Yeongju Mayor Hwang Byeong-jik (left) and lawmaker Im Jong-deuk. [Yeongju City]
Yeongju Mayor Hwang Byeong-jik (left) and lawmaker Im Jong-deuk. [Yeongju City]

Yeongju, a city in North Gyeongsang Province, is mounting a concerted push — alongside local politicians — to have an east-west cross-country rail line included in the government's fifth national railway network development plan.

Yeongju Mayor Hwang Byeong-jik and lawmaker Im Jong-deuk attended a public hearing on the fifth national railway network plan hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Seoul on Friday, where they made the case for building the east-west rail line and argued it should be incorporated into the national plan.

At the event, Yeongju officials said the east-west rail line would serve as a critical transport corridor linking the West Sea industrial and logistics zone, the central inland region and the Donghae tourism belt, calling it an essential project for closing regional transport gaps and achieving balanced national development.

The day before, lawmaker Im, Yeongju and Bonghwa-gun agreed to coordinate their efforts to secure the line's inclusion in the national plan and pledged to strengthen cooperation on advancing the project.

Yeongju has long been defined by rail — its industries, economy and residential areas all developed around the railway.

With the city approaching the 100th anniversary of its rail history, officials say the east-west line could connect existing rail infrastructure to new engines of growth and position Yeongju as a central hub for inland rail transport.

"The east-west rail line is an urgent priority on which Yeongju's future and the region's survival depend," Im said. "I will personally take responsibility for mobilizing every resource available in the National Assembly and with the central government to ensure it is included in the national railway network plan."

Mayor Hwang said rail is "both Yeongju's past and its future," adding that the city would rally all its resources to keep pressing the central government and relevant agencies. "We will turn the hopes of 100,000 citizens into reality," he said.


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