By Na Jeong-ju
The extended subway line between Gangnam Station in southern Seoul and Jeongja Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province will start service in September after more than six years of construction, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Thursday.
The 17.3-kilometer-long double-track section will enable passengers to travel between the two stations in 16 minutes, reducing rush-hour traffic significantly in the densely-populated, chronically-jammed areas, the ministry said.
Some 1.23 trillion won has been invested since 2005 to complete the section through a public-private partnership. Considering the investment from private firms, the basic fare has been set at 1,600 won ($1.5), which is higher than 900 won for most existing subway lines.
For the first time ever, the government adopted an unmanned operation system for the trains that will run on the Gangnam-Jeongja line.
The trains will be remote-controlled to leave, stop then open and close the doors for passengers by a fully-computerized system. Only one engineer will be aboard each train to handle emergency situations, according to the ministry.