Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Hold 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan Public Hearing on the 22nd

Presentation of Mid- to Long-Term Railway Vision Including High-Speed Connections Between Hubs and Expansion of Metropolitan Railways in Non-Capital Regions

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 21st that a public hearing for gathering diverse opinions on the "4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan (draft)" will be held at 10 a.m. on the 22nd, hosted by the Korea Transport Institute.

This public hearing will be held online in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, and interested citizens can watch the live broadcast of the hearing via online (YouTube) and freely express their opinions.

The "4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan" is a mid- to long-term statutory plan that includes the basic direction for railroad network construction and route expansion plans for the next 10 years. To establish the plan, the Korea Transport Institute has been conducting research since July 2019. During this process, they analyzed issues in Korea's railroad network, changes in national spatial structure, climate change, and other domestic and international conditions. The draft plan was prepared through multiple rounds of local government opinion gathering, expert forums on vision, goals, and promotion directions, and feasibility analyses for individual projects.

At this public hearing, the Korea Transport Institute will present the basic directions for railroad network construction, including ▲ enhancing railroad operation efficiency, ▲ providing high-speed mobility services between regional hubs, ▲ expanding metropolitan area railroads outside the capital region, ▲ alleviating traffic congestion in the metropolitan area, ▲ establishing an industrial development foundation, ▲ creating a safe and convenient railroad usage environment, and ▲ preparing for inter-Korean and continental railroad connections. Experts from various fields participating in the discussion plan to offer diverse and broad opinions on the direction of railroad investment and major tasks for the next 10 years.

Based on the opinions presented at this public hearing, the Korea Transport Institute will finalize the "4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan Study," and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will confirm and announce the "4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan" within the first half of this year after going through procedures such as consultations with related agencies, national planning evaluations, and reviews by the Railroad Industry Committee.

Any interested citizens can check the draft plan and submit their opinions through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport website (http://www.molit.go.kr).

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