Assemblyman Moon Jin-seok Proposes Special Act on Construction of Central Region East-West Transversal Railroad

"To Be Included in the 5th National Railroad Network Plan Scheduled for 2026"

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Moon Jin-seok (Cheonan City Gap) has introduced a bill as the main proposer for the "Special Act on the Construction of the Central Region East-West Transversal Railroad."

The construction of the Central Region East-West Transversal Railway, which faced the risk of discontinuation after failing to be included in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan in 2021 due to lack of economic feasibility, is expected to gain momentum once again.

Moon Jin-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Cheonan City Gap), officially proposed the "Special Act for the Construction of the Central Region East-West Transversal Railway" on the 1st of this month.

Since its full-scale promotion in 2016, the Central Region East-West Transversal Railway construction project is a national project connecting Seosan?Cheonan?Yeongju?Bonghwa?Uljin, spanning a total length of 330 km with a project cost of 3.7 trillion KRW. It was a presidential pledge of the previous administration but was excluded from the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan in 2021 due to concerns over economic feasibility.

To expedite the project, Representative Moon proposed the special act, which includes provisions for exemption from preliminary feasibility studies, establishing grounds for support from the national and local governments, and easing financial burdens. The goal is to have the project included in the 5th National Railway Network Plan scheduled for 2026.

Moon Jin-seok stated, "Just as the ruling and opposition parties united for the construction of the 21st National Assembly’s Dalbit Inland Railway, bipartisan cooperation and the enactment of a special law are necessary to advance the Central Region East-West Transversal Railway, a long-standing project for the Chungcheong region." He added, "As the floor leader of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, I will lead the prompt construction of the Central Region East-West Transversal Railway to promote balanced national development and strengthen national competitiveness."