The Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation will now provide comprehensive support for urban rail projects from the planning stage through to construction.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that a revision to the "Urban Rail Act Enforcement Decree," which delegates the authority to approve and announce urban rail network construction plans from the ministry to the corporation, will be enacted on July 7.
Previously, the construction of urban rail systems required approval of the urban rail network construction plan by city and provincial governors every ten years, along with preliminary feasibility studies, basic plan approvals, project plan approvals, and groundbreaking procedures.
While the corporation had already been delegated authority for supporting preliminary feasibility studies and approving basic and project plans, the initial step of approving and announcing the urban rail network construction plan was still handled directly by the ministry, leading to a fragmented process.
With this revision, the authority to approve, amend, and announce urban rail network construction plans under the Urban Rail Act will be transferred to the corporation. Consequently, the corporation will oversee the entire process from the establishment and approval of the urban rail network construction plan to the approval of basic and project plans for each line.
This applies to urban rail systems where all or part of the project area falls within the metropolitan area as defined by the Special Act on Metropolitan Transportation Management. This includes regions such as the Seoul metropolitan area, Busan-Ulsan area, Daegu area, Gwangju area, Daejeon area, and Jeonju area.
The ministry expects that this revision will enhance administrative efficiency and connectivity between projects, allowing local governments to conduct the review and approval process for urban rail network construction plans and project plans within the same agency.
Given that urban rail projects typically take a long time from planning to construction, streamlining the approval process is anticipated to reduce the administrative burden on local governments and mitigate delays in project timelines.
Kim Yong-seok, chairman of the corporation, stated, "With this delegation of authority, we can now take full responsibility for supporting the entire process of urban rail projects initiated by local governments. We will actively collaborate with local governments to ensure that the urban rail systems needed by the public are expedited effectively."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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