A couple of years ago I started writing a post about renovations and construction of a new station building and overbridge taking place at one of Seoul’s busiest stations Sindorim Station. Unfortunately in the craziness of moving from Korea it never got published. Since the project was completed a couple of weeks ago, it turns out that it hasn’t been much of a success so I thought I’d resurrect it.

Back at the beginning of 2013, Sindorim Station was undergoing some heavy renovations both inside and above ground. These included a new overhead walkway, station entrances for Line 1, platform extensions and a new station building. Outside the station a design (seen below) of the supposed finished product was put on display showing a shiny new glass building stretching across the tracks.

Construction on this particular project has been taking place since 2011 and caused major disruptions to the station such as as closing off parts of stairways, making things worse for a station already bursting at the seams. Having had the experience of using the station on a daily basis myself, I was really looking forward to seeing some measures to relieve and disperse some of the crowds.



New Station Building, Overpass and Entrances for Line 1

Originally Sindorim Station had no direct entrance to Line 1 platforms from ground level despite the line being above ground. This meant that all passengers entering the station to use Line 1 had to go underground and use the stairways to get up to Line 1 while often fighting the crowds transferring between lines 1 and 2. Below is one of the original designs and how it has turned out.

The new station building for Line 1 is surprisingly big. It stretches across the entire station and has three new entrances, two which are located in the park next to D Cube City on the main road (Gyeongin-ro) and one at what would be considered the rear. These all opened to the public on May 23 and the project was officially completed on June 1 with the hope that the new design would take some of the pressure off, especially during peak hour periods.

The design on display during construction.

And here is how it turned out:



The Problem

According to several articles including this one from OhmyNews, the new station building and entrances are barely being used by anyone — even at peak times, the writer noting that they only saw a few people using the new overpass.

The reasons for this are actually a combination of factors.

– Entrances aren’t any closer

Whether you’re visiting the station for the first time or a regular commuter, if approaching the station from the outside then you’re likely going to run into an existing Line 2 entrance or use the escalator in front of D Cube city which connects with subway before encountering any of the new entrances. If it’s pouring down during monsoon season or a bitterly cold winter morning, I know that I’d definitely be using the closest entry point I could find.

For those exiting the station the story isn’t any different. Many commuters are continuing to use the same exits as they did previously, despite signs encouraging Line 1 commuters to use the new ones. One of the reasons for this is that using the new overpass to exit the station actually takes longer than using the existing underground ones. An important factor if you’re running to catch a bus or just late to work!

– A Transfer Station

According to Seoul Metro, in 2014 the station averaged 67,774 passengers a day. A majority of these passengers (and the reason for the major congestion in the station) are commuters coming in every morning on Line 1 from the surrounding provinces of Incheon, Gyeonggi and even Chungcheong who then transfer to Line 2 on their way to other parts of Seoul. Of course this then takes place again in the evening as everyone heads home.

Even for passengers who do get off at Sindorim Station, most are often heading to D Cube City, Emart or Technomart — all of which are directly connected to the subway station underground. Of course those alighting at Sindorim to transfer to buses are more likely to use the existing underground path for the other reasons outlined above.



So what now?

Well there is nothing concrete really. It may take time for some commuters to change their habits and begin using the overpass more but even if they do, this still won’t solve the huge crowds of people transferring between lines. It will be interesting to see how Korail and Seoul Metro try and convince commuters to use the new facilities and how they will try and further relieve pressure within the station overall.

45 billion won was invested in the project over the last four years which was carried out by Daebo Construction, a firm which has previous experience with other rail related projects. Shops, businesses and even government departments are moving into space in the new station building which has three floors. It’s unknown what the third floor will be used for at this stage.



A Station with a Reputation

Sindorim is well known and one of those stations that many Seoul residents try to avoid if they can, especially during peak hours. Unfortunately for many, that’s not an option.

It’s famous for being one of the most crowded subway stations during commuting hours, mainly owing to the fact that it is connected to the popular Line 2, where hundreds of thousands of people transfer as they ride in from the wider metropolitan area. If you’ve ever transferred at the station during the morning commute, you will know how suffocating and somewhat scary it can be when stuck in a crowd of workers rushing down the stairs in hopes of catching the next train (or even the one after that if you’re lucky).

The new Line 1 station hasn’t been the only construction taking place. Renovations all through the station have been taking place for many years. What was previously a fairly grungy looking station compared to most other ones in Seoul, now has new white panels that cover up much of dirty brick walls from when the station was first opened in 1984. While many other stations were upgraded in recent years, especially on Line 2, it seemed like forever before it was Sindorim’s turn. This was most probably due to the logistics of refurbishing Korea’s busiest station in terms of human traffic.

Commuters became accustomed to the station being a constant construction zone, compounded by the other major buildings going up around it over that time. Sindorim became even busier with the openings of Technomart, Emart and D Cube City, which are all connected directly to the station underground. As shoppers and hotel guests began to use the station more, the atmosphere inside the station also began changing from being primarily a transfer hub.

Sindorim Station is also well known in popular culture due to the lyrics of popular song “Purple Heart” by rock band Jaurim which talks about doing a stripshow in the station. In 2006 comedian Yoo Sang-mu actually did one!

Sources: OhMyNews | AsiaE | Asia Today | NamuWiki