"End of Long-Delayed Project" Daejeon City Accelerates Tram Wireless and Technical Proposal Bidding

Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon, is announcing the 'Major Tram Construction Plan' at Daejeon City Hall on the 20th. Photo by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The construction of the Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 tram (hereafter tram), which had been stagnant, is expected to gain momentum.

On the 20th, Daejeon City announced the "Tram Construction Major Plan," which centers on constructing the entire tram section using a catenary-free power supply system and a technical proposal bidding method.

The tram construction has been regarded as a representative long-awaited project in the region. However, the project had struggled to progress due to possibilities of changes in construction methods and vehicle types, indecision on catenary vs. catenary-free power supply methods, and controversies over low-speed trams.

The city's announcement of the tram construction method confirmation on this day is significant as it officially clarifies the tram policy direction and design standards and expresses the will to expedite the project after more than eight years since the launch of the 6th local government administration.

◆ Introduction of Fully Catenary-Free Tram and Technical Proposal Bidding Method = The most notable point in the major plan presented by the city is the change and confirmation of the tram power supply method from the existing battery-based mixed catenary and catenary-free system (10.5 km of catenary) to a fully catenary-free system for the entire section (38.1 km).

Earlier, in August, the city formally received technical proposals from 15 domestic and international railway vehicle manufacturers (3 domestic and 12 overseas).

As a result, it was confirmed that catenary-free implementation is possible not only with hydrogen fuel cells and ground power supply methods but also with LTO battery systems through rapid charging at stations.

Additionally, the rapid charging hybrid pack technology for railway vehicles, whose research and development was completed this month under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, was reviewed as applicable to Daejeon's long-distance catenary-free tram.

With the final confirmation that various catenary-free technologies are applicable as power supply methods for the tram regional routes, the city plans to build the tram using the "world's longest fully catenary-free method."

In particular, among the vehicle power supply technologies that can be introduced, the city will not adopt a specific technology before bidding but will promote a plan to maximize practical benefits such as inducing technological and price competition among domestic and international manufacturers and reflecting the latest technologies.

The city will conduct a technical proposal bidding based on the premise of "introducing a catenary-free power supply system for the entire section" and will select the final power supply method through evaluation considering initial investment costs, operational safety, and ease of maintenance.

◆ Undergrounding Vulnerable Sections to Ensure Tram Operational Safety = To enhance the operational safety of the tram and minimize urban traffic congestion caused by tram construction, the city will simultaneously promote undergrounding of some sections (3.6 km) and lane expansion on Hanbat-daero.

The sections to be undergrounded are Temi Hill (1,125 m), Bulti Hill (950 m, max 82‰), Jayang Hill (774 m, max 65‰), and Dongbu Intersection (762 m), where the need for undergrounding has been continuously raised due to S-shaped road alignment and steep gradients (up to 90‰).

Among these, the undergrounding of Jayang Hill and Dongbu Intersection is expected by the city to significantly alleviate traffic congestion around Dongdaejeon-ro and prevent traffic accidents by constructing the tram on a four-lane road.

The Hanbat-daero section (Hanbat Bridge Intersection to Boramae Intersection) is one of Daejeon's representative congested roads with a daily traffic volume of 58,852 vehicles. The city plans to expand the road from 7 lanes to 8-9 lanes by utilizing existing bicycle paths and other spaces, and the reduced bicycle paths due to road expansion will be integrated and created within Saemmeori Park.

Considering the inevitable reduction of some green spaces such as roadside trees, the city also plans to carry out a premium park project to reorganize the aging existing Saemmeori Park.

Location map of the Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 tram construction plan. Provided by Daejeon City.

◆ Securing Tram Average Speed with World-Class Competitiveness = The tram's average speed (including stop times) will increase from 19.82 km/h in the basic design to 22.06 km/h, a 2.24 km/h improvement.

The city expects this to be possible by undergrounding some sections like Temi Hill and optimizing priority signals at intersections.

In particular, with an increase of more than 11% over the existing average speed, the tram is expected to become a public transportation mode with speed competitiveness comparable to passenger cars.

The improved average speed of the Daejeon tram (22.06 km/h) is faster than trams in Toronto (15 km/h), Amsterdam (16 km/h), Paris (17 km/h), and Strasbourg (21 km/h).

◆ Extension of Yeonchuk Branch Line and Strengthening Social Safety Nets = To improve accessibility to Yeonchuk District in Daedeok-gu, where Daedeok-gu Office and the Innovation City will be located, the city decided to extend the tram line by 620 m.

Initially, a 1.9 km extension to Hoedeok Station was considered for balanced development in Daedeok-gu, but considering the ongoing demand forecast reassessment for the first phase of the Chungcheong Regional Railway project, further extension to Hoedeok Station will be reviewed separately in the future.

The tram lanes, constructed as exclusive lanes, and priority signals will be shared with emergency vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, etc.) to strengthen the social safety net.

The city currently operates priority signal sections for emergency vehicles on five sections totaling 14.1 km, and it has been identified that the golden time arrival rate improved by 7.12% (from 79.21% to 86.33%) due to priority signal operation.

Based on this, the city expects to further strengthen the social safety net by expanding priority signal operation sections to tram-exclusive lanes adjacent to general hospitals (Chungnam National University, Eulji University, Konyang University hospitals, etc.), thereby shortening emergency vehicle dispatch times.

The total estimated cost for tram construction based on the confirmed plan is 1.5902 trillion KRW. The city plans to focus on persuading central government ministries to realize the necessity of adjusting the total project cost to secure funding.

After finalizing the total project cost adjustment by next year, the city plans to issue orders and start construction in the first half of 2024, aiming to complete the tram by 2028, concentrating all administrative and political efforts.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo said, "The tram construction plan was established focusing on minimizing the negative aspects of the tram and maximizing its advantages," adding, "The city will make next year the inaugural year for building a railway-centered public transportation city and will make an all-out effort to realize the total project cost and shorten the project period for tram construction."

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