Joint Proposal Urging the Construction of the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Inland Railroad

Participation of Gwangju and Daegu Mayors, National Assembly Members, Local Governments, Local Councils, and Civic Groups

Mayors Lee Yong-seop and Kwon Young-jin Submit Joint Proposal to the Blue House and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Trans

On the afternoon of the 23rd, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, visited the Blue House in Seoul to deliver a joint petition requesting Yoo Young-min, Chief Secretary, and Lee Cheol-hee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, to include the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Inland Railroad as a new project in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan. The photo shows, from left to right, Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City; Lee Cheol-hee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs; Yoo Young-min, Chief Secretary; and Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the 22nd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) did not include the "Gwangju~Daegu Line Railway Project" in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan. In response, on the 23rd, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin visited the Blue House and MOLIT to explain the necessity and submit a petition.

On the 23rd, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin met sequentially with Blue House Chief Secretary Yoo Young-min, Policy Chief Lee Ho-seung, Political Secretary Lee Cheol-hee, and MOLIT 2nd Vice Minister Hwang Seong-gyu to deliver a joint petition requesting the inclusion of the Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway as a new project in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan.

The joint petition was signed by the heads of 10 local governments along the Dalbit Inland Railway route, the chairpersons and industrial construction committee chairs of the Gwangju and Daegu city councils, 27 members of the National Assembly from Gwangju, Daegu, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, and Gyeongbuk, as well as representatives of civic groups from Gwangju and Daegu.

In the joint petition, they pointed out, "The national core transportation network has been developed centered on the north-south axis according to the capital region-focused economic growth policy, which has become an obstacle to east-west exchange and balanced development. This lack of east-west transportation infrastructure causes regional economic imbalance and capital region concentration, resulting in side effects that ultimately hinder national development."

They continued, "The Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway will promote human and material exchanges among a population of 5.43 million within its influence area by connecting east and west, and furthermore, by linking with existing transportation systems, it will undoubtedly become a new growth engine for the southern region."

Accordingly, they demanded, "The government should take practical measures to promote the 'Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway Construction Project,' which is a presidential campaign pledge, and include the project in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan to promote national balanced development and east-west exchange."

During their meetings with Blue House officials and the MOLIT 2nd Vice Minister, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin emphasized, "The construction of the Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway is a pledge of the Moon Jae-in administration for Yeongnam-Honam mutual cooperation, reflecting the aspirations of 9.7 million residents of Yeongnam and Honam regions. It is an essential project that can realize national balanced development and east-west harmony through the formation of a one-hour living zone and human and material exchanges."

In particular, they stressed, "The Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway should not be judged simply by B/C or budget scale; it is essential for national integration and balanced development," and strongly requested that it be included as a "new" project in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan.

The National Railway Network Construction Plan is the highest-level legal railway plan established every 10 years. On the 22nd, MOLIT held an online public hearing on the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan (2021?2030) and announced 41 newly included projects nationwide and 24 projects for additional review. However, the "Gwangju~Daegu Line Railway Project" was not included as a new project.

The Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway is a high-speed railway construction project connecting Gwangju and Daegu within one hour. The route length is 203.7 km, with a total project cost of 4.085 trillion KRW, connecting six metropolitan cities and provinces: Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, and Daegu.

Once the railway between Gwangju and Daegu is constructed, it will break away from the current north-south axis railway network centered on Seoul and enable circular linkage with existing railway networks such as Honam Line, Jeolla Line, Gyeongbu Line, Jungang Line, and Donghae Line through the east-west axis railway construction between Yeongnam and Honam. In the long term, it is also expected to strengthen the national railway network by linking with the Southern Inland Line and Gyeongjeon Line.

Since being adopted as a Yeongnam-Honam mutual cooperation pledge by President Moon Jae-in in 2017, this project has been jointly addressed by 10 Yeongnam and Honam local governments through the launch of the "Dalbit Inland Railway Construction Promotion Council," the formation of the "Council of Heads of Transit Local Governments," and joint petitions.

Additionally, regional lawmakers including National Assembly member Jo O-seop have held five parliamentary forums to advocate the necessity of construction to MOLIT and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, continuously urging the inclusion of the project in the national plan.

Since the Gwangju~Daegu Dalbit Inland Railway was not included in the draft of the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan, Gwangju and Daegu cities, along with the affected local governments of Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, and Gyeongbuk, plan to unite and respond with full force.