"Essential to Establish a Comprehensive Railway Network for Gangwon-do Development"

Gangwon Province Mobilizes All Efforts to Include Projects in the 5th National Railroad Network Plan This Year
Ten Projects Including Chuncheon-Wonju Line and Taebaek-Yeongdong Line, Totaling 13 Trillion Won

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on the 13th that it is making every effort to have new projects included in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan, aiming to establish a well-connected circular railway network.

Rail network plan within Gangwon Province that Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is requesting to be included as a new project in the "5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan." Image provided by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office

The National Railroad Network Plan is the highest-level statutory plan in the railway sector, established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport every five years within a ten-year framework. Only projects included in this plan can receive national funding and proceed. The 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan to be established this year targets projects to be implemented from 2026 to 2035 and can be revised every five years.

Gangwon Province proposed to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to include new projects worth a total of 13 trillion won in the 5th construction plan, including seven general railway projects and three metropolitan railway projects such as the Chuncheon-Wonju Line, Taebaek-Yeongdong Line, and Gyeongwon Line, which were selected as additional review projects in the 4th National Railroad Network Plan.

According to a Gangwon Province official, the Chuncheon-Wonju Line, connecting the representative cities of Gangwon Province, Chuncheon and Wonju, is expected to serve as a link between Yeonghonam and Wonju and the Sokcho area.

Additionally, the Taebaek-Yeongdong Line, completed in the 1950s and used in the 1960s to transport fossil fuels such as coal and anthracite produced in Taebaek, is a project to improve the aging railway alignment.

Since approximately 160 projects worth a total of 360 trillion won were proposed by metropolitan local governments nationwide for the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan, fierce competition is expected during the inclusion process.

In response, Gangwon Province is continuously highlighting policy achievements such as the efficiency of the railway transportation system, improved mobility between key points, and the resolution of railway-deprived areas to maximize the inclusion of proposed projects. At the same time, it is meticulously refining its strategy to respond effectively.

A Gangwon Province official stated, “We will emphasize that all routes proposed by Gangwon Province are equally important projects for the construction of the railway network within the province,” and added, “Gangwon Province, its cities and counties, and the residents of Gangwon will continue to cooperate and communicate to make every effort to have these projects included in the national plan.”