Daejeon?Sejong?Chungbuk Metropolitan Express Railway (CTX) to Unify the Chungcheong Region

Passed Private Investment Eligibility Review... Targeting Opening in 2034 After Implementation Agreement
Total Length of 64.4 km, Total Project Cost Approximately 5 Trillion Won

Photo by Daejeon City

The Daejeon-Sejong-Chungbuk Metropolitan Express Railway (CTX) project is being promoted, utilizing two routes: one connecting Government Daejeon Complex, Government Sejong Complex, Jochiwon, and Cheongju International Airport, and another using the existing Gyeongbu Line to link Government Daejeon Complex, Government Sejong Complex, and Seoul.

This CTX project, which is the first metropolitan express railway outside the Seoul metropolitan area, passed the private investment eligibility review on November 4, opening the door for the full-scale implementation of the project.

This is significant because it lays the foundation for the Chungcheong region, which has been relatively marginalized within the Seoul-centric transportation network, to emerge as a unified residential and economic zone.

With the project passing the private investment eligibility review, the CTX will be pursued as a private investment project, with plans to proceed through a third-party proposal announcement and the signing of an implementation agreement. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028, with the goal of opening in 2034.

The CTX project will span a total length of 64.4 kilometers, connecting Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungbuk into a unified living area with a travel time of around 30 minutes. It will also enable access to Seoul within approximately one hour, expanding the residential and economic sphere of the Chungcheong region to the level of the Seoul metropolitan area.

From the early stages of the project, Daejeon City has conducted in-depth studies on the necessity and feasibility of the CTX routes and the development of integrated transfer centers. Based on these research findings, the city plans to actively make recommendations and work closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ensure the project is implemented in a way that maximizes benefits for citizens.

Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, stated, "CTX is a growth engine for the next 100 years that will integrate the Chungcheong region into a single economic and residential zone, and it is a core project for driving balanced national development. We will focus all of the city's capabilities to help Daejeon re-emerge as a transportation hub and to expand citizens' living areas and economic opportunities to the Seoul metropolitan area."

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