Daegu and Gyeongbuk Become One Living Area as Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad Passes Feasibility Review

[Financial News, Daegu = Reporter Kim Jang-wook] Daegu and Gyeongbuk will be connected into a 30-minute living zone.
The city of Daegu said that the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad construction project, a key transportation network for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport and linked to the government’s Five Mega-Regions and Three Special Self-Governing Provinces Policy for balanced national development, passed the Preliminary Feasibility Study on the 26th at a meeting of the Fiscal Investment Review Committee under the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad was selected in July 2021 as a leading non-capital-area metropolitan rail project under the Fourth National Rail Network Construction Plan. It is a major infrastructure project worth 3.1813 trillion won that will build a double-track metropolitan railway spanning 70.06 km from West Daegu to Donggumi, passing through Gunwi County, where the Daegu–Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport will be located, and continuing to Uiseong County on the Jungang Line.
Of the total route, 64.97 km will be newly built. The plan is to expand the metropolitan transport network linking Daegu and Gyeongbuk, improve travel convenience between regions, and support local economic growth.
Mayor Choo Kyung-ho said at the meeting, "This approval of the Preliminary Feasibility Study is an important turning point that will connect Daegu and Gyeongbuk more closely as a shared living and economic zone." He added, "The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad is more than a simple rail construction project. It will play a key role in supporting the future growth of Daegu and Gyeongbuk and the era of the new airport."
He also said, "We will concentrate all administrative resources on pushing the project forward so that Daegu and Gyeongbuk can leap forward as a leading mega-regional economic bloc in Korea, and so that residents can feel the change as soon as possible."
The biggest effect of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad project is that it will create a metropolitan transport network connecting major cities in Daegu and Gyeongbuk into a single living area.
GTX-class trains with a top speed of 180 km/h are expected to be deployed on the line. Once the route opens, travel from Daegu to the new airport will take about 30 minutes, creating a transport link that will provide fast access to the airport and greatly contribute to its development.
In particular, the line will not only improve transportation convenience but also serve as an important economic infrastructure connecting the regional industrial structure. By linking Daegu’s major industrial hubs, the Gumi National Industrial Complex, and the planned Gunwi advanced industrial complex by rail, it will become a core facility for building a mega-regional economic bloc centered on the new airport and forming a new industrial, logistics, and business axis.
The city plans to work closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government, and other related agencies to ensure the project moves ahead quickly, while also securing active government support and cooperation.
In particular, Mayor Choo is an expert in the economy and public finance who spent more than 30 years in key posts at economic ministries and later served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. Since taking office, he has focused the city’s administrative capabilities on securing approval for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad Preliminary Feasibility Study, drawing on his accumulated policy experience and expertise.
With this approval, the city has achieved a tangible result that lays the groundwork for fully advancing a large-scale SOC project with a total cost of more than 3 trillion won.
[email protected] Kim Jang-wook Reporter