Ahn Byung-yong, the Democratic Party candidate for mayor of Uijeongbu, unveiled a transportation plan centered on extending Line 8 and reviving the project to put the railroad underground.
On the 10th at 2 p.m., Ahn held a news conference in the city hall briefing room to roll out his \"Five Major Rapid Transit Plans.\" He said he will push to include an extension of Line 8—from Gosan through Minrak and Eoryong to Uijeongbu Station via Byeollae Station—in the national rail network development plan.
To improve transit convenience, he pledged to expand express-bus service and shorten headways for metropolitan buses. His road network proposals include completing the Surak–Buyongsan tunnel, expanding the light-rail system, and pursuing a loop route. Asked about the feasibility of the light-rail project given the city's finances, Ahn said, \"We handed over detailed cost estimates, construction scales, and implementation methods to the current administration, but they did not carry out the plan.\"
He also criticized the suspension of the rail-undergrounding project. \"The national government requested plan submissions without asking localities to shoulder the costs, but Uijeongbu was the only city in the province that did not submit one,\" Ahn said. \"I understand they did not prepare for the project because they lacked the 3 billion KRW consulting fee (about 2.25 million USD).\" He vowed, \"If elected, I will restart the rail-undergrounding project,\" and stressed, \"I will relieve chronic traffic congestion in Uijeongbu and give citizens back an hour on their daily commutes.\"
/Uijeongbu = Writing and photos by reporter Lee Kyung-joo kjlee@incheonilbo.com
