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Gangseo Metro Line Selected for Preliminary Feasibility Study, Strengthening North–South Connectivity Following East–West Links in Western Busan

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced today (the 22nd) that the Gangseo Metro Line has been finally selected as a project subject to a preliminary feasibility study by the Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The selection of the Gangseo Line as a preliminary feasibility study project represents a hard-earned achievement on its third attempt, following its inclusion in the “2017 Busan Metropolitan City Urban Rail Network Plan” and subsequent challenges, including a deferred feasibility study application and failure to pass a private investment feasibility review.

Busan Metropolitan City first applied for the Gangseo Line to be designated as a preliminary feasibility study project in August 2017, but the application was put on hold due to the need for route adjustments in line with the Gimhae New Airport plan. Subsequently, in December 2018, the City pursued the first phase of the Gangseo Line as a private investment project, but it failed to pass the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s private investment feasibility review due to insufficient economic viability.

In June last year (2024), the City signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Korea Water Resources Corporation to enhance regional transportation convenience, including the Busan Eco Delta City (EDC) tram (Gangseo Line). This was followed in November this year (2025) by the conclusion of a detailed agreement that includes cost-sharing for the Eco Delta City (EDC) section of the Gangseo Line, amounting to approximately KRW 105 billion. Through these efforts, the City secured momentum for the project by shifting the Eco Delta City (EDC) metropolitan transportation improvement plan from a bus rapid transit (BRT) system to a street-running tram.

The designation of the Gangseo Line as a preliminary feasibility study project is the result of sustained consultations and cooperation with the National Assembly, central government ministries, and Korea Water Resources Corporation, aimed at providing transportation convenience to residents who have faced difficulties due to increased traffic demand and population growth driven by large-scale development projects in western Busan, and at alleviating congestion in public transportation.

The Gangseo Line will run from Daejeo Station (Busan Metro Line 3) in Gangseo-gu through Eco Delta City to Myeongji Ocean City. The project will span a total length of 21.1 kilometers, include 25 stations and three depots, and require a total investment of KRW 725.2 billion.

The line will connect 25 stations from Daejeo Station (Busan Metro Line 3) through Eco Delta City and Myeongji International New Town to Myeongji Ocean City. It will establish transfer connections with five rail lines: Busan Metro Line 3, the Busan–Gimhae Light Rail Transit, the Bujeon–Masan Line, the Hadan–Noksan Line, and the Busan-type Express Rail (BuTX). The Gangseo Line is planned to operate as a street-running tram, a next-generation transportation mode.

※ Gangseo Metro Line

• ●Project period: 2026–2034

• ●Route: Daejeo Station (Busan Metro Line 3) – Eco Delta City – Myeongji International New Town – Myeongji Ocean City

• ●Scale: Street-running tram, total length 21.1 km, 25 stations, three depots

• ●Total project cost: KRW 725.2 billion (National government funding KRW 372.2 billion, City funding KRW 248.0 billion, contributions KRW 105.0 billion)

To enable early expansion of the public transportation network and swift project implementation, Busan Metropolitan City has already allocated KRW 1.0 billion in the 2026 budget for responding to the preliminary feasibility study and establishing the basic plan for the Gangseo Metro Line construction project.

If the Gangseo Line passes the preliminary feasibility study, it will be eligible for national government funding, enabling stable project implementation. It is expected to become a core public transportation facility connecting living zones under the City’s key policy initiative, “15-Minute City Busan.”

In addition, the Gangseo Line will enhance metropolitan accessibility for residents of Gyeongnam and Ulsan by enabling the use of the metro system, serving as a key piece of regional infrastructure supporting the “One-Hour Living Zone in the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam Area.” As a result, Gangseo-gu is expected to emerge as a foundation for balanced regional development and a central hub of the “Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam Megacity.”

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “Following the Hadan–Noksan Line, which connects the east and west of the Gangseo area, the Gangseo Metro Line, which connects the north and south, will complete the western Busan axis of our circular metro network and expand public transportation for the realization of the 15-Minute City Busan initiative. We will concentrate all administrative efforts to ensure that the Gangseo Metro Line construction project passes the preliminary feasibility study and opens on schedule in coordination with surrounding large-scale development projects. Furthermore, we will do our utmost to reduce the fiscal burden by holding additional consultations on cost-sharing with developers of major projects in areas adjacent to the Gangseo Line.”