Gimpo Goldline Adds New Trains: First Set Arrives, Service Targeted for Late December

The first newly built train set for the Gimpo Goldline, the driverless light rail serving a commuter city west of Seoul, arrived at the Gimpo Han River Depot on November 6. Gimpo City plans to put it into passenger service at the end of December after further testing.

From Factory to Track in One Night

Built at Hyundai Rotem's Changwon plant, the train left the factory on November 5 and reached the depot the next day, where a crane lowered the car bodies onto bogies on the track. City officials had carried out final shipment inspections from November 2 to 4, checking documents, parts, interior equipment, safety features and transport readiness.

Next comes a 1,000 km trial run on the depot tracks and main line to confirm that the vehicles work smoothly with the signaling and communication systems. Once all tests are passed, the train enters service.

When the expansion is complete, daily train sets will rise from 29 to 34, cars from 58 to 68, and daily runs from 518 to 524. Peak-hour intervals, which fell from 3 minutes to 2 minutes 30 seconds in 2024, are expected to narrow to the 2 minute 10 second range. The remaining four sets are due by March 2027, so that target will likely be reached around then.

Crowding is still a concern. Average congestion was 215% in October 2023, 187% in October 2024 and 178.5% in March this year, then rose to 183.7% in April. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expects about 170% after the expansion. The project costs 51 billion won, with 15.3 billion won from the national government and 35.7 billion won from local funds. Gimpo has asked Gyeonggi Province for 7.14 billion won in 2027 provincial funding.

Why It Matters

Arrival of the first train shows the project is on schedule, but riders will feel real change only when peak-hour service improves and congestion data confirms it. Provincial funding and a future Seoul Line 5 extension remain key to long-term relief.

Read the original article in Korean: K trendy NEWS