Gangwon Province pushes for 10 rail lines in national network plan

The Chunwon Line — a 127.7-kilometer route connecting Chuncheon, Hongcheon and Wonju — is a key north-south corridor that would link multiple east-west rail lines across the central region of the country. Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is actively lobbying the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to include the line in the national plan, with officials saying passenger demand is sufficient to justify the project.

If built, the line would give Gangwon Province a comprehensive rail network connecting all directions. Officials expect it to significantly improve access to the Greater Seoul area when linked with the Yongmun-Hongcheon metropolitan railway. Connectivity with the Yeongdong region is also expected to improve.

Deputy Governor Shin Won-cheol attended the ministry's public hearing Friday at the Korea Specialty Construction Association building in Seoul, where the ministry is gathering input for its Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan (2026–2035). Shin formally requested that 10 Gangwon Province rail projects — including the Chunwon Line — be included in the plan.

Gangwon Province made its case by aligning the proposed projects with the ministry's key policy priorities: balanced regional development, linkage with national industries, and improvements to aging infrastructure and safety.

The 10 proposed lines span 583.2 kilometers at a combined cost of 13 trillion won ($9.76 billion). Seven conventional rail lines — including the Chunwon Line, the Pyeongchang-Jeongseon Line, the Taebaek-Yeongdong Line and the Gyeongwon Line — cover 491.2 kilometers at a total of 12.53 trillion won. Three metropolitan rail lines — the GTX-B Chuncheon extension, a new GTX-D Wonju route and the Gyeongui-Jungang Line — cover 92 kilometers at a total of 471.6 billion won, excluding the GTX-D extension cost, which the ministry has not disclosed.

The hearing, hosted by the ministry and organized by the Korea Transport Institute, is designed to gather input from the public, local governments and experts before the plan is finalized and officially announced.

The National Railway Network Construction Plan is the highest-level statutory plan in the rail sector. Projects must be included in the plan before they can proceed to subsequent steps such as preliminary feasibility studies.

Gangwon Province urged residents to participate in the ministry's public survey, which runs through Friday, to highlight the need for the province's proposed lines. The survey is accessible through the ministry's website, the integrated app "Korail+" and QR codes at major railway stations. The hearing is being livestreamed on the ministry's YouTube channel.

"The Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan will determine Gangwon's transportation map for the next decade," Shin said. "We will do our utmost until the end to ensure Gangwon's projects are included in the final plan."