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Reported by Jungwon Shin, Irmuun
Edited by Rosangela Buono
INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA - Incheon International Airport Corporation has temporarily stopped its operation of the Incheon Airport Maglev Line since July 2022. The suspension of the Maglev Line is due to its low profitability. The authorities and citizens are still discussing when and how to reopen its operation.
Incheon Airport Maglev Line began its service in 2016 to connect Incheon Airport Terminal 1 with tourist spots along the western part of Yeongjong and Yongyu Island. Yeongjong and Yongyu Island became one island after the land reclamation work to build the airport. Officials in the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority have been trying to make the new island ‘the best place for the global tourism industry’. The Maglev Line was planned to stop at hotels, resorts and beaches in the region.
The Maglev Line service has been operated by Incheon International Airport Corporation(IIAC), Korea’s public enterprise managing the nation’s largest Incheon airport and its related facilities. Around 450 billion Korean won including Korea’s national budget, Incheon Metropolitan City’s budget and IIAC’s budget is spent to build the service. For more than 6 years, despite the service being free of charge, its utilization rate was only 16%. Its high cost and low profit caused public concern of its low profitability.
The Maglev Line was planned to serve foreign tourists and local residents. However, according to the Korean government’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, more than 8 in 10 foreign tourists travelling to Korea head to Seoul. Excluding those to Seoul and other 15.6% to Busan, foreign tourists in Korea have low possibility to travel Incheon. Most of the local residents in the island live in the eastern part, which makes the Maglev Line even more unusable.
At all currently closed stations of the Maglev Line, IIAC posted public announcements that the train operation is temporarily closed due to the Railway Safety Law, adding that the closed period would be until July 31st, 2024. Korea’s Railway Safety Law requires all metropolitan transits to receive heavy maintenance every three years. IIAC went against the law, which made them unable to operate the Maglev Line service.
The service is currently registered as a ‘metropolitan transit’. Incheon City officials are planning to change the service into a ‘tramway system’. Then, the service only has to follow the Tranway Transportation Act and Traffic Safety Act. These two laws have lighter maintenance requirements and less service frequency than the Railway Safety Law.
However, Yeongjong and Yongyu Island residents want the service to keep its metropolitan transit status. Local residents’ association issued a joint statement demanding for the service to resume and for the authorities to push ahead with the Phase 2 construction from Yongyu Station to Inspire Resort. At first, the Maglev Line was planned to connect the Airport Terminal 1 not only with the southwestern part of the island but also with the northwestern part of it. One of the members of the online community ‘People living in Yeongjong International City’ left the comment saying “Unconditional operation is the way for residents”, with another member adding “400 billion has been used for a vain effort”.
The authorities still did not decide on the Maglev Line’s future. Junyoung Bae, Korea’s National Assembly member for Incheon’s Jung-gu area including Yeongjong and Yongju Island, said that officials will carry on the discussion on this issue. IICA officials declined to comment on when and how the Maglev Line service will reopen, adding that “we are still in a discussion on this matter.”
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