The extension of the Daegu·Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad (New Airport Railroad) connecting TK New Airport in Daegu to Uiseong, further extended to Andong, is being promoted.
Daegu City is advancing the New Airport Railroad Andong extension project, linking the New Airport Railroad with the Jungang Line to connect to Andong. Once the New Airport Railroad is connected to Andong, a GTX-level rapid rail network providing access to the New Airport from Andong and other northern Gyeongbuk areas will be established.
The New Airport Railroad, included in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan in 2021, is a GTX-level express railway (maximum speed 180 km/h) connecting Daegu to Uiseong via the New Airport.
The New Airport Railroad connects to the Jungang Line at Uiseong, and the double-tracking between Andong and Yeongcheon on the Jungang Line is in the final stages of completion (scheduled for completion in 2025).
Therefore, once the New Airport Railroad is constructed, a basic track connecting the New Airport Railroad to Andong via the Jungang Line will be established.
With some station and track improvements and additional rolling stock, it will be possible to operate an extended route of about 25 km from Uiseong to Andong, in addition to the approximately 64 km between Daegu and Uiseong.
If the New Airport Railroad is extended to Andong, traveling by GTX-level express train will allow convenient access to the New Airport from Andong in about 20 minutes.
If the connection between the New Airport Railroad and the Jungang Line is further expanded northward, it is expected to attract both passenger and freight traffic from northern Gyeongbuk and Chungbuk regions to the New Airport.
Jeong Jang-su, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Daegu City, is holding a press conference announcing the promotion of the TK Airport railway extension project to Andong.
Daegu City is coordinating detailed plans for the Andong extension project with Gyeongsangbuk-do and Andong City. Along with this, to open the extension line to Andong in time for the New Airport's opening, Daegu plans to propose to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the supervising agency, to include the Andong extension line in the upcoming New Airport Railroad construction project.
Mayor Hong Jun-pyo stated, “We will promote the New Airport Railroad Andong extension line, a metropolitan express railway connecting Andong and northern Gyeongbuk to TK New Airport, in line with the airport opening. Through the New Airport Railroad, which connects the Gyeongbu Line, Jungang Line, and links with the Dalbit Railroad, we will build and expand a vast southern economic zone.”
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