Changwon City Regrets Failure of 'Southern Inland Railroad Route Straightening' Plan

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "Preliminary Feasibility Study Plans Must Be Followed"

On the 14th, Changwon City issued a statement titled 'Statement on the Original Route Promotion of the Southern Inland Railroad,' expressing regret over the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's rejection of the route straightening proposal. (Photo by Changwon City)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Changwon City in Gyeongnam has expressed regret regarding the original plan for the Southern Inland Railroad route.

On the 14th, Choi Young-cheol, Director of Safety, Construction, and Transportation Bureau of Changwon City, held a press conference at the city hall press center. While welcoming the news that the project cost for the basic design of the Southern Inland Railroad was included in next year's government budget proposal, he expressed regret that since the preliminary feasibility study (PFS) exemption in January last year, Changwon City has continuously requested the government to straighten the route, but this was not accepted.

Director Choi actively explained that straightening the route would reduce project costs and allow an additional 1.7 million people in the central and eastern regions of Gyeongnam to receive new high-speed rail services. However, in early last month, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conveyed to the city that it is necessary to proceed with the planned route as per the PFS.

Regarding this, Director Choi said, "The Ministry of Land acknowledged that cost savings and increased ridership through route straightening are sufficient, but stated that changing the route, which was decided as a policy during the PFS exemption and project plan appropriateness stages, at the basic plan stage is practically difficult." He added, "We express regret that the proposal to expand the Southern Inland Railroad beneficiary area to the entire Gyeongnam region was not reflected."

He further explained that Changwon City has raised issues about the inconvenience of railway use and the need for appropriate railway services matching the population size, requesting that the benefits of the Southern Inland Railroad opening be extended to the central and eastern regions of Gyeongnam.

Changwon City also feels disappointed that the political circles and Gyeongnam Province have shown belated interest in Changwon's pending issues.

Director Choi said, "Regarding the route straightening of the Southern Inland Railroad, institutions such as the Changwon City Council and Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry have shared the intention to support the straightening proposal." He added, "Only now has the political sphere begun to take interest in how much inconvenience Changwon citizens are experiencing and what solutions exist. Recently, Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam Province also proposed working together with Changwon City to find a reasonable solution."

Director Choi concluded the press conference by mentioning the content of last month's meeting with the Ministry of Land and the roles the city can play going forward.

He said, "Although route straightening was not reflected, we fully agreed on maximizing the number of operations toward Changwon on the Southern Inland Railroad, extending the start and end stations to Changwon Central Station for the smoothest passenger flow, and the fare rationalization of the Southern Inland Railroad." He added, "We have agreed to devise user-centered and reasonable operational plans until the opening."

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