GOYANG — Work is getting underway to improve the poor transfer system at Daegok Station in Goyang, the largest transit hub in the northwestern Seoul metropolitan area, where five rail lines intersect. Goyang has presented specific alternatives to Korea Railroad Corp. (Korail) and asked for cooperation to ease the inconvenience caused by complicated walkways and stair-based movement.
Goyang said on the 16th that Second Deputy Mayor Oh Hu-seok met Korail CEO Kim Tae-seung at the company's headquarters the previous day and proposed measures to overhaul the transfer system in order to dramatically improve mobility for Daegok Station users.
Daegok Station is Goyang's core rail hub, linking the existing Ilsan Line (Subway Line 3), the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and the Seohae Line, as well as the Great Train Express (GTX)-A and the Suburban Line. But the station has a structural limitation: transferring between lines requires moving through stairs and escalators several times.
Complaints have also persisted because of the long walking distance from the bus stop on Jungang-ro to the rail platforms.
At the meeting, the deputy mayor formally proposed installing dedicated elevators directly connecting the Ilsan Line, Gyeongui-Jungang Line and Seohae Line platforms, along with building a passageway running straight from the Jungang-ro bus stop to the Daegok Station platforms.
If direct elevators to the platforms are introduced, the existing complicated detour routes would be sharply reduced, cutting transfer times significantly and greatly improving mobility for older adults, people with disabilities and other mobility-impaired passengers. A new passageway directly linking Jungang-ro is also expected to strengthen connections between buses and trains, further improving access to Daegok Station as a whole.
The city asked Korail to review the proposals actively and cooperate closely so that the alternatives can be fleshed out and the project can proceed smoothly.
"Because Daegok Station is a key hub where multiple rail networks come together, it is urgent to create a comfortable transfer environment that residents can feel," Oh said. "We will do our best to work continuously with related agencies so that both passengers and mobility-impaired users can use Daegok Station conveniently."