SOUTH KOREA: Revenue services on the 82·5 km railway linking Mokpo in the southwest of the country with Boseong started on September 27.
The 200 km/h largely single-track electrified railway was constructed at a total cost of 1·65tr won. The route connects Imseong-ri station in Mokpo with Sinboseong in Boseong. It is the last element of the Southern Coast corridor which has been developed in stages to create a though route from Mokpo to Busan.
Six new stations were built at Sinboseong, Jangdong, Jeonnam Jangheung, Gangjin, Haenam, and Yeongam, with designs reflecting characteristics of the region.
The Gwangju Songjeong – Boseong – Suncheon route is expected to be electrified by 2030, when KTX-Ieum high speed trains are due to be deployed between Mokpo and Busan.
For the time being, the line is being operated by diesel-hauled trains, with one return Saemaeul train and a pair of Mugunghwa services running each day between Mokpo and the Bujeon station in Busan. There is a further two return journeys per day between Mokpo and Suncheon, along with some tourist trains running along the coast.
The fastest travel time between Mokpo and Bujeon is 4 h 40 min, cutting 2 h 10 min from the journey time when travelling via Gwangju-Songjeong. The travel time between Mokpo and Boseong is now 1 h 5 min, a reduction of 1 h 25 min
‘We will do our best to quickly open the Bujeon – Masan double-track railway and the Gwangju Songjeongm –Suncheon electrification, connecting the entire Southern Coast into a single living and tourism zone, and enable travel from Mokpo to Busan in under 2 h’, said Yoon Jin-hwan, Director General of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure & Transport’s Railway Bureau.
