3.2 Trillion KRW Invested
Board of Audit and Inspection: "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ignored Issues Raised"
An audit report has revealed concerns that the effects of the 'Pyeongtaek~Osong Double Track Expansion' project, which involves an investment of 3.2 trillion KRW, may be lost.
On the 19th, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) released an audit report on the management status of railway construction projects during the design and construction phases, containing these findings.
According to the report, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is promoting the Pyeongtaek~Osong double track expansion project, which doubles the track capacity (from 190 to 380 trips) on the Pyeongtaek~Osong section jointly used by the Gyeongbu and Honam high-speed lines. The project cost is 3.2 trillion KRW.
Osong Station was found to have been designed and constructed with insufficient 'overrun clearance' (a safety distance required to forcibly stop a train in the signaling system if it passes the stopping position) since its opening in 2010, resulting in two out of ten tracks being unusable.
The BAI explained that if the issue is not resolved and the number of train operations is simply increased through double tracking, the shortage of overrun clearance may prevent an increase in train operations.
The BAI pointed out, "MOLIT planned to use Osong Station as is, without even knowing that two tracks at Osong Station were not in use."
In particular, despite the Korea Rail Network Authority raising concerns about the track design at Osong Station in February last year, MOLIT ignored these and approved the detailed design and signed the contract in June of the same year.
The BAI stated, "Without resolving the overrun clearance shortage at Osong Station, train waiting times have become longer than before, resulting in a reduction in the number of train operations. There is a risk that the effects of the Pyeongtaek~Osong double track expansion project will be lost."
The BAI requested MOLIT and the Korea Rail Network Authority to take caution and notified them to prepare fundamental solutions to resolve the overrun clearance shortage at Osong Station and to redesign the track layout accordingly.
Additionally, the BAI highlighted improper handling of the detailed design review and deliberation related to the bidding for the construction of the Daejeon North Connection Line and demanded disciplinary action against two officials of the Korea Rail Network Authority.
Furthermore, in the Icheon~Mungyeong railway construction project, it was confirmed that Korea Rail Network Authority employees unjustly exempted the obligation to install disaster prevention specialized facilities, causing a loss of 4.71061 billion KRW to the Authority.
In April, the BAI requested prosecution to investigate four individuals related to the Korea Rail Network Authority, construction companies, and supervision firms for breach of trust and forgery of private documents due to fraudulent acts that caused damage to the Authority. The Korea Rail Network Authority was also notified to recover the damages.
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