Full or 60% Reduction of Usage Fees When Utilizing Railway Facilities for Public Interest

Cases of Utilizing Idle Land by Local Governments

When using idle railway land for public interest purposes, the usage fee paid to the state can be fully or up to 60% reduced. In some areas, spaces for youth startups, performance venues, walking trails, and bicycle paths are being established on railway tracks where trains no longer run.

On the 28th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it approved the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on the Development of the Railway Industry at the Cabinet meeting held that day. This amendment regulates usage fee reductions when local governments promote public interest projects utilizing state-owned railway facilities. Until now, when local governments tried to implement public projects for residents' convenience using idle railway land, they faced significant burdens, including paying both project costs and railway facility usage fees.

With this amendment, when local governments directly use railway facilities such as abandoned lines or idle land for shared, public, or non-profit public interest projects, they can receive a full or partial reduction of the usage fees. Specifically, if the usage permit period is within one year, the fee can be fully exempted, and for usage permits granted for purposes other than public interest, a 60% reduction in fees is applicable.

Kang Hee-eop, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We expect that public interest projects utilizing railway facilities will create various resident-friendly complex cultural spaces," adding, "This will not only benefit the lives of local residents but also contribute to strengthening regional competitiveness." The full text of the amended enforcement decree will be available at the National Law Information Center of the Ministry of Government Legislation starting from the 5th of next month.