의정부경전철 12년… 적자 줄였지만 불편 여전

【Anchor】 The Uijeongbu Light Rail Transit (LRT) failed to forecast demand, and within five years of opening, it suffered a deficit of 370 billion won, and the operator went bankrupt. A new operator stepped in and reduced the deficit, but inconveniences for citizens, such as high fares, persist. Reporter Lee Jae-sang reports. 【Reporter】 The Uijeongbu Light Rail opened in 2012. The goal was to improve transportation convenience for citizens and enhance the city's competitiveness, but the reality was different. With ridership falling short of even half the forecast, the private operator went bankrupt in 2017. [Yoo Chang-hoon / Uijeongbu City Transportation Division Director: Due to the 50% minimum revenue guarantee (MRG) provision, Uijeongbu City has not made any payments related to the MRG provision. This has resulted in savings in citizens' taxes… .] Since then, they've been pouring in 20 billion won in taxpayer money every year, signing contracts with new operators. Fortunately, as daily ridership has increased to 42,000, the deficit has decreased to 10-20 billion won annually. However, the high rate of fare-free rides and frequent breakdowns remain chronic limitations. [Yang Hyun-sook / Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province: I thought the deficit would be significant because there are so many elderly people. There are more elderly people sitting than young people.] There are also many voices complaining that the relatively high fares and overlapping bus routes make it difficult to ride. [Lee Young-chun / Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province: The current bus routes seem too long. So, without having to travel so long, they should make quick turns so that every nook and cranny can be accessed by the light rail...] A comprehensive overhaul seems desperately needed to overcome the increasingly difficult operational challenges. This is Lee Jae-sang reporting from OBS News. #UijeongbuLightRail #Deficit #Inconvenience #Demand #Opening #Subway #Bus #Route #Operator #Opening #Bankruptcy ▶ Subscribe to the OBS News Channel https://youtube.com/@OBSNews?sub_conf... ▶ See more OBS News articles PC: http://www.obsnews.co.kr Mobile: http://m.obs.co.kr ▶ Report to OBS News Email: [email protected] Phone: 032-670-5555