[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Gu Daeseon] The construction of the 68.9 km railway section connecting Mungyeong, Sangju, and Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang Province, an unconnected segment of the Jungbu Line (388.7 km) linking Suseo in Seoul and Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province, has passed the preliminary feasibility study.
On the 28th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and North Gyeongsang Province announced that the construction of the Jungbu Line connecting Mungyeong, Sangju, and Gimcheon, the largest pending project in the North Gyeongsang region, passed the preliminary feasibility study review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee, judging that the project is feasible.
The Jungbu Line Mungyeong~Sangju~Gimcheon connecting railway was selected as a preliminary feasibility study project under the National Balanced Development Project in January 2019, and after starting the feasibility study in May of the same year, it passed the evaluation after 3 years and 6 months by receiving excellent reviews in terms of policy evaluation and regional balanced development, overcoming the major hurdle of insufficient economic feasibility.
Despite the low predicted economic feasibility, North Gyeongsang Province, led by Governor Lee Cheol-woo, along with People Power Party lawmakers Song Eon-seok and Lim E-ja, and the cities of Mungyeong, Sangju, and Gimcheon, jointly submitted a petition signed by 240,000 residents to the Blue House, held three policy forums at the National Assembly, and submitted joint appeals, continuously persuading central government ministries and related agencies of the necessity of the project.
With the passage of this preliminary feasibility study, the Jungbu Line Mungyeong~Sangju~Gimcheon railway project will be actively promoted. It involves constructing a single-track electrified railway of 69.8 km, with a national budget investment of 1.3031 trillion KRW.
The project period is from 2023 to 2030 (3 years for design, 5 years for construction), and it will be built as a high-speed line capable of operating the next-generation high-speed train KTX-Eum (maximum speed 260 km/h).
Once the Jungbu Line opens as planned, travel times are expected to be reduced to within 65 minutes from Suseo to Jeomchon, 75 minutes from Suseo to Sangju, and 90 minutes from Suseo to Gimcheon, bringing about a transportation revolution.
The estimated socio-economic ripple effects of the opening include a production inducement effect of 2.787 trillion KRW, a value-added inducement effect of 1.2321 trillion KRW, and employment effects of 19,839 jobs.
The Jungbu Line Mungyeong~Sangju~Gimcheon railway, together with the previously underway Icheon~Mungyeong (scheduled for December 2024) and Gimcheon~Geoje (scheduled for December 2027) sections, is expected to play a central role in connecting the metropolitan area, Chungcheong region, and southern region in the future, and is anticipated to become a new railway network that disperses the railway transportation system concentrated on the Gyeongbu axis.
Additionally, it will serve as the central railway axis of the Korean Peninsula following the Gyeongbu Line and Jungang Line, securing accessibility for the activation of the integrated new airport, while positively influencing the promotion of the Jeomchon (Jungbu Line)~New Provincial Government Complex~Andong (Jungang Line) connection line, thus signaling a green light for the future construction of North Gyeongsang’s railway network.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo of North Gyeongsang Province said, “This is the rightful result of our unwavering determination to turn obstacles into bridges and our persistent pursuit of the project until the end,” adding, “We will not be satisfied with this and will concentrate all administrative efforts to ensure the early opening of this project.”
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