Governor Lee Cheol-woo and 11 Local Leaders Submit Government Petition for Early Construction of Gyeongbuk Railway Network

Jungbu Naeryuk-Nambu Naeryuk Connection Mungyeong~Gimcheon 'Preliminary Feasibility Study Passed' &
Call for Double Tracking of Jungang Line (Andong~Yeongcheon) and Donghae Line (Pohang~Gangneung)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Gyeongsangbuk-do held a meeting on the province's railway network on the 1st at the Hwabaek Hall of the provincial government office with 11 mayors and county heads in the province, adopting and announcing a joint government petition urging the early construction of the Mungyeong~Gimcheon section of the Jungbu Line and the double-tracking of the Jungang Line (Andong~Yeongcheon) and Donghae Line (Pohang~Gangneung).

At the meeting, including Governor Lee Cheol-woo, local government heads of railway passing areas in Gyeongbuk pledged joint cooperation for passing the preliminary feasibility study for the early construction of the Jungbu Line (Mungyeong~Gimcheon) and promoting the double-tracking of the Jungang Line (Andong~Yeongcheon section) and Donghae Line (Pohang~Gangneung).

Governor Lee and the heads of 11 local governments including Pohang, Gimcheon, Andong, Yeongju, Yeongcheon, Sangju, Mungyeong, Gunwi, Uiseong, Yeongdeok, and Uljin emphasized in the joint petition, "Early construction of the railway network within Gyeongsangbuk-do is urgently needed for the development of the inland areas of Gyeongbuk, connection between the metropolitan area and the central and southern regions, and to leap forward as a central axis in the future era of Korean Peninsula unification."

Among the current railway network construction projects in Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Jungbu Line is a route connecting Suseo to Geoje via Gimcheon. Currently, the Jungbu Inland Railway (Icheon~Mungyeong) is under construction with a goal to open in 2023. The Southern Inland Railway (Gimcheon~Geoje) is also exempt from the preliminary feasibility study as of January last year and is in the process of establishing a basic plan, but only the Mungyeong~Gimcheon railway section connecting the Jungbu Inland Line and Southern Inland Line is still held back by preliminary feasibility study issues.

The Jungang Line double-track electrification is planned as a single-track electrification (double-track roadbed) only for the Andong~Yeongcheon section among the entire route from Cheongnyangni to Yeongcheon, raising concerns about reduced operational efficiency. Therefore, local public opinion calls for the inclusion of this section in the main project currently under construction (Dodam~Yeongcheon) for unified double-tracking.

The Donghae Line (Pohang~Gangneung), connecting the southern and northern parts of the East Sea, requires double-tracking to prepare for the new northern economic cooperation era and to attract tourists and ensure smooth freight transport in the East Coast region.

Professor Kim Si-gon of Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Dr. Choi Jin-seok of the Korea Transport Institute, who appeared as keynote speakers, emphasized the necessity of early construction of the Gyeongbuk railway network and the joint cooperation of local governments under the theme "Measures for Early Construction of the Gyeongbuk Railway Network and the Role of Local Governments."

Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongsangbuk-do stated, "The urgent construction of the pending railway is necessary to secure future new growth engines for Gyeongsangbuk-do and lay the foundation for regional economic development," and pledged, "Gyeongsangbuk-do will do its best in various ways to expand railway infrastructure."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.