When Incheon International Airport opened in 2001, it did seem to be a long way out of Seoul. Built on reclaimed land and an island whose name seems to translate into English as "long runway," it gave its first observers the impression of being out at sea. The first planes to take off at the launch ceremony held March 29th of that year -- prior to operational opening -- did so into a cold, thick mist which obscured them within seconds of lift-off from the gathered spectators. It took a lot of faith and optimism to believe that the airport was going to be a great success.
Six years on and a string of major awards for design, comfort, operational efficiency and passenger approval behind it, Incheon is now giving the lie to those pessimists who complained from the start that no thought had been given to ease of access between the metropolitan area and its airport. Not that there has been a problem with transportation. The Incheon International Airport Expressway has been proved to have completely adequate capacity, with no congestion and with journey times averaging 40 minutes from city center to terminal. If it were not for the speed cameras, that time would probably be considerably shortened!
However, no major airport should be without a fast and inexpensive alternative to car, bus and taxi transportation. Incheon can now claim to have its own rail alternative.
The Airport Express -- or Arex train -- linking Incheon Airport with the city of Seoul is a bright, clean and easy way to travel, proving to be cheap, fast and convenient.
The only problem, for the moment, is that it doesn't take passengers all the way to downtown Seoul. The first leg, which was opened to the traveling public on March 23rd of this year, links Incheon Airport with Gimpo (formerly Kimpo) Airport. This is certainly a boon for travelers switching between domestic and international flights, since Gimpo is the busiest domestic airport in Korea. Moreover, it will not be too long before the second phase, to Seoul Station, is complete, since construction is proceeding apace.
SAFETY FIRST
The Gimpo Arex station is directly connected to the Line 5 station of the Seoul Subway system. Line 9, when completed, will also stop at the same station. Do not make the mistake of looking for it beneath the domestic terminal, as this writer was mis-directed to do, since it is a long walk to the international terminal. Ticket issuing machines are easy to use and have instructions in four languages: Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. The station is built in a huge underground cavern, supported by massive pillars in an impressive example of engineering and design. Access doors from the platform are aligned with the train doors for perfect safety while announcements both in the station and on the train are also in the same four languages.
This writer traveled on the "commuter" service, which runs every twelve minutes and takes just over half an hour from end to end. The carriages are laid out with side seating and lots of standing room, just like Seoul subway trains. In hot weather the air conditioning is a welcome cooling experience. The carriages are linked with wide gangways so movement up and down the train to find a seat presents no problem. The ride is very stable and quiet, even though the train accelerates to speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.
Commuter trains provide service to four intermediary stations on the line. Stops at Gyeyang, Geom-am, Unseo, and Incheon Air Cargo Terminal last for less than a minute at each station, so the commuter train is almost as quick as the Express service, which takes 28 minutes for the nonstop transit between the airports. This gives the traveler the chance to avoid having to pass through a central hub when he has a local destination or origin. For example, Gyeyang links directly into the Incheon City Subway system, as will Geomam when the Incheon Line 2 is completed.
On the day this writer traveled, midweek, midmorning, there were, frankly, not many passengers. Most were not, apparently, bound to or from flights but were probably on their way to work at the airports or in the vicinity. No doubt usage will increase once the remainder of the project, linking Gimpo to Seoul Station, is completed, which is due to happen by January 2010.
Crossing the 4.5-kilometer combined road and rail bridge across to Yeongjong Island, on which Incheon Airport is built, gives the rail passenger a clear, unobstructed view of the waterway below and across to Incheon City, a vista which is not available to the motor traffic on the expressway, due to the high barriers at the roadside. On the mainland stretch, one also has a good view of the construction work for the ambitious Kyung-In Han River-to-Sea Canal, which will, one day, provide another means of transport into and out of Seoul.
ARCHES & CURVES
Information during the journey is provided by announcement in all four languages through a high-quality sound system as well as by TV screens that display Korean and international news programming and flight departure information. An electronic indicator also shows the current position along the journey and indicates proportional distances between stations.
The architecture of Incheon Airport has won many plaudits for its style and the pleasant experience it gives to users. Until now, though, most travelers will not have taken the short walk across one of the three bridges that link the airport to the Arex terminal, an integral part of design of the whole complex. It is spacious, with soaring steel structures, arches and curves, making it almost a worthwhile destination in itself. There is even an all-weather interior garden, high above the busy travelers, where one can take a moment to relax and commune with nature.
