Future plans point toward additional metro lines
Choi Chung-Gyu was elected as the 13th Mayor of Daedeok-gu in the recent 8th Local Elections. His election motto was centered around making Daejeon the happiest city in the country and helping Daedeok-gu become a key economic hub. Furthermore, Mayor Choi announced the '77 Pledge,' which involves 11 sectors and mainly focuses on revitalizing local economies. The pledge includes details like ▲ Daedeok-centered development and urban development, ▲ reviving core industries of the Daejeon and Daedeok Industrial Complexes ▲ revitalizing culture, art, tourism, and the regional economy, and ▲ supporting child care and education.
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Mayor Choi has been working hard to keep to his seven major pledges, which includes extending basic tram routes and transportation networks to Hoedeok station. As a result, it was confirmed in August that a Hannam University Station (Ojeong Station) will be established as part of the Chungcheong Metropolitan Railway and Daejeon Metro Line 2. The Chungcheong Metropolitan Railway will be completed first and is planned to include Sintanjin Station, Deokam Station, Hoedeok Station, and Hannam University Station (Ojeong Station). The main line of Daejeon Metro Line 2 will include an Agricultural and Fishery Market Station, Ojeong Station, Hannam University Station, and Jungri Station, while the branch line will include Jungri Station, Beopdong Station, Dongbu Women's Family Center Station, Eumnae Station, and Yeonchuk Station. The second metro line is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028. However, the establishment of Hannam University Station is expected to be delayed as the Daejeon Metro Line 2 Project has seen little progress over the past 26 years. This is because the plans are constantly changing due to reasons like the total project budget being increased or due to results from project adequacy reviews by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Mayor Choi stated, "we originally set the project budget according to the preliminary feasibility study operating guidelines, but the total cost of the project increased by more than 15% due to reasons like △ field survey results, △ technical considerations, △ ensuring operational stability, and △ promoting convenience."
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Many Hannam University students support the Chungcheong Metropolitan Project. This is because of the increased likelihood of the new station in Daedeok-gu to be named 'Hannam University Station' as proposed by the school. Mayor Choi said, "I agree with Hannam University's proposal as it is less confusing for citizens if we use local landmarks to name the stations. There was no objection to Hannam University's request, and so we will submit our proposal to Korail."
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With the establishment of Hannam University Station (Ojeong Station) being confirmed, Daedeok-gu will now have access to rail networks. In a project feasibility analysis study by the Korea Development Institute (KDI), Ojeong Station was originally evaluated as a low-cost idea that would have certain benefits, but with the station being confirmed, local citizens now have even higher expectations for regional development. In particular, students who struggled to commute to school due to inconvenient transportation were especially satisfied when they heard the news. For Hannam University, the implementation of the tram and metropolitan railway network will lay the groundwork for the school to make new leaps forward, and it can also help declining local commercial districts make a turnaround with the influx of even more people to the area. Hannam University will push for its name to be selected when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Review Committee decides on the new station's name in the future.
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Daedeok-gu also plans to push for the successive construction of Metro Lines 3, 4, and 5 following the completion of Line 2 (depending on the budget). Mayor Choi mentioned how people often related Daedeok-gu with the word 'isolation' and expressed disappointment over the slow progress of transportation network projects to connect Daedeok-gu with central Daejeon. He added by saying, "the birth of the 'Hannam University Station' as part of the Chungcheong Metropolitan Railway and Daejeon Metro Line 2 will be a groundbreaking catalyst for Daedeok-gu. I hope that the completion of Line 2 will lay the foundation for the construction of Lines 3~5 in the future, and I hope the new metro line will have a positive impact on the quality of life of Daedeok-gu residents. I also hope that Daedeok-gu will break away from this perception of it being an isolated district and become a central part of railway projects, which have been at the core of Daejeon's founding."
