Gov’t reveals high-speed commuter rail network projects

The South Korean government released a 134 trillion won worth masterplan to develop the Great Train eXpress (GTX) around the Seoul metropolitan area and the x-TX lines in major local cities to reduce commute time to 30 minutes across the capital area and make megacities – an expansion of major local urban areas – reachable within one hour. On the other hand, it has come under criticism for lacking feasibility, given that 56 percent of the total project cost depends on private sector capital. Moreover, given that the general elections are only two and a half months away, it is inevitably criticized as a supportive plan in favor of the ruling party.

In a discussion on the improvement of people’s livelihoods presided over by President Yoon Suk Yeol in Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province, the government concluded that the GTX A section from Dongtan to Suseo will come under construction this March, the whole GTX A line will be finished by 2028, and the GTX B line will be completed by 2030. It also agreed to conduct a preliminary feasibility study of the first sections of GTX D, E, and F within President Yoon’s term to add momentum to the project.

The administration also released measures to improve the transport system across the capital area, including plans to add more train cars to the Gimpo Goldline, dubbed the “hell train” due to its suffocating congestion, in June and make frequently congested sections of highways near Seoul underground starting from 2026. The x-Tx project, equivalent to the GTX project, will begin with the joint area of Daejeon, Sejong, and North Chungcheong Province. The central government plans to design feasible routes across Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province; Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province; and Gwangju and South Jeolla Province in consultation with local municipalities.

It takes an average of 72 minutes for South Korean citizens to commute on a daily basis. Those living in the Seoul metropolitan area waste as much as 83 minutes on the way to work every morning. Given that the country ranks first among the OECD member nations, it may be the right way for the government to enhance transportation networks to reduce commute time. However, it seems inevitable for the measures to be harshly criticized for heavily focusing on the Seoul metropolitan area, which is not the stronghold for the ruling party and arguably promoting the Mega City project led by the ruling party. Moreover, over 75.2 trillion won, more than half the total project cost of 134 trillion won, will be financed by the private sector, according to the recent blueprint. The central government only covers 22 percent or 30 trillion won directly.

It is also questionable whether businesses are willing to work with the government and invest in large-scale infrastructure projects because there were instances where they got in trouble when the government changed its words later. Without sophisticated action plans to address fiscal challenges, the government will fail to mitigate feelings of doubt that it is yet another political tactic that its predecessors have used to tilt the scale before the elections.