Gwangsangu Council Urges for More Trains at Gwangju Songjeong Station... "Severe Impact on Citizens"

Kim Myungsoo Points Out “KTX Service Imbalance on Honam Line”
Proposal for Expansion of High-Speed Rail at Gwangju Songjeong Station Adopted

The Gwangsan District Council of Gwangju has called for an increase in KTX services at Gwangju Songjeong Station and the expansion of high-speed rail infrastructure on the Honam Line.

Gwangju Songjeong Station exterior. Provided by Korea Rail Network Authority

Kim Myungsoo, Chairperson of the Gwangsan District Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Sinheung-dong, Usan-dong, Wolgok 1 and 2-dong, Unnam-dong), submitted a proposal regarding the expansion of high-speed rail services at Gwangju Songjeong Station at the 263rd Metropolitan and Provincial Representatives Meeting of the National Council of City, County, and District Council Chairs held in Daegu on the 18th, which was subsequently adopted.

Gwangju Songjeong Station recorded an average of about 7,800 daily passengers last year via KTX, but the number of weekday train operations was only 46, which is insufficient compared to the number of users. In the same period, Ulsan Station had around 5,700 daily passengers and Dongdaegu Station had 14,100, with 46 and 156 train operations per day, respectively. Both the frequency and interval of train operations at Gwangju Songjeong Station lag behind comparatively. Notably, the proportion of KTX-Sancheon trains, which have the fewest seats among high-speed trains, is 48% at Gwangju Songjeong Station, significantly higher than Dongdaegu Station (8.3%) and Busan Station (8.4%).

Chairperson Kim stated, "The inconvenience in using Gwangju Songjeong Station and the Honam Line high-speed rail constitutes structural discrimination against the citizens and Jeonnam residents," adding, "To resolve the transportation imbalance in the Honam region, it is urgent to increase high-speed train services and expand infrastructure."

The proposal will also be delivered to the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Railroad Corporation, 17 metropolitan and provincial councils, and each political party.

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