| Korean | English |
| 강원권(용문-홍천) | Gangwon Province (Yongmun-Hongcheon) |
| 대정세종충청권(청주공항-조치원-세종-반석) | Daejeong Sejong Choongcheongwon (Cheongju Airport-Achiwon-Sejong-Banseok) |
| 대구경북권(의성-대구경북 통합신공항-서대구) | Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province (Uiseong-Daegu and North Gyeongsang Integrated New Airport-West Daegu) |
| 광주전남권(상무-혁신도시-나주) | Gwangju Jeollanam-do (Commercial Affairs-Innovation City-Naju) |
| 부산울산경남권(울산-양산-노포) | Busan Ulsan Gyeongsangnam-do (Ulsan-Yangsan-Nopo) |
The Korean government has selected five projects, including "Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan," "Daegu-Gyeongbuk," "Gwangju-Naju," "Daejeon-Sejong-Chungbuk," and "Yongmun-Hongcheon Metropolitan Railway," as its leading projects in the metropolitan area.
The project alone will cost 7.6 trillion won and 222 kilometers of railways will be newly built. The Government have decided to launch a preliminary feasibility study immediately.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 17th selected five projects, one for each region, as the leading project out of 11 newly reflected projects in the "Fourth National Railway Network Plan."
The government is speeding up the project to lead the non-capital metropolitan railway network because it continues to focus on the metropolitan area despite its continuous balanced development policy. Metropolitan railways are a key infrastructure means to efficiently reduce travel time and distance between major hubs in mega cities by region, and compared to metropolitan areas, non-metropolitan areas had difficulty in forming a single economy and living zone by establishing mega cities due to lack of metropolitan rail networks.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "For more effective balanced development, it is necessary to establish a transportation network to support the establishment of mega cities, such as connecting various strongholds in the metropolitan area." Referring to overseas cases, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "Countries such as France and Germany, whose balanced development is the goal of state affairs, are also pushing for the construction of new routes by using existing railways centered on stronghold cities."
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, France is operating a wide-area railway connecting the science city of Grenoble, the industrial city of Saint-Tetien, and the historical city of Vien. In France, investment in metropolitan railways in provincial cities is on the rise, up from 553 kilometers in 2008 to 883 kilometers in 2018. Germany is operating a wide-area railway connecting Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund and the former administrative capital of Bonn, with Cologne at the center.
Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan metropolitan railway was selected as the leading project in Busan, South Gyeongsang Province, and Ulsan areas. The route is a key project to create a "Mega City" in the southeastern region, which combines Boo, Ul, and Gyeongsang Province, the most populous area in the non-capital region, into an hour-long living zone. It is estimated that it will extend 50km and cost 1.631 trillion won. If the railway is built on the line, it is expected to establish a railway-oriented public transportation system in connection with Busan Metro Line 1, Ulsan Metro Line 1, and Yangsan Line urban railway.
Daegu-Gyeongbuk metropolitan railway was selected as the leading project in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. The route is necessary to foster the Daegu-Gyeongbuk unified new airport as a hub airport in the central region. Its total extension is 61.3 kilometers and its project cost is KRW 2.44 trillion. If the railway is built on the line, it is expected to contribute to the development of the local economy in connection with KTX Station in Seo-gu, Daegu Metropolitan Railway (Gumi-Kyungsan), Daegu Industrial Line (Seodaegu-National Industrial Complex), and Moonlight Inland Railway (Daegu-Gwangju).
The Gwangju-Naju metropolitan railway, which is a leading project in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, has a total extension of 28.1km and costs 1.523.5 trillion won. If the line is constructed, a wide-area railway network linking Gwangju Metro Line 1 (Sang Trading), Gwangju, Jeollanam-do Innovation City, and Honam High Speed Railway (Naju Station) will be established, which will reduce the travel time from 81 minutes to 33 minutes. It is also expected that it will be able to prepare for future transportation demands due to the creation of the Energy Valley Industrial Complex and Urban Advanced Industrial Complex in Nam-gu, Gwangju, and the establishment of KEPCO in Naju.
Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong metropolitan railways were selected as the leading projects. The line is a wide-area railway line that connects major regional hubs such as Daejeon Banseok Station, Sejong Government Complex, Jochiwon Station, Osong Station and Cheongju Airport to complete the administrative capital and build mega-city in Chungcheong Province. It has a total extension of 49.4 kilometers and costs 2.10 trillion won. If the railway is built on the route, the travel time between Cheongju and Daejeon will be reduced by more than half to 120 minutes → 50 minutes, and between Cheongju and Sejong 80 minutes → 30 minutes. Access to KTX Osong Station and Cheongju International Airport will also be improved.
In Gangwon Province, Yongmun-Hongcheon metropolitan railway was selected as the leading project. The project will extend the Gyeongui and Jungang Line, which runs from Seoul Station to Yongmun-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, to Hongcheon-cheon-eup. It is the first wide-area railway line in Gangwon Province to be connected to Gyeongui and Jungang lines, and is expected to serve as a catalyst for regional development and balanced national development in connection with the Jungang and Chungbuk lines. The total extension of the route is estimated to be 34.1 kilometers and 853.7 billion won.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will immediately launch a preliminary feasibility study on the five leading projects and carry out follow-up procedures such as a preliminary feasibility study in the second half of next year. It also plans to conduct a feasibility study in advance from next year considering conditions for projects that did not make it into a leading project. In the case of non-metropolitan metropolitan railways, it is important to reduce travel time between key hubs, so it plans to introduce GTX-class trains and apply high-efficiency operation methods such as unmanned driving, crewing, and advanced maintenance.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is also considering ways to develop station areas with local governments in connection with regional development projects. "Non-capital metropolitan railways will function as a key artery for the construction of mega cities by region," said Kang Hee-up, director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "We will actively come up with support measures such as flexible designation standards, easing operating costs, and revitalizing ancillary projects."
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