Assemblymen Jo O-seop and Kim Sang-hoon Urge Inclusion of 'Dalbit Inland Railroad' in 4th National Railroad Network Plan

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Assemblyman Jo O-seop (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Buk-gu Gap) held a joint press conference with Assemblyman Kim Sang-hoon (People Power Party, Daegu Seo-gu) on the 22nd, urging the inclusion of the Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway in the "4th National Railway Network Construction Plan (2021~2030)."

On the same day, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held an online public hearing for the "4th National Railway Network Construction Plan Establishment Study," the highest-level statutory plan in the railway sector established every five years within a ten-year period, at the Korea Transport Institute's main conference room.

In the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan Establishment Study presented at this public hearing, the "Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway" was classified as an additional project, just like in the 1st to 3rd National Railway Network Construction Plans, effectively meaning it was not reflected.

The Dalbit Inland Railway is a symbol of the mutual development between Yeongnam and Honam regions, included in President Moon Jae-in's presidential campaign pledges and the 100 national policy tasks.

Passing through 10 local governments in Yeongnam and Honam, it directly or indirectly affects 9.7 million residents and is an important route that will serve as the artery of the southern regional metropolitan economic zone, connecting the socially, economically, and culturally disconnected east and west.

It is also claimed to have significant regional industrial linkage synergy and economic potential, connecting Gwangju, Daegu, Ulsan, and Busan, with production inducement effects of KRW 7.2965 trillion, employment inducement effects of 38,676 jobs, and value-added inducement effects of KRW 2.2834 trillion.

However, there are criticisms that major government ministries, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, have excluded the Dalbit Inland Railway again by only considering economic feasibility, without taking into account the poor conditions of local areas facing extinction, where it is virtually impossible to meet economic feasibility for national railway lines outside the metropolitan area.

Assemblyman Jo said, "Our country's national railway network is built with a distorted structure centered on the north-south axis toward the metropolitan area, and the track capacity of existing lines is reaching its limit," adding, "The lack of east-west transportation infrastructure is a serious cause hindering national balanced development."

He continued, "Applying the principle of 'supply first, demand later,' which reflects accessibility and induced transportation demand, will activate human and material exchanges and revive the regional economy, thereby increasing 'economic feasibility,'" and emphasized, "The Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway must be included in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan through a forward-looking decision for national balanced development, breaking away from rigid economic feasibility logic."

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