Seoul’s first street-level tram in 58 years to hit the rails in February
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Seoul plans to introduce 10 tram sets in stages through May.
PHOTO: THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
SEOUL – Seoul will begin full-scale trial runs of the Wirye Line Tram in February after completing the construction of its depot, tracks and other core infrastructure, the city government said on Jan 26.
The Wirye Tram, which will mark the return of street-level trams to Seoul for the first time in 58 years, will run from Macheon Station on Line No. 5 to Bokjeong Station, which serves Line No. 8 and the Suin-Bundang Line, and to Namwirye Station on Line No. 8.
The city moved the first tram vehicle into the Wirye depot between 11pm on Jan 26 and 5am on Jan 27. The transfer took place overnight, when traffic volumes are low, with support from the Songpa Police Station to manage traffic control and deploy safety personnel, officials said.
The initial vehicle completed over 5,000km of preliminary test runs at the Osong test track in 2025, completing its first phase of verification. Seoul plans to introduce 10 tram sets in stages through May.
From February, the city will conduct final operational verification on the actual line. By August, the trams will undergo mainline trial runs covering 16 categories, including running safety and coordination with ground-based facilities.
In parallel, a comprehensive railway system test will be carried out from April to December to evaluate the stability and connectivity of all facilities ahead of opening.
Given that the tram will operate on road surfaces, Seoul said it is prioritising pedestrian and driver safety. Safety personnel will be stationed at 13 intersections and 35 crosswalks along the tram route, and a dedicated monitoring team will be on stand-by. The test-run vehicles are insured to prepare for potential accidents.
The city urged pedestrians to follow signals and instructions from safety staff and to avoid distracted crossing. Drivers should reduce speed, maintain safe distances and observe tram-priority signals.
“We will ensure thorough testing and verification so citizens can use the service safely and conveniently,” said Mr Lim Chun-geun, head of the city’s Urban Infrastructure Headquarters. THE KOREA HERLAD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
