Leads Yongin Light Railway Transit Project

Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd. is a leading Korean roadway contractor, including the Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) Expressway, parts maker and petrochemical plant developer. Daelim is now playing a leading role in ushering in an era of a light railway transit that will go into operation during 2009 in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Bombardier of Canada, Daelim Industrial and Kyobo Life are participating in the project, a kind of private participation in infrastructure project (PPI). Yongin LRT Co., the concessionaire of the project, began construction in December 2005, and the project is sailing smooth with the current progress standing at 45 percent complete as of the end of April.
Currently, 15 light railway transit projects are under development or planned in Gyenggi Province. But the Yongin LRT project is the sole one which just had its groundbreaking event. The project calls for the construction of a 18.4 km-long light railway system that will have 15 stations, including the starting point of Gugal Station in Giheung and the last station in Jeondae Station.
If and when the light railway transit is completed, it is expected to bring benefits like the spread of traffic volumes in such chronic bottleneck areas like the Dongbaek District-Everland section. The railway system will be operated at an interval of two to four minutes, and it will take 30 minutes to travel from the first station to the last station. The system, which will open in 2009, is expected to transport 140,000 people daily.
The light railway transit is eco-friendly with the use of electric power, which does not cause pollution and the ride is excellent due to less noise and vibration. The light railway transit, which allows steep inclinations and curves, can cut down on construction costs by 40 percent compared to usual subway systems. It can be operated one-fifth the cost of usual subway systems due to the operation of an automated guide way transit system.
Besides, the construction of the Yongin LRT is forecast to create new commercial and business centers around LRT substations, thus contributing to balanced development of the district. nw

chairman Lee Yong-koo