Governor Choo Mi-ae Meets Transport Minister Kim Yun-deok to Request Major Railway Projects Reflect in 5th National Railway Network Plan

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gab-dong] On the 27th, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae met with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok at the National Land Development Exhibition Center in Seoul and strongly requested that major railway projects recommended by Gyeonggi Province, including the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway, be reflected in the '5th National Railway Network Construction Plan'.

Governor Choo explained the concrete rationale for 40 projects recommended by the province—including 3 high-speed rail, 8 conventional rail, and 29 metropolitan rail lines—and particularly urged the prompt advancement of the 'Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway' project, received as 'Petition No. 1 of the 9th Civilian-Elected Term'.

Governor Choo stated, "It's a transportation network running from Hwaseong all the way up to Seoul, and in reality this area suffers severe commute traffic congestion, and according to city and county studies, it has the highest economic feasibility (B/C ratio). Since the financial condition of the related cities is sound, if central government budget support is provided, project implementation shouldn't be difficult."

The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway is a 50.7-kilometer double-track railway connecting Jamsil~Pangyo~Suji~Gwanggyo~Bongdam. With expected travel time of approximately 58 minutes from Bongdam to Jamsil Sports Complex, it is considered the top long-standing wish of 4.2 million residents in southern Gyeonggi Province, where Seoul accessibility is poor. On the 12th, as the number of petitioners wishing to reflect the 'Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway' in the 5th National Railway Network Plan exceeded 10,000, it was selected as 'Petition No. 1 of Gyeonggi Province' since Governor Choo Mi-ae took office. The Gyeonggi Province petition system requires the governor to directly provide written answers, post related videos, or conduct site visits for petition posts in which more than 10,000 petitioners participate.

At this meeting, Governor Choo also stated regarding the GTX, "I have experienced commuting from Gyeonggi Province. When I visited Hyundai's Kia automobile plant in Hwaseong, I saw how congested the roads are—there are bottlenecks everywhere. If Gyeonggi Province routes are reflected in the National Railway Network Construction Plan, it will leverage the advantages our province possesses and also benefit the semiconductor belt."

Immediately after concluding her meeting with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on this day, Governor Choo conducted a response video recording for residents regarding 'Petition No. 1 of the 9th Civilian-Elected Term' at the site.

Through the video, Governor Choo stated, "The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway is a prepared project with economic feasibility (B/C 1.2) and viability already verified through joint studies by four cities. Following my request for expanded scale in new national railway projects at my meeting with the Minister of Budget and Planning on the 24th, I have directly conveyed the necessity to the Transport Minister today," she said.

She further pledged, "With the resolve to surely keep the promises made to provincial residents, I will concentrate all administrative capacity of the province to reflect the 5th National Railway Network Plan."

The province plans to continue active consultations with related agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, so that major projects recommended by Gyeonggi Province, including the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway, are reflected in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan to the greatest extent possible.