dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 12:48 pm Post subject: Yongin Everline set to finally open April 26th |
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http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2970484
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A total of 1 trillion won ($889.8 million) was spent on the Yongin light rail line transit project, which took six years to complete from 2004 through 2010 and connects to the Seoul subway system.
The project was based on a build-operate-transfer framework, in which the government designated a private entity to design and build the infrastructure with its own finances and later recover its spent finances from operating the system.
The Yongin rail line runs 18.1 kilometers (11.2 miles), connecting 15 stations from Yongin�s Giheung District to the amusement park Everland.
What was initially scheduled to begin operation in 2010 upon the completion of construction was delayed for three more years due to legal disputes between the city government and railway operator Yongin Everline over minimum revenue guarantee and other operational terms.
The city government and the operator have both spent the past two years battling without any improvement efforts on the new railway system, which was left unused even though it has been ready.
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Hopefully this will help some out there connect to the Seoul line and get to Everland, which is the last stop on the line.
It connects to the Bundang Line at Giheung Station though it appears that you will have to walk outside the station and get on the Everline through another station.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverLine_Rapid_Transit_System
http://kojects.com/2013/04/23/yongin-everline-to-finally-open-for-real-this-time/
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Though some thought the day would never come, the Yongin Everline finally opens on April 26 for service following an opening ceremony which begins at 3pm. Using the line will be free all weekend and fares will be collected from April 29. Despite construction on the line being completed almost three years ago in June 2010, plans to open the line were thrown into turmoil after various disputes between Yongin City and YongIn Everline, including the minimum revenue guarantee (MRG) for the project.
Despite the line opening there is not much fanfare, and various articles are popping up in the media outlining problems with the line, doubts from citizens about how useful it will be and whether it will indeed open on the decided date this time. The Joongang Daily reports that passenger estimates have been reduced from an original 161,000 to a mere 32,000. The article also talks of a lack of machines and facilities in stations, though these have often been installed last minute at the opening of metro stations.
One other thing that has been changed right before opening is the name of Gugal Station, which will be renamed Giheung Station to match the Bundang Line station of the same name that is directly next to it. At the moment there is no way to directly transfer, and it is hoped that a path linking the two lines will be completed by the end of the year. It is unclear whether leaving the station may still let you transfer as is the case with lines 1 & 9 at Noryangjin Station.
In a contract with YongIn Everline, Yongin city has agreed to provide financial assistance of 29.5 billion won in operating costs. The city also has plans to procure 300 billion won from Consus Asset Management as a new investor in the next 2-3 months, as well as carrying out a reshuffle of current investors.
While some citizens will be happy that they can finally use their new mode of transport, others want answers and recently at a press conference about the line, a citizen�s group which wants to audit the entire project called for the opening to be cancelled, as well as transparent details of the deal. Some even became violent and had to be held back by security guards as details of the contract were kept private.
Whether the line will continue to be a white elephant remains to be seen, but it will no doubt be a relief for many to finally see the line being used instead of the inactive eyesore it was for so long.
Read more about the YongIn Everline and where it goes in our previous post.
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