Yeonghonam Provincial Governors United in Support of Daegu~Geochang~Gwangju Dalbit Inland Railroad Construction

Joint Appeal Announcement in Geochang on the 28th
"Promoting Development in Underdeveloped Areas and Enhancing Communication and Harmony Between Regions"

Governor Kim Kyung-soo is reading the joint appeal.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] Six provincial governors, including Gyeongnam Province, gathered to appeal to the President to include the Dalbit Inland Railway connecting Daegu, Hapcheon, Geochang, Hamyang, and Gwangju as a new project in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan.

On the morning of the 28th, Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, along with Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju, Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, Song Ha-jin, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, and Song Sang-rak, Deputy Governor of Jeonnam Province, announced a joint appeal statement in front of Geochang County Office square.

In the appeal, they emphasized that "an essential transportation infrastructure is an effective means for the development of underdeveloped regions," and stated, "The construction of the Southern Inland Railway was promised as a representative pledge for Yeongnam and Honam cooperation in the last presidential election, and citizens of Yeongnam and Honam have placed great expectations and hopes on this."

They added, "The reason this project was not included in the current railway network construction plan draft is cited as low economic feasibility (B/C 0.483) and project scale (4.085 trillion KRW), but it has been disconnected for decades due to political interests, so how could a high B/C be expected right now?" and rebutted the reasoning.

Furthermore, they argued, "This project should be approached from a future perspective," and "To achieve the main goal presented in the newly established 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan of 'connecting major hub cities within 2 hours by railway,' the construction of the Dalbit Inland Railway is absolutely necessary."

The Dalbit Inland Railway is a 203.7 km high-speed railway construction project that will connect Daegu and Gwangju within one hour.

The route passes through Daegu, Goryeong, Hapcheon, Geochang, Hamyang, Jangsu, Namwon, Sunchang, Damyang, and Gwangju, with an expected total project cost of 4.085 trillion KRW.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's announcement of the '4th National Railway Network Construction Plan (2021?2030) public hearing' did not include this as a new project but classified it as a project for additional review.

The joint appeal announcement on this day was urgently arranged to request that the Dalbit Inland Railway be included as a new project in the final railway network construction plan.

Governor Kim said in his greeting and interview, "If railways are handled only by economic feasibility, would the Honam High-Speed Railway or the East-West High-Speed Railway to Gangneung have been possible?" and added, "Rather, we need to build railway SOC infrastructure to create regional balanced development."

Once the Dalbit Inland Railway is completed, access to the pristine natural environment at the terminus of the Baekdudaegan mountain range in the northwest region and various anti-aging leisure experience facilities such as Sancheong Donguibogam Village will become easier.

Accordingly, it is expected to contribute significantly to regional economic revitalization through job creation and increased farm household income due to the influx of many tourists.

The National Railway Network Construction Plan is the highest-level statutory plan established every 10 years. The 4th National Railway Network Plan (2021?2030) announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 22nd includes 90 routes with a total project cost of 90 trillion KRW.

Related to the province, four projects including the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity Circular Line were included with a total of 4.566 trillion KRW. The Changwon Industrial Line, Masan New Port Line, and Dalbit Inland Railway are planned as projects for additional review.

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