Construction on the Gwangmyeong section of the Sinansan Line double-track railway, which had been suspended following an underground tunnel collapse in April of last year, is set to resume as early as next month.

Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province, announced today (August 18) that POSCO E&C, the contractor, will soon finalize the approval process with relevant government ministries regarding the restoration design plan for Section 5-2 of the Sinansan Line in Iljik-dong and plans to resume construction sometime next month.

Ahead of the resumption of construction, the city will hold a "Joint Declaration Ceremony for Citizen Safety" this afternoon at City Hall, together with resident representatives from Iljik-dong and POSCO E&C, pledging safe construction and management throughout the entire process until the completion of the Sinansan Line.

Attendees at the ceremony, including Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seung-won, Kim Kwang-woong, a resident representative for the single-family housing area in Yangji Village, Iljik-dong, and the head of POSCO E&C's Sinansan Line business division, will sign the joint declaration.

Previously, on April 11 of last year, an underground tunnel construction site and the upper roadway collapsed in Section 5-2 of the Sinansan Line in Iljik-dong, resulting in one worker's death and serious injuries to another.

Construction was completely halted immediately after the accident, and the city has formed the "Sinansan Line Citizen Safety Public-Private Consultative Body," involving resident representatives and others, to monitor the progress of the restoration process and prevent recurrence.

(Photo: Yonhap News)