For the time being, the express trains run only once per hour. The journey time between airports is only a little faster than the commuter trains for the current 40-kilometer stretch, but the difference will be greater when the full 61 kilometers are open. Eventually, the journey from Incheon to Seoul Station will take only 40 minutes by Express service and 50 minutes taking the commuter train.
Current fares are very reasonable -- just 3,100 won on the commuter train. For a full express fare of 7,900 won, passengers enjoy not just a non-stop ride, but also travel in comfort on airline-style seats in a 2+2 face-to-back configuration. All 272 seats are pre-reserved so there will be no standing passengers. Laptop power sockets are also available and Luggage can be stored in overhead racks. Once the planned check-in facility at Seoul Station is open, checked luggage will be carried on the same train in a sealed baggage area occupying half of one carriage.
For the time being, a special discount will allow passengers to travel on the luxury express service for the same price as the commuter train -- just 3,100 won. But this is only available till the end of this year!
INTEGRATED SYSTEM
The new service is already making changes to the travel patterns of the citizens of Seoul and Incheon. When the new airport was first open, many complained that the only access was by the toll-road, making it expensive for those who needed to commute daily for their jobs. Now the costs have come down to reasonable levels thanks to the rail service, with a minimum fare between stations of just 900 won.
The second phase will add three more intermediary stops between Gimpo and Seoul Station, accessible only by the commuter train version. Each of these three is strategically placed with links to the Seoul Subway network, again helping passengers to avoid having to go via the central hub for every journey. The new connections will be at Digital Media City, the exciting high-tech cluster close to the Seoul World Cup Stadium, at Hongik University . an area of student activity -- and at Gongdeok, which is one of the main transit stations in the subway system.
This careful planning means that travelers can look forward, in just over two years' time, to an integrated air-rail transit system which will give direct access for international travelers to up to nine different subway lines as well as to the mainline and high-speed KTX routes from Seoul Station.
The terminus next to the existing Seoul Station's rear entrance is for the moment only a hole in the ground with a swarm of activity around it. It is just next to the access for the station's multi-story car park, and one must hope that adequate provision will be given to accommodate the additional cars that may arrive as a result of the new facility.
The total cost of the build-transfer-operate (BTO) Arex project is just under 4 trillion won, or some US$4.2 billion. As such, it is one of the largest private investment projects in Korea, with a 30-year concession granted to a special purpose company, the Incheon International Airport Railroad Co. The company has 11 shareholders, all Korean, with the lead being taken by Hyundai Engineering and Construction. Project management consultation is being provided by Bechtel of the United States. A project management and equipment supply contract worth 400 million euros was awarded to a Korean/French consortium comprising Rotem, Alstom and Eukorail, a Korean subsidiary of Alstom of France. Rotem, a member of the Hyundai Motor Group, is providing the rolling stock, while Alstom, in conjunction with Eukorail, is responsible for system engineering and integration, plus providing the track's signaling equipment.
COOPERATION IN LOGISTICS & INFRASTRUCTURE
One of the satisfying aspects of building a new project is the opportunity to apply the latest technology and thus get things right the first time. With the state-of-the-art signaling package, continuous track-to-train communication and detection systems this means that safety and punctuality are assured as much as is currently humanly possible.
Incheon City will host the Asian Games in 2014. Well before then the system will be complete, so that rail travel will be a real alternative to road transportation. The Second Incheon Airport Bridge will also be open by that time, making the journey to Incheon City and New Songdo City just a quick flit across the ocean. All of these projects have involved Korean talent and foreign expertise in a successful partnership. Others, such as the US$43-million people-mover system, being supplied by a Japanese/Korean consortium, linking the new Second Terminal at Incheon Airport, are further examples of cooperation in the logistics and infrastructure area.
Finally, with another boon for train lovers, a rapid transit system, fully automated with driverless trains, is to be built to connect the Seoul subway, Yongin City and the popular theme park Everland to the south of the capital in Gyeonggi Province. It will stretch over 19 kilometers and is due for completion by 2009. Costing some US$600 million, and built by Bombardier of Canada the company's advanced rapid transit technology, the project is also a BTO concession, this time awarded for 35 years.
These projects point to real alternatives to automobile use, with obvious ramifications for the relif of traffic congestion in the capital area. The participation of foreign investment and technology underscores the new avenues of opportunity opening up in mass-transit, a sign of the continuing development and evolution of the Korean economy and society.
