Seonghae Lee, Chairman of Korea Rail Network Authority, "On-time Railway Opening through Customer and Field-Centered Project Management"

Lee Seong-hae, Chairman of the Korea Rail Network Authority, emphasized 'customer and field-centered project management' in the new year of Eulsa.

Lee Seong-hae, President of the Korea Rail Network Authority, is delivering the 2025 New Year's address at the headquarters in Daejeon on the 2nd. Photo by Korea Rail Network Authority

At the opening ceremony held on the 2nd at the headquarters building in Daejeon, Chairman Lee stated, "Timely opening of railway projects is a promise made to the people."

He urged, "We must not repeat the behavior of betraying public trust and expectations due to chronic delays in railway projects. Please ensure the smooth implementation of railway projects to expand the benefits of high-speed rail areas and regional balanced development, and strive for schedule management to open on time." Since his inauguration last year, Chairman Lee has reorganized the organization into a field-centered, project-based management system to promote timely railway project execution.

According to the Rail Network Authority, four projects including the Suseo~Gwangju Line and the Southern Inland Line are scheduled to start construction this year, and the Boseong~Imseong-ri and Jungang Line high-speed projects are expected to open. Chairman Lee said, "From 2027, high-speed rail vehicles operating at 320 km/h will be fully deployed," and added, "In preparation for this, facility improvement projects to increase the operating speed of existing high-speed rail must be promoted."

He also said, "Digital transformation of railway infrastructure should be taken as a task of the times, and a digital twin must be established." This is intended to integrate technologies from various fields to improve railway technology and expand the base of the railway industry. He expressed hope, saying, "Data-driven accurate analysis and prediction-based decision-making will lead to high-quality railway construction and improved facility safety, enabling safer railway services."

Furthermore, Chairman Lee concluded by saying, "This year, let us promote innovations that meet global standards so that the Rail Network Authority can leap forward as a global engineering innovation company," and added, "We must boldly discard wrong practices and never forget the attitude of integrity that exercises self-restraint."