Approximately 32,200 square meters of state-owned railway idle land will be transformed into urban forests, outdoor gardens, and cultural facilities for community use. A total of 57.8 billion won will be invested in eight selected projects this year, allowing local governments to use the land for free for up to 20 years after completing the donation process.
On September 29, the Korea Railroad Corporation announced the final selection of eight projects across the country following a review of the '2026 Railway Idle Land Utilization Project.' The selected local governments will create green spaces, outdoor gardens, and cultural facilities on the 32,200 square meters of railway idle land starting at the end of this year with a total investment of 57.8 billion won.
The selected projects include: the Gyeongju Geumjang Nak-an Urban Ecological Forest Project, the Gijang Ocean Blue Rail Construction Project, the Pohang Mugunghwa Park Management Project, the Hwasun Railway Forest Project, the Yeongcheon Sinnyang Station Abandoned Railway Carbon Reduction Urban Forest Project, the Yeongcheon Geumho-eup Hwangjeong-ri Outdoor Garden Project, the Jinju Naedong Cham Story Road Project, and the Hadong Abandoned Railway Ecological Trail Project.
Regionally, four of the eight projects are located in North Gyeongsang Province, accounting for half of the total. There are two projects in South Gyeongsang Province, and one each in Busan and South Jeolla Province, indicating that seven of the eight projects are concentrated in the Yeongnam region. Yeongcheon has two projects selected simultaneously: the Sinnyang Station abandoned railway urban forest and the Geumho-eup outdoor garden.
The railway idle land utilization project aims to repurpose state-owned railway land, including abandoned railways and bridge underpasses, to suit local conditions. The corporation conducted a public call for proposals to local governments until June and finalized the selected projects after evaluating the feasibility of the plans and community feedback through internal and external expert reviews.
Since 2015, the corporation has held annual calls for railway idle land utilization projects, resulting in 81 projects across 49 local governments to date. The methods of utilization are expanding to include urban forests, living and cultural spaces, and tourist facilities.
Jung Jin-hyuk, the president of the Korea Railroad Corporation, stated, “I hope that the idle land, which has fulfilled its role in railway transportation, will be newly utilized as living and cultural spaces needed by the community.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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