As local elections approach, candidates for regional leadership positions are unveiling numerous rail-related promises. Many of these proposed new routes are not reflected in the current national railway network plan.
On May 28, a review of 108 pledges from 21 candidates that included rail-related items found that 33 of these (34.4%) are new promises not included in the fourth national railway network construction plan. This analysis excluded 12 items that were not clearly defined, such as transfer centers and simple stop requests.
The fourth national railway network plan is the highest legal framework for rail projects, and only projects included in this plan can proceed to preliminary feasibility studies and basic plan development. Routes not currently in the plan must first pass through the fifth plan approval process.
A prominent example of misleading promises is the expansion of the GTX (Great Train Express). While Line A has been opened and Lines B and C are under construction, only the western section of Line D has been included as a new project in the fourth plan and has passed the preliminary feasibility study. Lines E, F, G, and H are not part of the fourth plan, making their inclusion in the fifth plan a prerequisite. Candidates like Choo Mi-ae from the Democratic Party and Yang Hyang-ja from the People Power Party have promised Lines E and F, with Choo also including G and H in her pledges.
Several candidates have also proposed extensions to existing routes. Yoo Jeong-bok, the People Power Party candidate for Incheon mayor, suggested extending the newly included Daechang-Hongdae line towards Cheongna and Gyeyang. Unlike the main line, these extensions lack planning justification and require separate feasibility studies and funding.
In the Chungcheong region, the CTX (Chungcheong Regional Express Railway) promises also represent another form of misleading pledges. The fourth plan includes a new project for the Daejeon-Sejong-Chungbuk line. Kim Tae-heum, the People Power Party candidate for Chungnam governor, has promised to establish new lines from Sejong to Cheonan-Asan and Sejong to Gongju. However, experts in the rail industry warn that differing routes, project methods, and funding structures could necessitate re-evaluation, making these separate projects.
The situation is similar outside the capital region. The People Power Party's Kim Du-gyeom, a candidate for Ulsan mayor, has proposed the Ulsan-Yangsan-Busan metropolitan railway and the southeastern circular metropolitan railway, both of which are included as new projects in the fourth plan. In contrast, the TRX proposed by Jeon Jae-soo, the Democratic Party candidate for Busan mayor, and the Gyeongnam governor candidate Kim Kyung-soo's Nahae-gwon metropolitan express railway (GTX-G, Busan-Jinju) are not part of the fourth plan, requiring fifth plan approval before construction can begin.
Even routes included in the fourth plan vary significantly in feasibility. Some newly included projects are still awaiting preliminary feasibility studies, while others require further business viability assessments.
Industry experts emphasize that the effectiveness of rail pledges should be judged not by route names but by their inclusion in the fourth and fifth national railway network plans, as well as their success in passing feasibility studies and private investment eligibility assessments.
Go Jun-ho, a professor of urban engineering at Hanyang University, noted that rail projects directly impact citizens' lives and property rights, making them a recurring issue during elections. However, he stressed that local governments cannot fund these projects alone and must rely on central government plans, highlighting the need for alignment with national strategies.
He added that there is a significant difference in feasibility between projects already included in national plans and entirely new promises, urging candidates to transparently explain the current status and administrative limitations of their proposed projects.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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