Construction of additional GTX-B station at Cheonghak Intersection in Incheon gains momentum after passing central investment review

【Financial News, Incheon = Han Gap-su, staff reporter】 A project to build an additional station on the B line of the Great Train eXpress (GTX) near Cheonghak Intersection in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, is expected to gain momentum after passing the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s central investment review.
Incheon Metropolitan City said on the 16th that the project to build an additional station on the GTX-B line had received a passing grade in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s central investment review. The city plans to take follow-up steps, including securing funding and consulting with relevant agencies, based on the review results.
The additional station is planned for the area around Cheonghak Intersection in Yeonsu-gu, between Incheon National University Station and Incheon City Hall Station on the GTX-B line. The total project cost is approximately ₩269.4 billion, which Incheon Metropolitan City will cover in full. The project is scheduled to run from 2027 through 2033, with the station’s opening targeted for early 2034.
The review’s approval marks progress in key administrative procedures needed to move the project forward. The city must now obtain approval from the Incheon Metropolitan Council, sign an entrustment and consignment agreement with a private-sector project operator, and secure next year’s project budget. The city plans to complete the related procedures swiftly and launch the project in earnest next year.
The basis for moving ahead with the project has also been established in stages. A feasibility review by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the end of last year found a benefit-cost ratio (B/C) of 1.03, meeting the threshold. The project subsequently underwent a feasibility study by the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration and passed the central investment review. Incheon Metropolitan City says this has established the institutional framework for proceeding with the project and laid the groundwork for allocating city funds.
However, the project’s economic viability has declined from the initial review due to factors including increased costs, and concerns have also been raised that contingent liabilities could arise during operations, leaving challenges to be addressed as the project moves forward.
The city has explained the need for the project by highlighting the need to build it at the same time as the main GTX-B line, the potential to revitalize renewal projects in surrounding aging planned cities, and the possibility of increased ridership from future transfers to the Seoul Metropolitan Area Southwestern Line.
Following the project’s passage of the central investment review, the city plans to focus on securing next year’s funding and pursue permitting and approval procedures in consultation with Yeonsu-gu. It will work with the private-sector operator of GTX-B to flesh out plans for design and construction, while expediting administrative procedures, including the entrustment and consignment agreement.
The GTX-B line is an 82.8-kilometer regional railway project that will start at Incheon National University Station in Songdo International City, Incheon, pass through Incheon City Hall and Bucheon, then continue through Yeouido, Yongsan, Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni in Seoul before reaching Maseok in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. The project aims to build a transport network that quickly connects the southwestern and northeastern parts of the Seoul metropolitan area. Construction is underway after a notice to commence work was filed in August 2025.
Mayor Park Chan-dae said, “We will work to ensure residents can enjoy the transportation benefits of GTX-B as early as possible by securing the budget and carrying out follow-up procedures without a hitch, while continuing to communicate with citizens.”
[email protected] Han Gap-su Reporter