Naju City Selected for Preliminary Feasibility Study of 'Gwangju-Naju Metropolitan Railroad Project'

The southwestern region's first metropolitan railway project connecting Jeonnam Naju City, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and the nation's only joint innovation city has gained momentum.

Naju City (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae) announced on the 9th that the Gwangju-Naju metropolitan railway construction project has been finally selected as a preliminary feasibility study project by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

KTX Naju Station
Photo by Naju City

The preliminary feasibility study is a system that verifies and evaluates the policy and economic feasibility of projects involving large-scale government funding in advance to prevent unnecessary tax waste.

The Gwangju-Naju metropolitan railway project is a national project reflected in the 4th National Railway Network Plan (2021?2025), with a total project cost of 1.5192 trillion KRW.

The plan is to build a double-track electric railway with a total length of 26.46 km connecting Gwangju Sangmu Station, Naju Nampyeong-eup, Bitgaram Innovation City, and KTX Naju Station.

Once the railway network is established, the average travel time between the two cities will be reduced by about 48 minutes, from approximately 81 minutes to 33 minutes.

In particular, through the creation of a single living and cultural belt between the two cities, it is expected to foster human and material resource exchanges, ease traffic congestion during commuting hours, improve travel convenience, and activate the tourism industry, thereby laying a bridge for mutual development.

The Gwangju-Naju metropolitan railway project has gone through the National Comprehensive Plan (2020?2040) in 2020, the 2nd National Core Transportation Network Plan (2021?2040) in 2021, the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan (2021?2030), and the selection process for the leading metropolitan railway project in the local area.

Previously, based on the preliminary feasibility study results conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Rail Network Authority from October 2021 to February 2023, the city has made several visits to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the National Assembly to secure the project's justification.

They actively appealed the logic of national balanced development by emphasizing the residential conditions of the Gwangju-Jeonnam joint innovation city, home to 40,000 residents and 16 relocated public institutions including KEPCO, the activation of the Korea Energy Engineering University, and the improvement of the transportation system in Naju City, a key transportation hub in the Honam region served by the only metropolitan railway.

Also, ahead of the preliminary feasibility study project selection, they formed an inter-agency working council with Gwangju City and Jeollanam-do to focus on presenting the project's justification, successfully passing the first hurdle.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “The Gwangju-Naju metropolitan railway will be a symbol of national balanced development following Bitgaram Innovation City, a groundbreaking improvement in residential and transportation conditions, and a catalyst for the win-win economic development of Gwangju and Jeonnam.”

He added, “As the first metropolitan railway connecting the nation's only joint innovation city, it will provide an opportunity for the innovation city to leap forward as a hub for the win-win development of Gwangju and Jeonnam through the activation of human and material exchanges among 16 relocated public institutions including KEPCO, Kentec, and metropolitan area institutions. We will do our best together with Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province to pass the second hurdle, the preliminary feasibility study.”

Naju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong baekok@asiae.co.kr