The so-called 'GTX-D', a direct connection to Seoul's Gangnam on the western region's wide-area express railway (GTX) was eventually canceled.
On the other hand, the 'Dalbit Inland Railway' (Gwangju-Daegu Line), which was considered a long-awaited project in the Yeonghonam region for 20 years, was reflected in the 4th national railway network construction plan and was restored.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a deliberation by the Railroad Industry Committee today (29th) and confirmed the '4th National Rail Network Construction Plan (2021-2030)' containing these contents.
First of all, the GTX-D line has been confirmed to connect only Gimpo Janggi-Bucheon Sports Complex as drafted in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport previously published a draft plan based on the research service results of the Korea Transportation Research Institute on April 22.
In this draft, the GTX-D route was planned to connect only Janggi to Bucheon Sports Complex, and residents of the western part of the metropolitan area protested, calling the route a 'Kimbu Line'.
In the planning stage, Incheon City requested a 110km route in the shape of a 'Y' with Incheon Airport and Gimpo as both starting points, and Gyeonggi Province requested a 68km route from Gimpo to Hanam through Gangnam, but it was not accepted.
However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is considering linking the GTX-D route with the GTX-B route (Songdo-Maseok).
In the future, after consultation with the GTX-B route operator, the plan is to promote direct train operation to downtown Seoul, including Yongsan Station, by using the GTX-B route and the track at the Bucheon Sports Complex.
When operating directly on the GTX-B route, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport predicted that it would take 24 minutes to travel from Gimpo Janggi to Yeouido and 28 minutes to travel from Janggi to Yongsan.
In addition, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport newly reflected the 'Seoul Line 5 Gimpo/Geomdan extension' project as an 'additional review project' in consideration of the traffic conditions in the western region.
Additional review projects refer to projects that require a promotion review according to changes in future conditions.
However, the voices of local residents that the GTX-D route should be connected directly to Hanam via Gangnam as originally requested by the local government are still high, so it is unclear whether their opposition will subside easily.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "In order to improve the traffic congestion problem in the western part of the metropolitan area, we plan to strengthen the linkage between various railway lines in addition to the wide-area express railway in the western region, and actively review and promote various transportation methods such as roads and buses in addition to railways."
The 'Dalbit Inland Railway' connecting Gwangju and Daegu was additionally reflected in the 4th railway network construction plan confirmed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
This project was selected as a 'review project' in the draft announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on April 22, but was confirmed this time through the process of collecting opinions.
The Dalbit Inland Railway is a single-track railway project linking the 199km section between Songjeong and Seodaegu in Gwangju, and the total project cost is estimated at KRW 4.5 trillion.
The Dalbit Inland Railway is a pledged project by the Moon Jae-in government, and the necessity of the project has been emphasized in terms of exchanges between Yeongho-nam and balanced national development.
However, the cost-benefit ratio (BC) was only 0.483, which was not reflected in the railway network plan every time due to the low economic feasibility.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "The Gwangju-Daegu project has a significant effect on balanced regional development and strengthening the connectivity between regional bases via six metropolitan cities and provinces." reflected,” he explained.