Ministry of Land Approves Plan for 3 Changwon Urban Rail Lines... First Step

Full-Scale Project Promotion Including Optimal Route Selection and Preliminary Feasibility Study Application

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam has laid the foundation for the project as the urban railway (tram) plan, promoted to establish a sustainable public transportation system and achieve carbon neutrality, was approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The ‘Gyeongsangnam-do Urban Railway Network Construction Plan,’ which includes three Changwon urban railway lines (L=68.33 km, total project cost 1,165.22 billion KRW), was submitted for approval to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in January 2022. After one year and four months of verification by specialized research institutions, consultations with related ministries, and review by the National Transportation Committee, it is scheduled to be approved and announced on May 1.

Rail Network of Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam.

The ‘Urban Railway Network Construction Plan’ is a top-level plan in the urban railway sector established by the mayor or governor and approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport every 10 years (with possible revisions every 5 years). It is the first step in promoting ‘urban railway construction projects.’ Subsequently, each incorporated project will proceed through phased procedures such as preliminary feasibility studies, urban railway basic plans, and project plan establishment by line.

▲ Changwon Line 1 runs 15.82 km from Masan Station to Changwon Central Station, with a project cost of 299.38 billion KRW. It connects key railway stations served by KTX and metropolitan rail as termini, linking densely populated residential areas with Changwon NC Park Masan Stadium, Masan Free Trade Zone, and National Industrial Complex, forming a commercial and business public transportation axis between Masan and Changwon. Once the Masan Station future-type transfer center is established, organic transfers with future mobility such as UAM (Urban Air Mobility) will also be possible.

▲ Changwon Line 2 runs 19.28 km from Changwon Station to Jinhae Station, with a project cost of 183.97 billion KRW. It utilizes the currently underused Jinhae Line to operate as an urban railway, connecting Changwon Station, National Industrial Complex, Jinhae Advanced Industrial Research Complex, and Jinhae Station. By utilizing existing railways, project costs can be reduced, earning the highest score in terms of economic feasibility.

▲ Changwon Line 3 runs 33.23 km from Wolyeong Square to Jinhae District Office, with a project cost of 681.87 billion KRW. As it connects major hubs in Masan, Changwon, and Jinhae, it is the line with the highest number of public transportation users. Among the entire route, the 18.0 km section from Yukho Square to Gaeumjeong Intersection is being prioritized as a BRT project. If public transportation usage increases through BRT, it will be converted to tram operation.

The city plans to comprehensively review economic feasibility, financial feasibility, and regional balanced development for each line through a ‘pre-feasibility study for city railway’ starting in the second half of this year, selecting the optimal routes and promoting them step-by-step according to priority.

Since a large-scale project cost is involved, it is impossible to construct all lines at once, and national funding is essential. As 60% of the urban railway project cost is supported by national funds, a preliminary feasibility study will be applied for in the first half of next year to secure national funding for the selected optimal routes. After various administrative procedures, the first opening is planned for 2031.

Lee Seung-ryong, Director of the Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, “With the approval of this urban railway network plan, the foundation for promoting the tram project has been laid. We will concentrate all administrative efforts to quickly implement the project so that the transportation convenience of Changwon Special City citizens is improved and the public transportation system can be reorganized sustainably centered on trams.”

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