Goyang joins Seoul's unlimited transit pass system

The city is the fifth locality outside of Seoul to join the Climate Card scheme, following Incheon, Gimpo, Gunpo and Gwacheon.

A commuter taps in with Climate Card, the capital's unlimited transit pass, to enter a subway station in downtown Seoul on Jan. 28. [NEWS1]

The city of Goyang in Gyeonggi joined the capital’s unlimited transit pass system on Monday.

The city is the fifth locality outside of Seoul to join the Climate Card scheme, following Incheon, Gimpo, Gunpo and Gwacheon.

“Goyang’s participation in the scheme was essential as the number of people commuting between the two cities has been surging due to the development of residential areas in Goyang,” said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Goyang has approximately one million residents, making it the largest Gyeonggi locality close to the capital. The city borders six districts in the capital.

Oh and Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan met at City Hall in downtown Seoul on Monday to sign an agreement on the pass system.

The agreement newly adds 26 subway stations in Goyang to the scheme: 10 stations along subway line No. 3 from Daehwa Station to Samsong Station; 10 stations along the Gyeongui-Jungang Line from Tanhyeon Station to Korea Aerospace University Station; and six stations along Seohae Line from Ilsan Station to Neunggok Station.

Considering that approximately 20 city bus routes traveling to Goyang are already covered by the transit pass, around 150,000 commuters are expected to benefit from the service expansion, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan, left, poses for a photo with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon after signing an agreement to join the capital's unlimited transit pass Climate Card scheme at City Hall in downtown Seoul on Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The Seoul city government said it was already discussing the latest expansion with the state-run train operator Korail and aims to include the additional stations within the first half of the year.

The Seoul mayor added that Goyang’s participation in the scheme would improve transit convenience for residents in northern Gyeonggi and contribute to enhancing intercity transportation cooperation in the metropolitan area.

Goyang’s mayor said participation in the scheme also raises hopes for the megacity initiative, which aims at incorporating neighboring cities into the capital.

“The agreement [to join the transit pass cheme] was not only made for the Climate Card," Goyang Mayor Lee said, sharing his high hopes for the two cities to "enhance cooperation for the megacity initiative."

Along with the Climate Card scheme, currently undergoing a pilot period before its official launch in July, other transit passes, including Gyeonggi’s The Gyeonggi Pass and the Transport Ministry’s K-pass, are expected to kick off in May.

“Commuters will be able to compare the transit pass according to their public transportation use patterns,” Oh said, adding that the capital expects to talk with other Gyeonggi localities about further expanding the Climate Card.

Starting Saturday, the Climate Card will additionally cover the Gimpo Goldline. Gimpo is the first neighboring city to actually implement the scheme after agreeing to join.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]