On Monday, Uljin County in North Gyeongsang Province announced that 13 cities and counties from North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces have submitted a proposal to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The proposal urges the inclusion of the Central Region East-West Cross Railway construction in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan.
According to Uljin County officials, the East-West Cross Railway is an ambitious 330 km (about 205 miles) super-regional rail network. It aims to connect cities in North Chungcheong (including Seosan, Dangjin, Yesan, Asan, and Cheonan) with those in North Gyeongsang (such as Mungyeong, Yecheon, Yeongju, Bonghwa, and Uljin), linking the eastern and western regions of the country.
In their joint proposal, the coalition of 13 cities and counties emphasized that the East-West Cross Railway project is a key commitment in the current administration’s 5-year plan. They argue that this initiative represents a model for balanced national development, potentially connecting Seosan in the west to Uljin in the east within a two-hour journey. This connectivity, they claim, would foster a robust economic corridor for logistics and tourism.
The coalition contends that the East-West Cross Railway is crucial for several reasons. These include establishing an efficient mass transit system for the nuclear hydrogen national industrial complex, completing the East Coast Railway and its inland connections, integrating with the Daegu-Gyeongbuk circular railway, addressing the challenges of rural depopulation, and promoting balanced national development.
The collaborative body behind this initiative has grown since its inception. Initially formed in 2016 with 12 cities and counties, it expanded to 13 members when Jeungpyeong County joined in 2022. To demonstrate public support, the group has previously submitted petitions to the government, gathering 620,000 signatures in 2016 and 170,000 in 2021.