The 'Suwon-origin KTX Direct Connection Project,' which aims to make Suwon Station a KTX departure hub in Gyeonggi Province, is being promoted at a rapid pace.
The Korea Rail Network Authority announced on the 23rd that it will invest 2.2258 trillion KRW in 148 new railway construction projects in the second half of this year, including the 'Suwon-origin and Incheon-origin KTX Direct Connection Projects.'
The Suwon-origin KTX Direct Connection Project involves constructing a 9.99 km railway connecting Seojeong-ri Station and Jije Station to make Suwon Station a KTX departure hub. The project is scheduled to open in the second half of 2025, with a total budget of 349.9 billion KRW.
Currently, KTX trains to Busan depart four times a day (on weekdays), but once the Suwon-origin KTX Direct Connection Project is completed, the daily operation frequency will increase to 12 times.
A new KTX line on the Honam Line (to Gwangju and Mokpo) will be established. Trains to Gwangju and Mokpo are expected to operate six times a day.
The number of operations will increase, and travel time will be reduced. Travel time to Busan will decrease from the current 2 hours 40 minutes (KTX standard) to 2 hours 16 minutes, a reduction of 24 minutes, and travel time to Gwangju and Mokpo will be shortened by nearly 2 hours.
Gwangju Metropolitan City, which currently takes 3 hours 10 to 30 minutes (Saemaeul-ho standard), will be reachable in just 1 hour 35 minutes. Travel time to Mokpo will be reduced from 3 hours 50 minutes to 4 hours 15 minutes (Saemaeul-ho standard) to 2 hours 10 minutes.
Lee Jae-jun, Mayor of Suwon, stated, "We will actively cooperate with the Korea Rail Network Authority to ensure the Suwon-origin KTX Direct Connection Project progresses rapidly and opens on schedule," adding, "We will strive to enable citizens to conveniently use the Suwon-origin KTX by the second half of 2025."
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