Railway Union Gyeongnam Changwon Rotem Branch "Immediately Deploy KTX Bound for Suseo on Gyeongjeon Line"

The Railway Union Changwon Rotem Branch held a press conference at 10 a.m. on the 7th in front of Changwon Station to announce the deployment of the Gyeongjeon Line Suseo-bound KTX. Photo by Park Saeyan sy77@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] The Railway Workers' Union Gyeongnam Changwon Rotem Branch held a press conference in front of Changwon Station on the 7th, urging the deployment of KTX bound for Suseo on the Gyeongjeon Line.

The press conference was attended by the head of the Railway Workers' Union Busan Regional Headquarters, the branch chiefs and members of the Busan-Masan District, the chairman and members of the Metal Workers' Union Changwon Rotem Branch, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gyeongnam Headquarters, and the Inter-Korean Railway Connection Marching Group.

Park Jeonggyu, head of the Railway Workers' Union Masan District Station Union, pointed out at the press conference, "The SRT, which was created under the Park Geun-hye administration's railway division and privatization policy, has resulted in a situation where residents of the Jeolla Line, Donghae Line, and Gyeongjeon Line regions cannot use the railway built with public taxes to travel to Suseo."

He also raised his voice, saying, "The duplicated costs due to the separate operation of KTX and SRT amount to 55.9 billion won," and added, "The continuous increase in unnecessary duplicated costs is turning on a red light for the railway industry."

Park expressed concern, saying, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's claim that only SRT should run on the Gyeongjeon Line and Jeolla Line seems like an attempt to push forward the 'railway industry division policy' again."

He argued, "If the divided railways are integrated into one, universal railway services can be provided to all citizens," and stated, "KTX bound for Suseo on the Gyeongjeon Line and Jeolla Line should be immediately deployed, and high-speed railways should be unified."

Furthermore, he emphasized the necessity of Suseo-bound KTX by saying, "Suseo-originating KTX can operate at least 18 times and up to 48 times daily, and citizens in Changwon, Jinju, Pohang, and Yeosu can also use high-speed rail to Suseo."

Finally, Park likened the current railway policy to a "deformed and superficial railway division," and stated, "Railway workers will do their best to serve the public more safely and comfortably with an integrated railway, not a divided and deformed one."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to repair the SRT accident vehicles and deploy them on the Suseo-originating Jeolla Line by the end of September.

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