Korea approves twelfth revision of Great Train Express A rail plan

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approved on 2 October 2026 the twelfth revision of the implementation plan for the Metropolitan Great Train Express Line A (GTX-A) private investment project, published in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21333 under ministry notice No. 2026-526. The revision redraws the land to be acquired and used and re-phases construction on the 46.042-kilometre line, which keeps six stations and a total private investment cost of 1.7021 trillion won. It affects residents of Paju, Goyang and Seoul, and leaves the remaining land compensation running until 31 December 2027.

The approval rests on Article 15(1) of the Act on Public-Private Partnerships in Infrastructure and Article 16 of its enforcement decree, together with Article 9 of the Act on Construction of Railways and Maintenance of Railway Facilities. The notice also cites Article 15(2) of the public-private partnership act, Articles 30 and 32 of the National Land Planning and Utilization Act, Article 12 of the railway construction act and Article 8 of the Framework Act on Land Use Regulation. The gazette lists the earlier amending notices, from No. 2018-932 of 31 December 2018 to No. 2025-869 of 30 December 2025.

Smaller footprint, staged opening

The project area shrinks slightly overall, with a shift from outright acquisition towards sectional surface rights.

• Acquisition: 281,278.9 ㎡ → 280,615.3 ㎡ (down 663.6 ㎡)
• Sectional surface rights: 648,256.7 ㎡ → 648,530.7 ㎡ (up 274.0 ㎡)
• Temporary use: 162,771.5 ㎡ (unchanged)
• Total: 1,092,307.1 ㎡ → 1,091,917.5 ㎡ (down 389.6 ㎡)

Track, electric power facilities, signalling and communications are all revised for phased opening, while the architectural works change to install indoor air-quality measuring devices in the stations.

Six stations from Paju to Seoul Station

The line keeps 46 km 042 of route, six stations, 28 ventilation shafts, a 42 km 635 main tunnel and a 217,816.0 ㎡ depot at Paju’s Yeondasan-dong. The promoter is SG Rail Co., Ltd. (에스지레일주식회사), based in Goyang; compensation is handled by the ministry and the Korea Real Estate Board, and the Korea National Railway is project manager.

• Unjeong Jungang (Paju, Dongpae-dong): 7 underground floors, 11,092.36 ㎡
• KINTEX (Goyang, Daehwa-dong): 7 underground floors, 11,570.81 ㎡
• Daegok (Goyang, Daejang-dong): surface station cut from 21,913.80 ㎡ to 21,001.00 ㎡ of site and from 10,755.30 ㎡ to 10,373.03 ㎡ of floor area; underground station 9,524.09 ㎡
• Changneung (Goyang, Yongdu-dong): 9 underground floors, 18,873.52 ㎡
• Yeonsinnae (Seoul, Galhyeon-dong): 8 underground floors, 11,762.26 ㎡
• Seoul Station (Seoul, Bongnae-dong 2-ga): 3 underground floors, 12,455.62 ㎡

Timetable and compensation

• Main line: 66 months from the start of construction on 27 December 2024, then 30 years of operation
• Changneung station: 72 months from 28 December 2024
• Follow-up works for the opening of Samsung Station: until that station opens
• Remaining land compensation: until 31 December 2027

Public facilities handed over

The notice lists public works to be transferred or ceded, including irrigation channels, farm roads and the Daegok pumping station to the Korea Rural Community Corporation, military positions to the Ministry of National Defense, ticket gates at Daegok to the Korea Railroad Corporation, and gates and staff rooms at Seoul Station and Yeonsinnae to Seoul Metro.

The revision matters to commuters in Paju, Goyang and Seoul because it locks in a staged opening rather than a single launch, and to landowners because the acquisition schedule now runs to the end of 2027. The stated aim remains to link the three cities’ main hubs within 30 minutes.

Source: 관보 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea), No. 21333, 2 October 2026, Notices section, p. 170 (official reference: 국토교통부고시 제2026-526호).