Seoul Overcomes Challenges To Achieve Accessibility Milestone

The Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea overcame multiple challenges to achieve "one route per station" for its subway system — meaning all stations have an elevator that carries people from the ground level entrance to the platform, Chosun Biz is among outlets to report. In all, 338 elevators were installed at 338 stations, with the city holding a special ceremony on December 29 at Kkachisan Station to mark the milestone. Seoul has focused on expanding elevator access in subway stations since the 2006 revision of the Act on Promotion of the Transportation Convenience of Mobility-Disadvantaged Persons. Among difficulties faced during construction were encroachment on private land, limited space above ground and the discovery of extremely hard bedrock. To alleviate this, the city and transit officials conceived a special construction method that includes using an adjacent elevator to remove soil and hard bedrock without closing the entrance.