The third-longest tunnel in the world has opened, after the 57-kilometer Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland and the 54-kilometer Seikan tunnel in Japan.



The 50.3-kilometer Yulhyeon Tunnel took three years and five months to complete. It accounts for 82 percent of the entire length of the Suseo High Speed Railway, currently under construction.

The Suseo High Speed Railway is an ongoing construction project to build a 61.1-kilometer route to connect Suseo Station in Seoul and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi-do Province, via Dongtan Station.

The project began in 2011 and is expected to be complete in the first half of next year. Backers of the project hope to make using the high-speed railway more convenient for residents of Gangnam, southern Seoul and southeastern Gyeonggi-do.

The Korean government predicts that once the Suseo High Speed Railway becomes an important transportation link connecting Dongtan New City and the Godeok International New Town District in Pyeongtaek, it will then have truly realized the so-called “half-day life zone” of the country, meaning that people can reach any point in the country from any other point in the country in less than half a day.


By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Korea Rail Network Authority, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
arete@korea.kr