'Seoul~Geoje' Travel Possible Within 2 Hours... 'Nambu Naeryuk Railroad' Fully Launched

Southern Inland Railroad Route Map (Data provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The government is set to actively promote the construction project of the 'Southern Inland Railway,' a 177.9 km line connecting Gimcheon in Gyeongbuk to Geoje in Gyeongnam, with a national budget investment of 4.8015 trillion won. Once the railway opens in 2027, travel from Seoul to Geoje will be possible within two hours.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 11th that it plans to finalize and officially announce the basic plan for the Southern Inland Railway construction project on the 13th.

The Southern Inland Railway project aims to open in 2027, connecting Gimcheon to Geoje with a single-track railway spanning 177.9 km, funded by 4.8015 trillion won of national funds. The project includes the construction of five stations and one train depot. The maximum speed of the trains will be 250 km/h.

This project represents the largest budget among the 23 national balanced development projects selected in 2019. It is a key railway infrastructure project supporting regional economic development in the western Yeongnam area, including industry and tourism. With the announcement of the basic plan, the project will proceed in earnest with design and construction phases.

Upon completion, KTX and SRT trains departing from the metropolitan area will run via the Gyeongbu High-Speed Railway to Gimcheon Station and then to Geoje City. Additionally, a route using the Gyeongjeon Line will operate from Jinju Station to Masan Station. This will connect the previously underserved western Yeongnam region to the metropolitan area by KTX within approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes.

The government expects the Southern Inland Railway to generate approximately 11.4 trillion won in production effects and create about 89,000 jobs.

Once the sections from Suseo to Gwangju, for which the basic plan is being prepared this year, the Icheon to Chungju section opened in December last year, the Chungju to Mungyeong section opening in 2023, and the Mungyeong to Gimcheon section currently undergoing preliminary feasibility studies are all completed, the Southern Inland Railway will establish itself as a core line connecting the Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang regions.

The stations include Gimcheon, Seongju, Hapcheon, Jinju, Goseong, Tongyeong, Geoje, and Masan. New stations will be built in Seongju, Hapcheon, Goseong, Tongyeong, and Geoje, while Gimcheon Station (Gyeongbu Line) and Jinju Station (Gyeongjeon Line) will be upgraded as transfer stations.

Kang Hee-eop, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Through the Southern Inland Railway construction project, we expect to invigorate the regional economy by creating construction jobs and revitalizing local tourism, reduce the gap with the metropolitan area by attracting young talent, and establish a representative successful model of national balanced development."

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