Waaaaay out in Chuncheon today (Kim Yu Jeon Station, to be exact), I found this Seoul subway map on the trail platform. It had a curious addition missing from the maps I’ve seen in Bundang. You guessed it: The Sin Bundang Line! I’m just glad the residents in the deepest reaches of Northeast Seoul will find it useful.
The purple-ish line running vertically from top to bottom is the future route of the Sin Bundang Line.
It may not be fully visible to readers, but the stops along the Sin Bundang Line had yet to be numbered when it was added to the map as a “future route.” However, some of you may recall that the new station exits in Jeongja are numbered D12, while the original station currently in use is K230.
As I wrote last week, I really want to know what’s up with the new station exits — are they for an entirely new station or will Jeongja Station be expanded in the future to connect both lines?
Also on the topic, reader Faith Walpole writes:
this is the gossip I have received about the new line; it will eventually go to ori and suwon. well the ppl in migeum are pissed and have been signing petitions to get it to stop at migeum (um do we need a definition of ‘express’) there was even a petition in my building! so now there is a big fight about it which has delayed the opening!
Faith’s information is corroborated by a student of mine, who told me she has seen angry signs around Migeum station. I’ll have more on this in the near future.
As far as I can tell through research online, there are no formally announced plans to take the Sin Bundang line through Suwon, although the Yellow Line is planned to extend there and connect to Line 4. Either the people circulating the petitions are sorely misinformed or they know something the rest of us don’t. Either is possible.
I did find an entertaining thread over at Dave’s ESL Cafe on the topic. Long story short: It’s just a lot of speculation and nobody knows anything unless they can read Korean.
About the map: Apologies for the poor photo quality. It had been posted for so long that the colors faded. I had to pull them out by dialing up the contrast and saturation.
–Daniel Daugherty
Filed under Daily Life, News
When looking for decent Western food in Korea, the severity of the Konglish in a restaurant’s name is inversely proportional to the quality of its food. I’m glad to report that HOTPLACE Burrito N Bowls, located in Jeongja-dong, breaks this rule. I’m even happier to note that it’s a proper burrito joint in the tradition of Chipotle.
They have a limited menu — burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, and a salad — but a focus on quality. Even by American burrito standards, it’s pretty good. By American-in-Korea standards, it’s above and beyond any other Mexican/Tex-Mex I’ve had in this country. Sorry Dos Tacos.
On my first trip I had the barbacoa burrito, made with spiced beef brisket, while my buddy had chicken. Aside from the lettuce — at least it wasn’t cabbage — all the ingredients were real, normal burrito ingredients, including long-grain rice and pinto beans, topped off with salsa, giving it the perfect combination of flavor and heat.
My next trip, I got the veggie. Instead of meat, they give you a lot of guacamole and some black olives for flavor. They also add a mix of corn and onions, which give it a sweeter taste than the barbacoa.
My only complaint about the place is they skimp on the cheese. Then again, at KRW7,000, the prices are as fair as they come for decent foreign food.
Why haven’t you heard of it? Two reasons: Location and poor marketing. As a result, both times I’ve ventured into the place, I found the dining area completely deserted. This is a problem because their rent is probably high and I have a feeling they’re going to have to close shop. The staff seem a little too happy to see me.
If you haven’t been there yet, hurry up before they go under!
From Jeongja Station take exit 3 or 4 and walk westward (away from the river) to the Intelli Building. You will see a building with a sky bridge over the street. Cross the street (or take the sky bridge) and you’ll find it on the second floor. See the map below for clarification.
HOTPLACE Burrito N Bowls:
Go West from the station to the next major road, and it's in the building on the far lefthand side of the page
–Daniel Daugherty
Filed under Daily Life, Reviews
The new Exit 5 at Jeongja Station silently awaits foot traffic.
Speculation abounds regarding the Sin Bundang Line, a new express subway connecting Jeongja directly to Gangnam in Seoul. Posters touting the new line brag that it will complete the trip in 17 minutes(!) but I originally heard much higher figures. Either way, I’m sure the affluent residents of Pangyo will be pleased to finally have a station in their neighborhood.
Nobody really seems to know when it’s set to begin service, though. The best I can find is an unattributed line at Wikipedia: ” Construction started in mid-2005, for revenue start in Sep 2011.” I’d previously heard December 2011, so this is exciting news.
Interesting that the station number is a different color from the Yellow used on Bundang Line stations.
My excitement reached even higher levels when I saw the new station entrances gaping open just a couple blocks north of Jeongja Station. I’m confused though, because these entrances also say “Jeongja” on them and continue the entrance/exit numbering system where the others left off.
I thought it might be a whole other station, because in Jeongja Station there are currently no signs of expansion or construction. Then again, maybe getting the line up and running is the first priority. Connecting or expanding stations can be done later, I guess, but it does make me think that September is just wishful thinking.
Another reason for skepticism about September is that the subway maps don’t show even a dotted line to indicate a future route, the way they did for the new Incheon Airport connection and others.
And it looks like this project may be way behind schedule, which makes me think guessing a date is a waste of time. From Urbanrail.net’s Seoul Metro page:
The proposed Sin Bundang Line Rail Project is a 19.3km rail transit line running in a north-south direction linking the Gangnam area with Jeongja in the Bundang residential district. The proposed alignment passes through 6 stations, i.e. Gangnam, Yangjae, Poi, Cheonggye, Pangyo and Jeongja. It intersects with 2 existing lines at Gangnam and Yangjae. An existing Bundang Maintenance depot, owned by KNR and located approximately 1km south of Jeongja Station, is to be used for the SBL Project rolling stock maintenance. The SBL Line signal system shall be based on state-of-the-art communications-based train control (CBTC) technology, utilizing two-way digital inductive loop communications between intelligent trains, and wayside equipment, and a network of ATS/ATO computers designed for very high system reliability and availability. Construction starts in Mid-2005, for revenue start in Jan 2010. (Emphasis mine)
If you want to add to the speculation, or have more reliable information, we appreciate comments.
–Daniel Daugherty
Filed under Daily Life, News
It’s summertime, and that means monsoon season in Korea. The rain has been nonstop for more than a week. Today the rain came down harder than usual and the Tancheon River overflowed, flooding the park along its banks.
It was pretty harmless, but it was cool to look out at the river from my workplace above Jeongja Station and see the place where I ride my bike and have picnics completely under water.
Google and WordPress still don’t like to play nice together, so click the link below to view the pictures in a new browser tab.
 |
| Tancheon Flood |
–Daniel Daugherty
Filed under Daily Life, News
Jen Pace
Daniel Daugherty
