Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday vowed to make sweeping improvements to public transit in the Seoul metropolitan area by announcing a plan for a high-speed commuter train to help ease the congestion between the capital and satellite cities.
Max Lee reports.

Report: During a groundbreaking ceremony of the Great Train eXpress Line C on Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol said that commuting time will be dramatically reduced thanks to the new train.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korean President (Korean-English)]
"Not only will people's commuting times be dramatically reduced, but new jobs will be created along the GTX route, revitalizing the region, and providing new housing in areas near train stations, creating a hyper-connected metropolitan economic living zone."

The first GTX line, Line A connecting Suseo Station in Seoul's Gangnam District to Dongtan Station in Hwaseong 45 kilometers south of the capital, is scheduled to open in March.

Construction of the GTX B Line linking Incheon to Namyangju east of the capital will begin in March for an expected opening in 2030.

The GTX C Line will pass through Uijeongbu and connect Yangju, 29 kilometers north of Seoul to Suwon, just south of the capital.

Lines D, E and F will also be newly constructed with routes from Incheon to Wonju, Incheon to Namyangju and encircling the capital region.

President Yoon said the completion of all GTX lines should reduce the commute between the surrounding area to central Seoul to around 30 minutes, reducing the inconvenience for the public forced to seek residences outside the capital.

He blamed real estate policies from the previous Moon Jae-in administration for causing housing prices to soar, effectively blocking the urban housing supply and leaving home purchasers with no choice but to look beyond Seoul for affordable options.

The president also pledged to expand the high-speed train services to other parts of the country, vowing to push for the establishment of an "x-TX" service with a maximum speed of 180 kilometers per hour in four other metropolitan areas.

These include Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province; Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province; Daejeon, Sejong and the Chungcheong Provinces; and Gwangju and South Jeolla Province.

To further improve the transportation system, Yoon vowed to invest eleven trillion won, or eight-point-two billion U.S. dollars, to speed up delayed projects and establish new bus lanes on expressways while putting additional double-decker electric buses into service.
Max Lee, KBS World Radio News.