Korea Rail Network Authority and Cheongju City Join Forces to Enhance Efficiency of Chungbuk Line High-Speed Project

The Korea Rail Network Authority and Cheongju City have joined forces to enhance the efficiency of the Chungbuk Line high-speed rail project.

On August 29, the Korea Rail Network Authority announced that it had signed a consignment agreement with Cheongju City for the "Chungbuk Line High-Speed-Cheongju Green Smart Valley Industrial Complex Access Road Grade Separation Project."

Overview map of the Chungbuk Line high-speed project section. Provided by Korea Rail Network Authority

The Chungbuk Line high-speed project aims to complete the "X-axis" high-speed rail network connecting the Honam and Gangwon regions by upgrading the 85.5-kilometer section from Cheongju Airport to Jecheon City in North Chungcheong Province into a double-track electric railway. The total project cost is 2 trillion won.

Under the agreement, the two parties have agreed to construct the access road to the Cheongju Industrial Complex, which intersects with the Chungbuk Line high-speed railway, using a box structure filled with soil on top, over which the railway will be built. The Korea Rail Network Authority will be responsible for designing the structure, covering project costs, and maintaining railway facilities, while Cheongju City will handle the construction of the structure and other related work.

Through this arrangement, the Korea Rail Network Authority will save 11.2 billion won in the budget and, with the city's cooperation, will be able to expedite administrative procedures, laying the groundwork for the timely completion of the Chungbuk Line high-speed project.

The budget savings were made possible by changing the construction method for the intersection section. Initially, the plan was to build a railway bridge over the road, which would have required a large budget, but by switching to a grade-separated crossing, cost reductions became feasible, according to the Korea Rail Network Authority.

Lee Seonghae, President of the Korea Rail Network Authority, stated, "This agreement is a model case of cooperation between the authority and local government to enhance project efficiency, and it also reflects the government's proactive administrative policy. The authority will continue to communicate closely with the city to ensure the project proceeds smoothly."