Transport authority to oversee urban rail projects from planning to approval

The Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will take over from the ministry on Tuesday the authority to approve and publicly announce urban rail network construction plans.

The commission had already held authority over supporting preliminary feasibility studies and approving master plans and project plans for urban rail networks pursued by local governments. Approval of the 10-year urban rail network construction plans, however, had remained under the ministry's jurisdiction, creating a fragmented oversight structure.

A revised enforcement decree of the Urban Railway Act, which takes effect Tuesday, allows the commission to consistently oversee the entire process — from the initial network construction plan through subsequent procedures such as project plan approval — for urban railways whose routes fall wholly or partly within metropolitan areas as defined under the Special Act on the Management of Metropolitan Area Transportation. The designated metropolitan areas include Greater Seoul, the Busan-Ulsan area, the Daegu area, the Gwangju area, the Daejeon area and the Jeonju area.

Kim Yong-seok, chairman of the commission, said the transfer of authority will allow the commission to take full responsibility for supporting every stage of urban rail projects pursued by local governments. "We will work closely with local governments to actively back the swift advancement of urban rail projects that the public needs," he said.