Gyeonggi Province Urgently Requests 40 Railway Projects for Fifth National Railway Network Plan
Governor Choo Mi-ae of Gyeonggi Province met with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hong Ji-sun on the 2nd and requested that 40 railway projects proposed by Gyeonggi Province, including GTX Lines D, E, F, G, and H, be reflected as much as possible in the "Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan." The projects also include the KTX extension to Paju and SRT extension to Uijeongbu, which were established through citizen petitions and included in the Gyeonggi regional pledges of the Lee Jae-myung administration's "Five-Year State Governance Plan."
Governor Choo explained the necessity of the railway projects to Minister Hong, and again emphasized the preliminary feasibility study exemption plan for new city projects announced at a recent "National Assembly policy discussion on follow-up to the government's August 13 measures and strengthening self-sufficiency and rapid advancement of third-phase new cities."
Governor Choo stated, "When you visit new city sites, transportation networks are indeed the biggest issue. The government always talks about 'transportation first, then move-in,' but in reality, residents often move in without adequate transportation infrastructure being established. When preliminary feasibility studies are conducted at that point, it takes a long time or does not yield desired results, causing difficulties in project implementation," and added, "Ultimately, those who moved in first endure immeasurable suffering. The government should predict transportation demand in advance during the land supply process and prepare necessary transportation networks accordingly. For transportation facilities needed after move-in, there is a need to review measures that allow faster implementation, such as exempting them from preliminary feasibility studies."
Minister Hong responded, "Including metropolitan transportation, we will ensure that Gyeonggi Province's voices are reflected as much as possible in railways, roads, and other infrastructure. Issues like preliminary feasibility studies are matters I have continuously raised since my time in Gyeonggi Province. I will personally work on issues outside the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's jurisdiction, propose them at state council meetings, and persuade related ministries."
Governor Choo also requested that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport actively coordinate with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and other related departments on expanding the scale of new projects in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan to exceed 100 trillion won, so that Gyeonggi Province's proposed projects can be reflected as much as possible in the national railway network.
The Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan is a plan that sets the basic direction for national railway network expansion over the next decade from 2026 to 2035. Since it is difficult to proceed with follow-up procedures for new railway projects not reflected in the plan, Gyeonggi Province continues to coordinate with the central government for the reflection of its proposed projects.
Earlier, Governor Choo met with then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok on July 27 and requested that Gyeonggi Province's railway projects, including the Gyeonggi South Metropolitan Railway registered as "Public Petition No. 1 of the 9th Civilian-led Government," be reflected in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan. On July 24 of the same month, she recommended to Minister of Strategy and Finance Park Hong-geun that the scale of new national railway projects be expanded to exceed 100 trillion won.
Going forward, Gyeonggi Province plans to continue cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and other central government agencies, the National Assembly, and relevant organizations to ensure that railway projects proposed by the province are reflected as much as possible in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan.