Gyeongnam Province to Establish 1-Hour Rail Transport Network Within the Province

Mid-to-Long-Term Comprehensive Transportation Network Development Plan

Gyeongsangnam-do is establishing a comprehensive mid- to long-term transportation network with seamless connectivity and no railway blind spots.

On the 27th, Gyeongnam Province held a briefing and announced plans to build a transportation network connecting major hubs in 18 cities and counties within the province within one hour.

The goal is to provide railway services comparable to those in the metropolitan area and to create a practical half-day living zone within the province.

To this end, Gyeongsangnam-do has launched a comprehensive transportation network (railroad and road) planning project and is actively working to secure feasibility for inclusion in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan.

Kim Young-sam, Director of Transportation and Construction Bureau of Gyeongnam Province, is explaining the railway network construction plan.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

In January, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced in its major work plan for this year that it would expedite the establishment of the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan (2026?2035) to expand major trunk and metropolitan networks.

According to the province, the urban railway network construction plan submitted by Gyeongsangnam-do to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was finally approved and confirmed on the 26th after review by the National Transportation Committee, and is scheduled to be officially announced on May 1.

With the plan confirmed, a total project cost of 1.7552 trillion KRW will be invested in constructing six railway lines totaling 101.63 km of the Gyeongsangnam-do urban railway network.

Gyeongsangnam-do Railway Network Construction Plan. [Image provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

The major railway lines to be reflected in the 5th construction plan include those not included in the 4th plan: ▲Dongdaegu~Changwon~Gadeokdo New Airport ▲Geoje~Gadeokdo New Airport ▲Changwon Industrial Line ▲Jinhae New Port Line ▲Masan New Port Line ▲Jinju~Sacheon Aerospace Industry Line.

The province plans to discover additional new lines such as ▲Daejeon Namhae Line ▲Hamyang~Ulsan Line ▲Daesong Industrial Complex Line, based on demand surveys from cities and counties.

Among these, the Changwon~Dongdaegu upgraded high-speed line and the Jinju~Samcheonpo line will be prioritized to enable travel between Dongdaegu and Changwon within 30 minutes and to support the establishment of a new industrial hub following the establishment of the Aerospace Administration.

Additionally, the province will present mid- and short-term road network construction plans to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, including improvement plans considering national and local roads centered around railway (station area) zones.

The detailed contents of the project include ▲basic data analysis, regional status surveys, and review of related plans ▲proposals for optimizing train operation plans ▲estimation of total project costs and operating expenses, demand and benefit estimation ▲economic feasibility analysis and project feasibility review ▲establishment of an integrated transportation master plan vision and implementation strategies.

The province will strive to reflect the research results in the 5th railway network and the 3rd national road network plans, and will also build railway networks crossing railway-transportation-disadvantaged areas such as Hadong, Namhae, Sancheong, Uiryeong, Sacheon, and Hamyang.

A provincial official said, “Building a railway and road network connecting major hubs in 18 cities and counties within one hour will create new tourism demand and revitalize human and material exchanges between the Yeongnam, Honam, and Chungcheong regions.”

They predicted that once a metropolitan railway network connecting major hub cities within the province with Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Ulsan is established, a dense, web-like railway network similar to that of the metropolitan area will be created, enhancing metropolitan transportation logistics and passenger transport capacity.

They also said that regional co-prosperity and spatial compression will form living, economic, and cultural communities, greatly revitalizing the regional economy.

Kim Young-sam, Director of the Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, “We will build a dense railway network throughout Gyeongnam to resolve the long-standing wishes of residents and provide safe and convenient transportation services, contributing to economic revitalization and balanced regional development in western and eastern Gyeongnam.”

He added, “We will focus on promoting the comprehensive planning project to ensure that the national railway network, expressways, and national and local road construction plans are reflected in the national plan, and we will ensure the substance of this feasibility study.”

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