April 04, 2011 11:14
Expansion of the KTX bullet train network will make it possible to reach any major city of the country within an hour and a half by 2020, in theory permitting workers to commute from any part of the country.
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs on Sunday said the rail network expansion plan is aimed at drastically boosting efficiency and connectivity by 2020.
According to the plan, the high-speed sections where the KTX can run at a speed of more than 230 km/h will be expanded about 6.4-fold from the current 368.5 km between Seoul and Busan to 2,362.4 km crisscrossing the country by 2020.
About 83 percent of the population will be able to travel to any part of the country within an hour and a half. The travel time between Seoul and Gwangju will be shortened from the current two hours and 52 minutes to an hour and 11 minutes. It will be possible to travel between Seoul and Busan within an hour and 43 minutes once high-speed sections are built linking Daejeon to Daegu, a ministry spokesman said.
The ministry will raise W59 trillion (US$1=W1,092) from state coffers, W3 trillion from local coffers, and W26 trillion from civilian investment for a total budget of W88 trillion.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com