Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Choo Mi-ae Meets Transport Minister Kim Yun-deok to Request Key Railway Projects Be Reflected in National Railway Network Plan

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

Governor Choo explained the specific rationale for 40 projects proposed by the province, including 3 high-speed rail lines, 8 general rail lines, and 29 metropolitan rail lines, and particularly focused on requesting expedited promotion of the 'Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway' project, which was filed as 'Popular Petition No. 1 in the 9th Popularly Elected Term'.

Governor Choo Mi-ae stated, "It is a transportation network extending from Hwaseong upward and connecting to Seoul, and there is severe traffic congestion on actual commute routes. According to city and county surveys, it has the highest cost-benefit ratio (B/C value). The financial condition of the related cities is in good shape, so if the central government budget is supported, project implementation would not be difficult."

The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway is a dual-track railway measuring 50.7 km in length, connecting Jamsil, Pangyo, Suji, Gwanggyo, and Bongdam. Travel time from Bongdam to Jamsil Sports Complex is expected to take approximately 58 minutes, making it recognized as the most pressing wish of 4.2 million residents in the southern Gyeonggi region, which suffers from poor access to Seoul. On the 12th, as the number of petitioners wishing for the 'Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway' to be reflected in the Fifth National Railway Network Plan exceeded 10,000, it was selected as 'Petition No. 1 for Gyeonggi Province' following Governor Choo Mi-ae's inauguration. The Gyeonggi Province petition system requires the governor to provide written responses to or post response videos regarding petition posts with over 10,000 participants, or conduct on-site visits related to the issues.

At this meeting, Governor Choo also discussed the GTX, stating, "I have experienced commuting from Gyeonggi Province. During a site inspection of the Kia Motors factory in Hwaseong, I saw how congested the roads are with bottlenecks everywhere." She emphasized, "If Gyeonggi Province routes are reflected in the National Railway Network Development Plan, it will leverage the advantages the province possesses and also benefit the semiconductor belt."

Immediately after completing the meeting with the Transport Minister, Governor Choo conducted a response video recording for residents regarding 'Popular Petition No. 1 in the 9th Popularly Elected Term' on site.

Through the video, Governor Choo stated, "The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway is a prepared project with already proven economic feasibility (B/C 1.2) and validity through joint studies of four cities." She continued, "Following my firm request to expand the scale of new national railway projects at a discussion with the Deputy Prime Minister for Planning and Finance on the 24th, I have today directly conveyed the necessity to the Transport Minister."

She further promised, "With the resolve to keep the promises made to provincial residents, I will concentrate all administrative resources of the province toward reflecting the Fifth National Railway Network Plan."

The province plans to continue active consultations with relevant organizations, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to ensure that provincial projects, including the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway, are reflected as much as possible in the Fifth National Railway Network Development Plan.