(Uijeongbu = Yonhap News) Reporter Noh Seung-hyuk = Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae announced on the 5th that she met with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hong Ji-seon on the 2nd and requested that 40 railway projects proposed by Gyeonggi Province, including the GTX D, E, F, G, H lines, be reflected as much as possible in the '5th National Railway Network Construction Plan'.
Also included were the railway project for which residents' petitions were established, the KTX Paju extension, and the SRT Uijeongbu extension, which were included in the Gyeonggi region pledges of the Lee Jae-myung administration's '5-year government management plan'.
While explaining the necessity of the railway project to Minister Hong on this day, Governor Chu once again emphasized the plan to exempt the preliminary feasibility study for the new city project, which was recently announced at the 'National Assembly policy debate for strengthening self-sufficiency and rapid implementation of the 3rd new city, following the government's August 13 measure.'
Governor Chu said, "When you go to a new city site, the transportation network is the biggest problem. The government always talks about 'transportation first, occupancy later,' but in reality, there are many cases where occupancy takes place without expanding transportation conditions." He added, "If you go and go through a preliminary feasibility study, it takes a long time or does not produce the desired results, making it difficult to promote the project."
He continued, "Ultimately, the suffering experienced by those who move in first becomes indescribably greater. The government must predict transportation demand and prepare the necessary transportation network starting from the process of supplying residential land," and added, "There is also a need to review measures that can be implemented more quickly, such as exempting preliminary feasibility studies for transportation facilities needed after moving in."
Minister Hong responded, "We will ensure that Gyeonggi Province's voice is reflected as much as possible in railways and roads, including metropolitan transportation," and added, "Issues such as the preliminary feasibility study are issues that I have been talking about since I was in Gyeonggi Province. I will also personally participate in areas that are not part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's work and make suggestions to the Cabinet meeting and persuade relevant ministries."
Governor Chu also requested that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport actively consult with related ministries such as the Ministry of Planning and Budget on ways to expand the scale of new projects in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan to more than 100 trillion won so that Gyeonggi Province's proposed projects can be reflected as much as possible in the national railroad network.
The 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan is a plan that sets the basic direction for expanding the national railroad network for the next 10 years from 2026 to 2035.
Since it is difficult to pursue follow-up procedures for new railway projects that are not reflected in the plan, Gyeonggi Province is continuously discussing with the central government to reflect the projects proposed by the province.
Previously, Governor Chu met with then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok on July 27 and requested that Gyeonggi-do railway projects, including the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway, be reflected in the 5th national railway network construction plan, which was submitted as 'Public Election 9th Petition No. 1'.
On the 24th of the same month, it was proposed to Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-geun that the scale of the new national railway network project be expanded to more than 100 trillion won.
