Great Train eXpress (GTX) is a higher-speed

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

network in the

Seoul Metropolitan Area The Seoul Metropolitan Area (Sudogwon; , ) or Gyeonggi (region), Gyeonggi region (), is the metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, located in north-western South Korea. Its population of 26 million (as of 2024) is ranked ...

project consisting of three separate lines, named GTX-A, GTX-B and GTX-C, and scheduled for completion in 2030. Three other lines, named GTX-D, GTX-E and GTX-F are being planned.

GTX-A

The GTX-A, officially Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Line A, is a higher-speed commuter railway line operating in two sections in Seoul, South Korea. Inside of GTX-A Car

Groundbreaking for GTX Line A was held on December 27, 2018, with service initially expected to commence in 2023. However, the project has been officially delayed due to land compensation issues and the discovery of archaeological ruins dating from the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period. The line currently runs in two separate sections - Dongtan to Suseo and Unjeongjungang to

Seoul Station Seoul Station () is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of m ...

. Suseo, Seongnam, and Dongtan stations were opened on March 30, 2024, with Guseong Station opening later on June 29, 2024. The section between Unjeongjungang and Seoul Station opened on December 28, 2024. The connection between Seoul Station and Suseo is anticipated to open in August 2026. Samseong Station has been further delayed and will not open until 2028.

Operation

Approximately of the line are expected to share the same rail as the SRT, and an additional towards the western end of the route are expected to be completely underground. Trains operate at around three to four services per hour in each direction in the southern section with anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes between services. Meanwhile, the northern section operates at six services per hour per direction with ten minutes between services. Each GTX-A train has a capacity of 1,090 passengers.

GTX-B

Construction of GTX Line B commenced on March 7, 2024. It is planned to be completed by 2030.

GTX-C

Construction of GTX Line C commenced on January 25, 2024. It is planned to be completed by 2028. According to the latest plans and following the selection of a preferred bidder for the construction of this line, two additional stations,

Indeogwon Station Indeogwon Station () is a metro station on the Seoul Subway Line 4 located in Gwanyang-dong, Dongan-gu, Anyang, at the Indeogwon-sageori. Due to the station's relative closeness to Poil-dong in the neighboring city of Uiwang Uiwang (; ) is a c ...

and Wangsimni Station are likely to be added to the line.

Additional plans for other lines

Plans for a Line D were announced in 2021 by the previous government. However, the proposed route faced a lot of opposition, and has not been approved yet. The new government of

Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon Suk Yeol (; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor who served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022 until Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, he was removed from office in 2025. The shortest-serving ...

has pledged to build three new lines (Lines D, E and F), for which the routes have not been decided yet, but which would likely include plans for a longer Line D than the one announced by the previous government. Plans for a Line G and H that will expand to the northern and southwestern regions of Gyeonggi Province have also been announced.

Criticism

Critics argue that GTX project would increase the social and economic centripetal force towards

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

leading to increased primacy and the collapse of other provincial cities.

Notes

References

External links

SG Rail – official website
{{South Korea rapid transit Higher-speed rail Rapid transit in South Korea Rail transport in Seoul Proposed railway lines in Asia Proposed public transport in South Korea Underground commuter rail Proposed transport infrastructure in South Korea