Will the KTX connecting Gyeongbu Line, Sejong Complex, and Daejeon be included in the national rail network plan?

An opinion was raised that a high-speed rail network connecting the Government Complex Sejong and Daejeon should be built in the form of a branch line on the existing high-speed rail line.

According to Sejong City on the 13th, the city attended the 5th opinion gathering event for the national rail network construction plan hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held at the Specialized Construction Center in Seoul and requested that the high-speed rail (KTX) passing through Sejong City be included in the national rail network construction plan.

The plan proposed by Sejong City is to build three new connection lines (branch lines) and one new station.

Although the specific stopping station was not disclosed, it is known that the vicinity of the Sejong Government Complex is likely.

The plan is to construct a new branch line from the Gyeongbu Line near Osong Station and rejoin the Gyeongbu Line through downtown Sejong and Daejeon, or connect it to the Honam Line that runs through downtown Sejong and goes around the outskirts of the city.

Sejong City explains that the project cost can be significantly reduced if the branch line shares some of the routes of the Chungcheong Metropolitan Railway (CTX), which is currently being promoted.

The CTX project, which is mainly promoted by private construction companies, passed the private investment eligibility survey by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) last year.

The CTX line, which connects Daejeon, Sejong, and North Chungcheong Province in 30 minutes, is scheduled to begin construction in 2028 and be completed in 2034, and a recruitment announcement for operators is scheduled to be made within the year.

Sejong City emphasized that since the GTX-A line built in the metropolitan area and the Suseo High-Speed ​​Railway (SRT) share the Suseo Station-Dongtan Station track, CTX and the existing KTX, which have the same power supply method, can also share the track.

Sejong City Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Park Seong-soo said, "Sejong City, which is leaping forward as a de facto administrative capital with the construction of the President's Sejong Office and the Sejong National Assembly Building, is in full swing, and the absence of a high-speed rail station continues to cause serious inefficiencies and inconveniences in government administration. In order to reduce the time and social costs of accessing Sejong, it is urgent to expand the rail transportation network that is directly connected to major cities across the country."