Seoul Subway Line 7 Cheongna Extension Delayed by 3–4 Years; Resident Briefing Scheduled for Tomorrow

The Incheon Metropolitan Government has launched on-site inspections and scheduled a resident briefing after the expected opening date for the Seoul Subway Line 7 Cheongna extension was delayed by approximately 3 to 4 years from the original plan.

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae visited the construction site of the third section of the Cheongna extension in Seo-gu on the morning of July 10, 2026, to inspect the progress of the construction and the delivery schedule for the subway trains.

Mayor Park will hold a resident briefing at the Cheongna 3-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Seo-gu on the afternoon of July 11, 2026, to discuss response measures regarding this issue.

Previously, the Incheon mayoral transition committee determined that the first phase of the Line 7 Cheongna extension (Seongnam Station to Cheongna International Business District) would not be able to open until 2030, and the second phase (Cheongna International Business District to Cheongna International City Station) until 2033.

This is 3 to 4 years later than the opening dates announced by the 8th elected Incheon municipal government, which were 2027 for the first phase and 2029 for the second phase. It has been confirmed that construction delays are inevitable due to a combination of factors, including delays in relocating underground facilities, ground subsidence, and the subway train manufacturer filing for corporate rehabilitation.

After receiving a briefing from the Incheon Urban Rail Construction Headquarters, Mayor Park ordered, "We must also explore the possibility of leasing and deploying spare or reserve trains from Seoul Metro" regarding the train delivery issue.

He further urged, "The construction companies for all sections, the construction management teams, and the Incheon city government must work as one team to immediately implement flexible and proactive measures tailored to the situation to minimize inconvenience to citizens."

The Cheongna extension, which began construction in February 2022, is currently being built as a 10.7-kilometer section connecting Seongnam Station, the current Incheon terminus of Line 7, to the Airport Railroad's Cheongna International City Station.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.