnam District Office, will start at Sinsa Station and run east through heavily-built-up areas of Gangnam. This road, Dosan-daero, is a wide avenue and always full of auto traffic, which is probably part of the source of the controversy. Several years worth of construction on this road will disrupt a lot of the traffic for some very rich individuals. After reaching the river, the Wirye Sinsa Line will turn south, hitting Samseong Station. This planned line continues to follow a major thoroughfare, passing by COEX Mall and a large number of company headquarters' buildings. After it is finished, it will no doubt be very much an integral part of the daily work commute for hundreds of thousands of people. But until then, it will also undoubtedly disrupt the commutes of those same people for several years. After going through most of downtown Gangnam, the Wirye Sinsa Line will continue southeast all the way down to Wirye, then branch off straight south and north to connect what looks to be more new neighborhoods in development. When it is finished, the Wirye-Sinsa Line will probably connect new, state-of-the-art and very expensive apartments with the offices of the nation's most successful company employees.
Also, the current newest subway line in Seoul, Line 9, will be further extended northeast to another new borough, Godeok Gangil. With the completion of this subway extension, Seoul may very well have its first official subway station with a futuristic dystopian name, “Godeok Gangil District 1 Station.”