"Great Benefits" Jinju City Prepares for Successful Opening of Southern Inland Railroad

Southern Inland Railroad Route Map

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The Southern Inland Railway project, which enables travel from Seoul to Jinju in about two hours, had its basic plan finalized on the 13th. With a total length of 177.9 km and a total project cost of 4.8015 trillion KRW, the project is being actively promoted with the goal of opening in 2027, prompting Jinju City to expand its infrastructure.

The existing New Jinju Station is planned to be used as a Southern Inland Railway station, and among the total 30.1 km section passing through the city, the 6.1 km section passing through the downtown area will be constructed underground.

Jinju City expects significant economic ripple effects once the Southern Inland Railway is completed. It anticipates an increase of 1.6 million foreign tourists and development around the station area.

Accordingly, Jinju City sees the need to improve road conditions between Sacheon and Chukdong, as well as between the western Gyeongnam and eastern Jeonnam cities and counties, to form a metropolitan living zone centered on Jinju.

In his New Year's address, Mayor Jo Gyu-il revealed plans to install a vertiport (UAM airport) in the station area to make the UAM industry a next-generation key industry and to enhance accessibility with neighboring local governments.

Jinju City has been preparing to expand specialized cultural tourism infrastructure in anticipation of the completion of the Southern Inland Railway by promoting the ‘Prosperous Jinju 3 Major Projects.’

The city is pushing to establish a permanent e-sports stadium in the station area and an aerospace public science museum on the railway site, expecting many tourists from the metropolitan area and across the country.

Mayor Jo Gyu-il expressed his welcome for the confirmation and announcement of the Southern Inland Railway basic plan, stating, "Once the railway is completed in 2027, Seoul will be closer, and living zones will also be closer. We will make special efforts to ensure that the benefits of the Southern Inland Railway outweigh the losses."

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