Naju~Busan '2-Hour Era' Opens

Railway Construction Between Gwangju Songjeong and Suncheon in 2030, New Naju Innovation City Station Established

Naju City, which has served as a key transportation hub in the western region of Jeollanam-do, is expected to emerge as a central point for human and material exchange between Yeongnam and Honam regions and as a hub of a well-connected metropolitan transportation network through the national railway network project.

According to Naju City on the 11th, the 'Gwangju Songjeong~Suncheon Railway Construction Project' (2023?2030) by the Korea Rail Network Authority, which will be actively promoted starting next year, will establish a new station called Naju Innovation City Station (tentative name).

With the new station, by the expected opening in the second half of 2030, passengers boarding trains at Naju Innovation City Station will be able to reach Busan Station within 2 hours.

Currently, the public transportation system (train and express bus) takes at least 3 hours and 30 minutes to over 4 hours to travel from Naju to the Busan area.

For express buses, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to travel from Naju to Gwangju General Bus Terminal, and then taking a bus bound for Busan results in a total travel time of 4 hours and 40 minutes to Busan General Bus Terminal.

Using express buses from Naju Intercity Bus Terminal or the temporary stop at Naju Innovation City, it takes about 3 hours and 40 minutes to 4 hours to reach Busan West Bus Terminal.

High-speed trains require two transfers at Iksan Station and Osong Station from KTX Naju Station, taking approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes to nearly 4 hours to reach Busan Station.

The Gwangju Songjeong~Suncheon railway project involves an investment of 2.1366 trillion KRW to construct and upgrade a total of 121.5 km of track from Gwangju Station, passing through Gwangju Songjeong Station, Naju (Bitgaram) Innovation City, to Suncheon Station.

The finalized route is 'Gwangju Station - Gwangju Songjeong Station - Naju Innovation City Station (new) - Boseong Station - Beolgyo Station - Suncheon Station,' with 89.2 km newly constructed as single-track electrified railway and the remaining 32.3 km utilizing existing lines.

Once the entire section opens, the non-electrified section of the Gyeongjeon Line between Gwangju Songjeong, Naju, and Suncheon will be electrified, enabling high-speed trains to operate, significantly reducing travel time between regions, enhancing passenger convenience, and promoting active exchange between Yeongnam and Honam regions.

The travel time from Gwangju Station to Suncheon Station will be reduced from the current 152 minutes to 52 minutes, cutting 1 hour and 40 minutes. The travel time from Gwangju Station to the terminus at Bujeon Station will be greatly shortened from the existing 5 hours and 50 minutes to 2 hours and 21 minutes, a reduction of 3 hours and 28 minutes.

In particular, with the confirmed establishment of a train station in Naju (Bitgaram) Innovation City, home to 16 relocated public institutions including Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Energy Engineering University, expectations among local residents are rising for expanded human and material network exchanges centered on the innovation city’s industry-academia-research cluster and the national energy industrial complex, as well as economic, cultural, and tourism revitalization following the construction of the South Coast Sunbelt.

The Korea Rail Network Authority plans to select a qualified contractor for detailed design after completing the basic design in the first half of 2024, complete the detailed design and start construction in the first half of 2025, aiming to open the project by 2030.

Naju = Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong yjm3070@asiae.co.kr