Ulsan shelves its Jangsaengpo hydrogen tram project over weak viability—slower travel times, high costs, and legal hurdles—shifting to free shuttle buses i
When city officials in Ulsan sat down to reassess the proposed hydrogen tram between Taehwagang Station and Jangsaengpo, one comparison proved hard to defend: the tram journey, once transfers and waiting were factored in, would have taken 50 to 60 minutes. The No. 716 city bus covers the same route in 13 to 20 minutes.
For a project funded entirely by the municipality, that arithmetic became central to the case for pulling back.
On the 27th, according to the city and other sources, Ulsan formally decided to place the tourism-oriented hydrogen tram project on long-term hold. The administration cited weak business viability, operating losses, extended travel times, and a surrounding district that offers few tourism attractions because it is mostly industrial.
Legal constraints on operating the rail line were also flagged by officials as an obstacle. "Pouring taxpayer money into a route slower than a bus is clearly a waste of the budget," said Seo Nam-gyo, Ulsan's vice mayor for administrative affairs. The shelving did not land quietly.
Local lawmakers and residents pushed back immediately, arguing the tram functions as tourism infrastructure tied to the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Show, and a political fight over the project's future now appears likely.
The Jangsaengpo hydrogen tram was conceived as an eco-friendly service running along a roughly 4.14-kilometer stretch of the idle Ulsanhang Line, connecting Taehwagang Station and Ulsanhang Station.
The city had planned to spend USD 29.8 million, all of it from municipal funds, with trams operating at 30-minute intervals and service opening ahead of the 2028 garden show.
Complications mounted after a proposed pedestrian overpass at Taehwagang Station was scrapped. Under applicable safety rules, construction would then have been permitted only during late-night hours, an arrangement expected to stretch the timeline and push costs sharply higher.
The platform location added a further setback. It was moved about 400 meters south of its original site, which would have forced passengers to transfer between a shuttle bus and the tram.
That transfer, plus waiting time, is what pushed the projected Jangsaengpo journey to 50 to 60 minutes, the figure that ultimately weighed so heavily against the project.
The financial consequence of the decision is already visible in this year's budget. Of the USD 11.96 million allocated for the project, the city cut approximately USD 10.84 million through a supplementary budget, leaving roughly USD 1.12 million to cover vehicle manufacturing.
For now, the city intends to operate free shuttle buses in place of the tram. The project itself has not been formally killed: officials say it will be revisited later in connection with the development of a multimodal transfer center at Taehwagang Station, and that at that stage the city will seek state funding rather than shouldering the cost alone.
Opposition from local politicians was swift. Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party, who represents Ulsan's Nam-gu B district, is calling for the original plan to go ahead as designed. Kim's argument rests partly on timing and progress already made.
He noted that the Jangsaengpo hydrogen tram would form a tourism corridor linking Taehwagang Station and Jangsaengpo in conjunction with the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Show, and that vehicle production has already begun.
He also emphasized the approvals the project had already secured. In his view, stopping a project that has cleared consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea National Railway, and other agencies represents a break in administrative continuity.
"Halting a project simply because the head of the local government has changed undermines administrative continuity and angers residents," Kim said. The lawmaker's dispute with City Hall extends to process.
The city notified him, without prior consultation, he said, that a related briefing session would be held on Oct. 8, the same day as the parliamentary audit of government agencies. Kim said he would not attend.
The hydrogen tram is not the only rail project prompting second thoughts in Ulsan. The decision follows a related episode involving Urban Railway Line 1, a roughly 11-kilometer route connecting Taehwagang Station and the Sinbok intersection.
The city had earlier considered halting work on that line as well but resumed construction for the time being because of legal liability issues, including potential damages.
Even so, the city says it will continue to weigh suspending the project until main construction begins, a stance that suggests controversy over changes to Ulsan's rail transit policies may not end with the tram.
The Jangsaengpo tram had already reached the demonstration stage before its fate was decided. A hydrogen tram test run was conducted in Jangsaengpo, Ulsan, in April 2024, a milestone that now stands in contrast to the project's placement on long-term hold. What remains is an unresolved standoff.
The city has cut funding, defended the decision on cost and travel-time grounds, and framed the shelving as a pause tied to future plans for a multimodal transfer center and potential state funding.
Opponents, led by Rep. Kim, see a project that had cleared inter-agency consultations, started vehicle production, and anchored the city's tourism plans for 2028, and one they argue should not be abandoned mid-course.
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