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A Unified Voice from the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Region: Joint Proposal for Feasibility Study Approval of the “Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan Metropolitan Railway”

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon), in collaboration with Ulsan Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom) and Gyeongsangnam-do Province (Governor Park Wan-soo), announced that on May 12, the three regions jointly visited the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to propose the approval and early construction of the “Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan Metropolitan Railway.”

The delegation included the Director-General of the Urban Innovation and Balance Office of Busan, the Director of Transportation of Ulsan, and the Director of Transportation and Construction of Gyeongsangnam-do.

During the visit, the three regions emphasized that to counteract the risks of regional extinction caused by the concentration in the capital area and the hollowing-out of non-capital regions, it is essential to expand fast and convenient metropolitan railway networks. They stressed the importance of passing the current feasibility study to realize this metropolitan railway as a backbone of regional connectivity and urged swift progress going forward.

The “Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan Metropolitan Railway” began its feasibility study in June 2023, and the results are expected this coming June.

The total length of the railway is 48.7 kilometers (with 8.9 km in Busan), featuring 11 stations (2 in Busan), with a total project cost estimated at approximately 2.5 trillion KRW.

The line will connect the core axis of Bu-Ul-Gyeong—Busan (Nopo), Yangsan (Ungsang), and Ulsan (KTX Ulsan Station)—and will be directly linked to four disconnected urban rail lines: Busan Line 1, the planned Jeonggwan Line, Yangsan Line, and Ulsan Line 1. It is expected to establish a one-hour living zone across the region, activate industrial, logistics, and supporting functions, and contribute to balanced regional development.

Additionally, the three regions pledged to continue their cooperation to ensure the smooth progress of the “Southeast Region Circular Metropolitan Railway.”

This railway, which will complete the Bu-Ul-Gyeong metropolitan network by connecting with the Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan line, will run from KTX Ulsan Station through Yangsan to Gimhae (Gyeongjeon Line). It began its feasibility study in December 2023.

Metropolitan railways are key transportation systems that efficiently reduce travel time and distance between major regional hubs. However, Bu-Ul-Gyeong lacks sufficient metropolitan railway infrastructure compared to the capital region, making it difficult to form a unified economic and living zone.

To address this, in 2021, the government designated five projects as “Leading Metropolitan Railway Projects in Non-Capital Regions”:
① Busan–Yangsan–Ulsan
② Daegu–Gyeongbuk
③ Gwangju–Naju
④ Daejeon–Sejong–Chungbuk
⑤ Yongmun–Hongcheon

In June of last year, the mayors and governor of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do submitted a joint proposal to the central government requesting early implementation of the "Busan–Yangsan–Ulsan Metropolitan Railway" and the "Southeast Region Circular Metropolitan Railway."

Lim Kyung-mo, Director General of Busan’s Urban Innovation and Balance Office, stated,
“We earnestly conveyed the need and our collective aspiration for the expansion of the metropolitan railway network—key to forming a one-hour Bu-Ul-Gyeong living zone and addressing regional extinction.”

He added, “The three regions will continue to work together with one heart to realize the metropolitan railway network.”