Gwangju City Proposes to the National Assembly to Include "Gyeonggang Line Extension (Saman Line)" in the 4th National Railway Network Plan

"Petition Submitted on 'Lack of Transportation Infrastructure Compared to Rapidly Increasing Population'"

(Photo from left) Baek Gun-gi, Mayor of Yongin, Jin Sun-mi, Chairperson of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Shin Dong-heon, Mayor of Gwangju [Provided by Gwangju City])

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province has urged the National Assembly to include the extension of the Gyeonggang Line (Saman Line) in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan.

On the 28th, Gwangju City announced, "On the 27th, Mayor Shin Dong-heon of Gwangju and Mayor Baek Gun-gi of Yongin delivered a joint petition to Jin Sun-mi, Chairperson of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, requesting the inclusion of the Gyeonggang Line extension (Saman Line) construction project in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan, reflecting the opinions of local residents."

This is a call for measures following the decision not to include the Gyeonggang Line extension (Gwangju~Yongin·Anseong) as a new project in the 4th National Railroad Network Plan, but rather as a project for additional review.

At a meeting with Assemblywoman Jin Sun-mi, Mayor Shin emphasized, "The transportation infrastructure is insufficient compared to the rapidly increasing population, and citizens are experiencing inconvenience due to chronic traffic congestion," adding, "Shortening the route can secure national project cost savings and economic feasibility."

Mayor Shin also reiterated the need for measures, stating, "It is unfair that the transportation network is poor despite being close to Seoul, and we cannot leave citizens' inconveniences unattended."

In the Gwangju area, the population has increased by an average of 4.62% over the past three years, reaching 400,000 this year, increasing the need to expand public transportation.

The city expects that if the Gyeonggang Line is extended, chronic congestion in the Taejeon and Gosan district areas, which are notorious traffic hotspots, will be alleviated and citizens' transportation conditions will improve.

Previously, the three local governments of Gwangju, Yongin, and Anseong submitted a revised plan to Gyeonggi Province connecting Gwangju Samdong to Yongin Namsa, shortening the originally proposed route by 17 km, allowing transfers to the 'Dongtan~Anseon~Cheongju Airport Line.'

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