Gwangju Metro Line 2 Phase 1 Opening Delayed from December 2027 to December 2028; Phase 2 Opening from December 2030 to December 2035

【Financial News, Jeonnam-Gwangju = Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】The opening of the Phase 1 section of Gwangju Metro Line 2 is expected to be delayed by one year, from December 2027 to December 2028.
The opening of the Phase 2 section is also expected to be delayed by as much as five years, from December 2030 to December 2035.
However, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Metropolitan City) plans to bring forward residents' access to the system as much as possible by partially opening a section running from Yangsan-dong through Cheomdan District, Suwan District and Sin-ga District in April 2034, following consultations with the central government. The section spans 11.9 kilometers and includes nine stations.
Bae Mi-gyeong, spokesperson for Gwangju Metropolitan City, said at a briefing on the validation results for the Gwangju Metro Line 2 Phase 2 construction project held in the fifth-floor briefing room of the Gwangju government building on the 2nd, "We verified the possible opening dates based on the current and remaining construction work."
Earlier, the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters thoroughly reviewed the progress of Gwangju Metro Line 2 through a "diagnostic task force (TF)" involving the supervisory team and experts. It determined that the possible opening date for Phase 1 would be delayed by one year, from December 2027 to December 2028. The analysis reflected delays in civil engineering work caused by the discovery of unexpected bedrock and obstructing buried facilities, as well as the results of an expert review of all interrelated processes required to open the metro, including architectural, mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, signaling, rolling stock production and test operations.
The opening of Phase 2 is also expected to be delayed by five years, from December 2030 to December 2035. This assessment reflects the circumstances surrounding Section 13, the part of the line passing through Suwan District that is being redesigned following a partial route change, as well as Sections 7, near the back gate of Chonnam National University (CNU), and 10, passing through Bonchon Industrial Complex. Sections 7 and 10 failed to attract bids five times and are now undergoing negotiations on the total project cost after supplementary design work.
As a delay in opening the entire Phase 2 section has become unavoidable, Gwangju Metropolitan City reviewed a partial-opening plan to minimize inconvenience to residents and bring forward the start of metro service. It analyzed that the 11.9-kilometer section from Sections 11 through 14, connecting Yangsan-dong with Cheomdan District, Suwan District and Sin-ga District and containing nine stations, could open in April 2034. The plan is intended to allow residents to use the metro one year and eight months earlier than under a simultaneous opening of the entire section in December 2035.
However, because a partial opening would require changes to the operating plan and an increase in the total project cost, it would constitute a change to the master plan. The city will make a final decision on whether to proceed after consultations with central government ministries.
Meanwhile, the total project cost for the metro construction has increased by KRW 1.5036 trillion, from KRW 1.7394 trillion to KRW 3.2430 trillion.
The increase was attributable to rising prices, which accounted for KRW 1.0021 trillion, or 66.6%; changes in the construction method, which accounted for KRW 354.7 billion, or 23.6%; and the incorporation of detailed design work and changes in site conditions, which accounted for KRW 146.8 billion, or 9.8%.
Gwangju Metropolitan City plans to gradually reassess the project costs required to open the entire line, taking into account the extended construction period and rising prices. It will also rationally readjust its annual investment plan in line with actual construction progress.
The city also plans to manage the entire process through the opening based on the actual work remaining. It will closely oversee key processes that directly affect the opening schedule to minimize further delays.
Following the completion of road openings along the entire Phase 1 section, the city plans to complete road openings along the priority opening section of Phase 2 by the first half of 2030 to reduce inconvenience for residents.
Park Geum-hwa, head of the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters, said, "Using this validation as an opportunity, we will integrate the management of construction progress and project costs and closely oversee key processes to ensure the project proceeds without disruption." Park added, "We will continue to transparently disclose major developments and the opening preparations to residents."

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