[Choi Jun-young's Urban Pilgrimage] Changes in Railroads and Cities

Railroads are a symbol of modern civilization. The advent of railroads, which can transport people and goods at high speeds without relying on human or animal power, fundamentally changed human civilization and society. As large quantities of goods could be transported quickly, transportation costs rapidly decreased, and previously separated spaces began to connect into one through railroad construction. The stable operation of railroads required precise time adherence, which became the starting point for the standardization and normalization of society.

Lowering Transportation Costs and Initiating Social Standardization with the Advent of Railroads

The emergence of railroads made urban expansion possible. Before railroads, cities were limited to the range that horse-drawn carriages or human power could travel, defining the living area, but railroads greatly expanded this range. People could move their residences from the narrow city center to wider outskirts through railroads, and this process introduced the concepts of short-distance travel and suburbs. Railroad stations became city centers, and the concept of commuting long distances regularly every day also emerged through railroads.

Railroads not only connected existing cities but also played a role in creating new cities. Since railroad construction required significant costs, the entities building railroads offset these costs and generated demand by developing the land around stations and railroads. New residential areas emerged along the railroads, and as railroads connected these areas, cities grew further.

Challenges of New Routes and Changes to Existing Lines Led to Decline Amid Automobile Rise

Route map of the first phase of the Jungbu Naeryuk Line opening section (Bubal~Chungju) and the planned future section (Chungju~Mungyeong)

While railroads enabled urban growth, they could only operate on pre-laid rails, and constructing new routes or changing existing ones was difficult. This limitation caused railroads to gradually lose ground to the newly emerging mode of transportation: automobiles. When automobiles first appeared, they could not compete with railroads in terms of load capacity, reliability, or speed. Initially considered a supplementary mode of transportation to railroads, automobiles gradually became competitors due to the development of internal combustion engines. Above all, the high freedom of automobiles was recognized as an advantage that railroads could not overcome. Automobiles allowed individuals to freely travel wherever they wanted according to their needs, eventually pushing railroads out and becoming the center of transportation. Cities grew centered on automobiles and roads rather than railroads.

As automobiles spread, the role and function of railroads diminished, leading to unforeseen side effects. Housing prices in cities began to rise. Increased travel times due to more vehicles caused significant fatigue for people, increasing preference for living close to workplaces rather than moving to outskirts, which led to this phenomenon. Studies on major cities in the United States and Europe clearly show this trend.

Worsening Road Traffic Congestion in the 2000s and Changing Perceptions Due to Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Jungang Line Seowonju~Jecheon Improvement Project Route Map

Korea has shown a similar pattern. Cities that grew centered on railroads until the 1970s transformed into road- and automobile-oriented spatial structures following the advent of highways and the spread of automobiles. As cities expanded and developed, railroads, whose utility had diminished compared to the past, were treated as burdens, and many existing railroad lines were dismantled or stations relocated to outskirts. To compete with automobiles, faster speeds were required, leading to the straightening of existing railroad lines. In this process, stations located in city centers were moved to outskirts under the logic that railroad-induced spatial segmentation hindered urban development. These relocated stations became farther from demand centers, causing a decrease in demand compared to the past, which led to reduced railroad operations and a vicious cycle of further demand decline.

This trend began to change dramatically in the 2000s as road traffic congestion worsened and air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions caused by automobiles were recognized as serious problems. Demand for subway and metropolitan railroad networks increased, and there was growing demand to locate stations not in the outskirts but in existing city centers. For example, the Gangneung Line, built for the Winter Olympics, was initially planned to have a station far from downtown Gangneung. However, due to demands from Gangneung City and its citizens, an additional cost of 500 billion won was borne to change the plan to an underground station, and this demand was later justified by high ridership.

Choi Jun-young, Senior Advisor at Yulchon LLC

Increasing Demand for Subways and Metropolitan Railroad Networks... Spatial Changes via Railroads Begin in Earnest in 2021

Railroad construction takes a long time from route decision to actual use, so changes resulting from it are often not well recognized. While metropolitan subways attract much attention due to high demand, general railroads connecting cities often do not, especially when it comes to upgrading existing railroads. Railroad upgrades consist of straightening, double-tracking, and electrification, which increase speed, capacity, and traction power respectively. Upgraded railroads shorten spatial distances by enabling faster travel than before. The past Gyeongchun Line, once considered a symbol of romance, took over two hours from Cheongnyangni to Chuncheon, but now, through double-tracking and electrification, travel time is under one hour.

Spatial changes through railroads are expected to accelerate from 2021. With the completion of the Jungang Line upgrade project, the KTX-Eum, running at 260 km/h, will be introduced to Jecheon in Chungbuk and Andong in Gyeongbuk, halving travel time to Seoul. This will include Jecheon and Wonju within the commuting range of the metropolitan area. Additionally, the Jungbu Inland Line connecting Chungju and Yeoju will open. Passengers can transfer at Bubal Station on the currently operating Gyeonggang Line to quickly reach Pangyo and Gangnam Stations, greatly improving the connection between Seoul and Chungju.

Railroad upgrades and new lines bring significant changes to cities. Improved transportation conditions can foster new growth, but on the other hand, cities may experience population outflows to large metropolitan areas. We know this from past experience. Cities like Wonju, Jecheon, Chungju, and Andong have served as regional centers, and it will be interesting to observe what changes they undergo with the opening of new lines and the introduction of high-speed trains.

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