Gangwon-do, Full Effort for Early Groundbreaking of 'Chuncheon~Sokcho Railway Construction'

Chuncheon 'Dangganjiju' Cultural Heritage Alteration Permit Review Approved

Basic Route Plan for Chuncheon~Sokcho Railway Project [Gangwon Province]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gangwon Province has launched an all-out effort, including cooperation with related organizations, to expedite the groundbreaking of the 'Chuncheon~Sokcho Railway Construction' project, which aims to open in 2027.

According to the province on the 23rd, the 'Chuncheon~Sokcho Railway Construction' project began its environmental impact assessment service last November, and completed procedures such as reviewing the draft assessment report and holding resident briefings by June this year.

Currently, among the total eight sections, the turnkey sections (two contracts) are pushing forward plans for early groundbreaking by swiftly completing environmental impact assessments, cultural heritage, and other permits and approvals.

The province has closely collaborated with the Korea Rail Network Authority and completed reviews and verifications of vibration impacts on cultural heritage through domestic specialized institutions, and has also established countermeasures based on review opinions.

They proposed management plans including securing sufficient distance from cultural heritage, promoting surrounding environment improvement projects to enhance the value of cultural heritage, and continuous monitoring of cultural heritage impacts.

In August and September, the Cultural Heritage Administration initially denied permission for changes to the cultural heritage status for construction around the 'Dangganjiju in Chuncheon Geunhwa-dong (Treasure No. 76)'. However, through cooperation with local lawmakers, the project passed the Cultural Heritage Committee review on the 18th.

Previously, the province has continuously argued for the necessity of a railway connecting the East Coast ports to revitalize the economically lagging northern Gangwon region.

Additionally, along with the already constructed Gyeongchun Line ITX, KTX Gangneung Line, and the soon-to-be-started Donghae Northern Line and Chuncheon~Sokcho East-West High-Speed Railway, the province’s strategy is to transform into a forward base of South Korea in the Northeast Asia Northern Economic era and a new metropolitan-wide economic city serving as the hinterland of the Seoul metropolitan area.

The East-West High-Speed Railway project connecting Chuncheon and Sokcho over 93.7 km will invest a total of 2.2 trillion KRW, with groundbreaking expected as early as the end of this year and opening scheduled for 2027.

Son Chang-hwan, Director of the Construction and Transportation Bureau of Gangwon Province, said, "To expedite the groundbreaking of the project, including swift coordination on environmental impact assessments for turnkey sections, we will continuously cooperate with related organizations such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Rail Network Authority, and work closely with the provincial council, National Assembly, and local residents to ensure the project proceeds smoothly."