Railway depot relocation delayed again ... Busan citizen-led committee launched

[Financial News] As the development project involving the relocation of the railway vehicle maintenance depot in Beomcheon-dong—one of Busanjin District’s long-standing priorities—is delayed yet again, local residents and Busan citizens are launching a civic campaign calling for the creation of a space for the public.

The Committee for the Civic Campaign to Return the Beomcheon-dong Busan Railway Vehicle Maintenance Depot Site, made up of Busanjin District councilors, district residents and other citizens, announced this at a press conference in the briefing room of the Busan Metropolitan Council on the morning of the 28th.
The project to relocate the Busan Railway Vehicle Maintenance Depot has been delayed for a long time. Efforts to solicit bids from private developers to handle the redevelopment, in part to secure the relocation costs, have ended without a successful bidder. The target date for relocating the depot has also been pushed back from before 2032 to before 2034.
The civic campaign committee said, “Repeatedly commissioning new studies and reassessing the preliminary feasibility of the depot’s relocation are increasing local residents’ fatigue and sense of loss,” and pointed out that “the regional development and improvements to the living environment that residents initially expected are also being postponed indefinitely.”
The committee was formed by Busan Metropolitan Council member Kim Jae-un (Busanjin 3, People Power Party), Council Vice Chair Yoon Tae-han (Sasang 1, People Power Party), all Busanjin District councilors, residents and other citizens. It plans to formally launch early next month and begin its civic campaign.
“It is time to end this indefinite waiting, and we strongly call for the Beomcheon-dong Busan Railway Vehicle Maintenance Depot site to be returned to the people,” they said. They also stressed that “measures must be drawn up to ensure the site is used not merely as land for relocating railway facilities, but as a public space that improves citizens’ quality of life through education, culture and parks, and drives balanced regional development.”
Committee Standing Chair Kim Jae-gon said, “The Busan Railway Vehicle Maintenance Depot site is a valuable asset that can change the future of the region,” and added, “We will unite the will of the citizens and continue our civic campaign so the relocation project is not delayed any further.”
“Not a single part of the relocation project has been properly carried out so far. We need to go back to square one and undergo a preliminary feasibility study,” Council member Kim Jae-un said. He added, “Busan City must also stop sitting on the sidelines as it has until now and take a more active role. Beomcheon-dong’s future must begin with tangible change, not more waiting.”
[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter