[Territorial Policy in Korea (5)] High-speed rail centerpiece of green growth

This is the fifth installment in a series of articles shedding light on Korea`s territorial policies - an integral part of the nation`s development strategy. Researchers from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, a state-run institute committed to studying means of enhancing the use of national territory, will deal with about two dozen themes related to formulating the territorial development strategy. - Ed. By Cho Nam-geon, Chung Jin-kyu The Korea Train Express, or KTX went into operation in April 2004, making Korea the fifth nation to run a high-speed rail system. The first phase - covering a 293.1 kilometer route between Seoul and the southeastern city of Daegu - was completed 12 years after construction began in June 1992. The KTX cut travel time by between 33 and 46 percent - it takes 34 minutes from Seoul to Cheonan/Asan, 49 minutes to Daejeon, 1 hour and 39 minutes to Daegu, and 2 hours and 40 minutes to Busan. One major reason for the high-speed rail construction was the revival of the waning railway industry. Until the mid-1960s, railways attracted more investment than roads. But transport investment then concentrated on building highways, at the expense of railways. Improved income in the 1980s led to a sharp increase in the number of cars. More people began to use private vehicles for leisure and holidays. Cargo transport also rose, causing congestion on expressways. The problem was most serious on the Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) line, the logistics backbone that had played a crucial role in Korea`s economic growth. In 1982, 65.8 percent of the population and 73.7 percent of gross domestic product were concentrated around the Gyeongbu corridor. It accounted for 66 percent of passenger transport and 70 percent of cargo shipping. Thirty-eight percent of the Gyeongbu Highway suffered from chronic congestion while the Gyeongbu Railway also reached capacity. Traffic worsened in the late 1980s, increasing logistics costs and impeding economic growth. That gave rise to demand for a new high-speed link. The primary purpose of the new "bullet train" system was to augment the shipping capacity of the Gyeongbu corridor and address the traffic congestion stemming from the concentration of population and industry. Construction of the second phase of the Gyeongbu Line, linking southeastern cities of Daegu, Gyeongju, Ulsan and Busan, started in 2002. When it is complete in 2010, the high-speed track will extend to 418.7 kilometers and the travel time between Seoul and Busan will be reduced to 2 hours and 10 minutes. Construction of another high-speed network will begin shortly. The 231.2-kilometer Honam Line will branch from the Gyeongbu Line in the central town of Osong and stretch southwest to Iksan, Gwangju and Mokpo. The new line will contribute to improved traffic conditions and regional development in South and North Jeolla provinces. The Osong-Gwangju section is scheduled to be completed by 2014 and the remainder by 2017. The travel time between Seoul and Mokpo (352.7 kilometers) will be cut to 1 hour and 46 minutes from the current 2 hours and 38 minutes. Change in national territory brought by KTX The KTX brought about significant changes to the nation`s territorial space. First, the nation became smaller in terms of travel time. The new train system has reduced the travel time from Seoul to Busan by one and a half hours (33 percent), to Daegu by one hour and 24 minutes (46 percent), to Daejeon by 49 minutes (46 percent), and to Mokpo by one hour and 34 minutes (35 percent). By 2010, the travel time from Seoul to Busan could be cut to 2 hours and 10 minutes - 23 percent less than now. Second, improved transport links across the country have expanded the scope of activities. The KTX significantly increased the reach of economic activities. With commuting times shortened, businessmen can spend more time at home or work, which should help improve productivity. For instance, when using the Seoul-Busan KTX, the time saved using the faster network means that 90 minutes are freed up to do additional business. Furthermore, the operating time has been extended; in Busan the last regular train bound for Seoul leaves at 8 p.m., but the last KTX leaves at 10:05 p.m. Accordingly, the time Seoul-based KTX users can remain in Busan on a day trip has in effect increased by 4 hours and 35 minutes. Third, as commuting distances increased, the number of regular KTX users surged. The KTX speeds from Seoul Station to Cheonan/Asan Station in 34 minutes and to Daejeon Station in 50 minutes, not much longer than commuting times within the capital region. People who work or live around stations can use the KTX to commute. In 2008, the number of KTX pass users amounted to 3.8 percent of all passengers. Fourth, the transportation system changed greatly. The number of rail passengers rose while highway traffic decreased. In 2008, the number of KTX passengers increased by 2 percent from a year before to 38 million. The number of airline users dropped sharply. Regular flights between Seoul and Daegu - a one and half an hour distance by KTX - were canceled in October 2007. Fifth, the KTX made it possible for people in Seoul to commute to other cities. An increasing number of people who live in Seoul and work in other cities come to Seoul on Friday night and return to the town where they work on Monday morning. Development of "mega-city regions" <**3>

As the KTX allows people to travel across the country within three hours, Korea can evolve into a mega-city region. A mega-city region refers to a wide economic zone with a population of over 10 million, formed around a core city and functionally linked together, in which all areas can be reached within one day. Today, nations around the world are striving to establish regional development strategies to enhance their global competitiveness. According to experts, a country as small as Korea can develop into one mega-city region. Peter Hall, a professor of the College of London and a world-renowned urbanologist, on his visit to Korea last July, remarked that Korea should not be seen as dichotomous regions - capital and provincial regions - but as one mega-city region that is organically connected by transport and communications networks. To establish a competitive mega-city region, accessibility among cities must be enhanced. The high-speed rail system improves accessibility and exchanges among regions and stimulates the economy. A case in point is the Netherlands. Recently, the Netherlands formulated plans to turn its western area into a globally competitive urban network comparable to London, Paris and Frankfurt. It is a plan to merge four cities - Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam and Utrecht - into one megacity. To promote economic growth, the Netherlands plans to build a ring-shaped high-speed train network across these cities. However, the examples of Japan and France demonstrate that high-speed trains do not automatically revive the regional economy. High-speed trains are essential but do not necessarily guarantee regional development because the degree of spatial, social, and economic changes depends on the policies on the regions around high-speed train stations. Therefore, for development of the cities with high-speed train stops and their surrounding areas, high-speed rail services should be accompanied by policies to vitalize the regional economy. The government is pushing policies to turn the cities with KTX stations into central cities for economic development. The number of passengers using KTX stations has increased by 10 to 90 percent since it entered service, whereas the number of passengers at non-KTX stations has dropped. Due to the movement of people, the areas around KTX stations may see economic growth. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the Korean government is devising a strategy to form KTX economic blocs in order to spur regional development. The plans envision the entire nation as one mega-city linked by KTX stations. Regions with KTX stations will be developed as core bases for development and each region needs a specialized development strategy. The creation of the KTX economic blocs would cause the regions around KTX stations to be developed into highly dense, multifunctioning complexes, which could help solve urban problems. KTX stations are located mostly within existing towns, which are old and dilapidated and give off a negative impression. Through KTX, depressed urban regions will, no doubt, be regenerated into new residential quarters and urban centers. The development of the regions around KTX stations could contribute to recreating the national territory into one gigantic mega-city region. Future vision of KTX By 2017, it is expected that the entire nation will be merged into one economic bloc, in which most places are reachable within two hours` travel. In addition to the Gyeongbu Line currently in operation and the Hanam Line to be built, the nation is considering building a high-speed rail traversing the southern coastal region. If the southern coast high-speed rail linking Busan and Mokpo is completed, the travel time across the south coast region could be reduced to two hours. A plan for a high-speed link from Seoul to the east coast is being discussed. Also, a high-speed rail in the eastern coastal region is under consideration. If the high-speed rail network has been built across the country, the entire country may be transformed into one mega-city region (Refer to Figure 3). Spatial planning shall, accordingly, be conducted under that assumption. Supposing that areas within one hour`s travel are considered as belonging to one commute zone, many cities with KTX stops will be included. Residential complexes and service industries will likely be concentrated around KTX stations, and a new pattern of economic activity may ensue. Once the second phase of the Gyeongbu Line and the Honam Line are available, most of the nation will benefit from high-speed rail and KTX will become a central mode of public transportation. When the service of new sections of Honam high-speed rail begins, the nation will become integrated more rapidly space-wise, and regional disparities will ease. The Honam axis will provide better accessibility than the Gyeongbu axis, and there is likely to be an influx of population and companies into the Jeolla provinces. When this happens, the Jeolla provinces with KTX stops, plus the small and medium-sized cities around KTX destinations will all be included in the economic bloc, and the conflict between the capital region and the non-capital regions the nation is seeing today is expected to dwindle. The cumulative number of KTX passengers as of the end of July 2008 reached 150 million. The fact that the number of rail passengers has increased since the service started and the traffic congestion on highways has decreased seems to indicate that the high-speed line has met its purpose. The KTX boasts a record of near-perfect operation with a zero accident rate. KTX-related technologies have also improved significantly and KTX can now run at the top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. With five years of commercial experience, Korea is now confident in its capability to export high-speed rail technology. Initially Korea depended on France for its technology but through the operation of a Korean-style KTX, Korea developed and accumulated its own unique technologies. Since several years ago, Korea has been staging overseas marketing for its high-speed rail technology, and it appears that technology exports will soon be realized. The KTX is a world-class high-speed transportation system suitable for the green growth era. Last February, when the U.S. government passed an economic recovery bill, it allocated $8 billion for the construction of new high-speed rail systems. In this era of green growth, high-speed rail will get more attention, and therefore needs to be developed continuously. KTX is the result of the state-of-the-art technologies. KTX will lead the era of green growth by incorporating home-grown information technology and green technology (Refer to Figure 4). In the near future, Korea will see the entire nation linked by high-speed rail and evolve into a mega-city region.