Honam High-Speed Railway Phase 2, Full-Scale Construction of KTX from Incheon and Suwon Underway

Honam High-Speed Railway and Incheon/Suwon Departure KTX Route Map (Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Mewon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 20th that construction contractors have been selected for the subgrade works of six sections across three projects, including the second phase of the Honam High-Speed Railway construction project and the Incheon-Suwon KTX direct connection project, with construction set to begin this year.

Through these new high-speed railway projects, it is expected that the convenience of travel will greatly improve in Incheon and the southwestern Gyeonggi region, the central region, and Jeonnam, where there have been difficulties in using high-speed rail.

First, the second phase of the Honam High-Speed Railway construction project (Gomagwon~Mokpo) is a high-speed rail construction project passing through Muan International Airport in Jeonnam. It is being promoted with an investment of 2.5789 trillion KRW, aiming for completion in 2025.

The newly established Gomagwon~Imseong-ri line includes 44.1 km of main line and one new station (Muan Airport). Among these, the section to be started this time is the other construction section (26.4 km), with a subgrade construction cost of 665.3 billion KRW.

Upon completion by 2025, the travel time between Yongsan/Suseo and Mokpo will be about 2 hours and 10 minutes, improving accessibility to Muan Airport.

(Data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The Incheon-origin KTX direct connection project links the Suin Line and the Gyeongbu High-Speed Line. Its purpose is to provide additional high-speed rail services to Incheon, Ansan, and Hwaseong areas where access to high-speed rail services has been difficult. The total project cost is 423.8 billion KRW.

Upon completion by 2024, travel times will be approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes between Songdo and Busan, and about 2 hours and 10 minutes between Songdo and Mokpo. This is expected to alleviate the inconvenience faced by citizens of Incheon, Ansan, and Hwaseong who previously had to travel to Seoul or Gwangmyeong to use the KTX.

The Suwon-origin KTX direct connection project connects the Gyeongbu Line and the Metropolitan High-Speed Railway to improve convenience for Suwon and the southeastern metropolitan area, where access to high-speed rail services has been difficult. The total project cost is 277.2 billion KRW.

Upon completion by 2024, travel times will be about 2 hours and 10 minutes between Suwon and Busan, and about 2 hours and 10 minutes between Suwon and Mokpo.

Kim Seontae, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "By constructing new high-speed railways in regions that have experienced inconvenience and difficulties in using high-speed rail, we have greatly expanded the convenience for railway users and shortened travel times."

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