청 "Expansion of High-Speed Rail Routes, Continuous Review with Priority on Public Convenience"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House has stated that it will "continue to consider prioritizing public convenience, including expanding high-speed rail operation routes," in response to a national petition requesting the integration of Korail and SR and the expansion of KTX lines.

On the 15th, Hwang Seong-gyu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, responded to the Blue House national petition, saying, "To expand high-speed rail operation routes, securing vehicles is essential, and a comprehensive review is needed to determine whether track capacity is sufficient and if there are any safety issues."

Vice Minister Hwang explained, "We will continuously explore ways for more citizens to conveniently enjoy railway services and establish and implement measures to secure the insufficient railway vehicles and track capacity."

Regarding the integration of Korail and SR, he noted that while some opinions support the integration, others believe that a competitive system is preferable. He stated, "Since there are various views, the government is carefully reviewing structural evaluations, including whether to integrate Korail and SR, during the formulation process of the '4th Basic Plan for Railway Industry Development.'"

Vice Minister Hwang added, "The government is working toward completing the review by the end of this year through continuous discussions and opinion gathering via committees. However, since the integration of Korail and SR significantly impacts railway industry development and public convenience, if necessary, we will reach a conclusion through more diverse discussions and sufficient social consensus."

Previously, over 204,400 citizens agreed to the petition requesting the integration of Korail and SR and the expansion of KTX lines.

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