New additions expected to improve congestion for line no. 2 between Unyeon Station in Namdong-gu and Geomdan-Oryu Station in Seo-gu
Relief is on the way to save Incheon Metro Line No. 2, which runs from Unyeon Station in Namdong-gu to Geomdan-Oryu Station in Seo-gu, from its chronic congestion problem.
Starting on December 9,the Metropolitan City Government is adding six newly assembled trains to Incheon Metro Line No. 2.
▲ Starting on December 9,the Metropolitan City Government is adding six newly assembled trains to Incheon Metro Line No. 2. The new trains are expected to further alleviate the congestion of Incheon Metro Line No. 2.
Since its opening in 2016, Incheon Metro Line No. 2 has been a workhorse for people across Incheon, serving 49.93 million passengers in total. There were, however, calls for countermeasures to alleviate congestion during rush hour as the city’s population grew over the years.
Accordingly, from 2018 to 2022, Incheon invested KRW 42.5 billion to improve the capacity of Incheon Metro Line No. 2. The City Government assembled six new trains and upgraded the subway system with new electrical wires, tracks, signals, and communication equipment.
▲ With the introduction of new trains, trains on Line No. 2 will arrive at stations 24 seconds quicker, from 3 minutes and 20 seconds to 2 minutes and 56 seconds.
With the introduction of these new trains, the total number of trains in service will go from 37 (74 cars) to 43 (86 cars), trains will run more often from 460 times a day to 477 times a day (17 times more), and trains will arrive at stations 24 seconds faster, going from 3 minutes and 20 seconds to 2 minutes and 56 seconds (during rush hour). Moreover, in the case of the Gajeong Jungang Market-Seoknam(Haseon) section, peak congestion during rush hour was 149.8%. This will drop by approximately 15% once the new trains come on line.
The City Government expects that residents of Namdong-gu and Seo-gu as well as Incheon citizens using Metro Line 2 will feel much more comfortable using the subway system.
Meanwhile, Incheon also hosted a test ride event for the new trains at Unyeon Vehicle Depot on December 6 with more than 50 officials in attendance to promote the addition of new trains in Incheon and to congratulate officials at the Incheon Transportation Corporation for their hard work.
