"Railways Fragment Cities"... The Paradox of 'Lonely Stations' Pushed to the Outskirts

Criticism has emerged that the railway networks of regional cities in South Korea are acting not as engines for urban growth, but rather as factors that fragment cities and accelerate the decline of old city centers. This is because the phenomenon of railways being pushed from city centers to the outskirts, becoming 'lonely stations,' is being repeated.

Author Jeon Hyun-woo, appearing on Dr. Choi Jun-young's YouTube channel 'Dr. Choi Jun-young's Globe Institute,' analyzed the structural problems of the South Korean railway network through his recently published book, 『Leaving the Lonely Station』. Jeon explained that since the 21st century, the phenomenon of 'lonely stations' has become prominent in major cities such as Pohang, Gyeongju, Gunsan, Jinju, Wonju, Namwon, and Andong as existing railway lines were relocated to the outskirts. Through this book, Jeon emphasized that the railway can serve as a framework to show how our civilization has changed since the modern era.

"Cities that Dislike Railways"... Background and Side Effects of Relocation Decisions

Jeon cited 'negative perception of railways' as the fundamental reason why regional cities have pushed railways to the outskirts. Unlike the Seoul Capital Area or large cities on the Gyeongbu Line, in regional cities where the frequency of train operations is low, railways have been perceived by residents as a 'cost' that causes noise, vibration, and limits land use rather than providing benefits. In particular, he analyzed that situations where residents' ownership rights were infringed upon due to buffer green zones around the tracks increased the rejection of railways. To residents living in the areas around the tracks, referred to in industry terms as the 'Area Along a Railway Line,' railways were sometimes accepted as negative facilities that infringe upon their land.

In cases like Andong, railway lines have acquired a negative narrative as colonial railways, coinciding with the intentions of the Japanese Colonial Period. Under such circumstances, the central government, local governments, and railway-related institutions have agreed on the relocation of railways, citing that they hinder urban development. However, these relocation decisions have produced serious side effects on urban structures. For railways to be meaningful, they must be integrated with urban hubs (city centers) to transport large numbers of passengers, but as stations move further to the outskirts, they lose their function as public transportation.

Particularly in the case of passenger railways, if a station is not integrated with the city center, it becomes a facility with little meaning as it cannot be linked to the city's transportation network. For example, if one KTX train carries 1,000 passengers, if all of them are transported by car, parking space for 1,000 cars is required around the station. In fact, the area around Gwangmyeong Station is insufficient even with a parking lot of 2,000 spaces, leading to repeated first and second expansions and using space for thousands of vehicles. On the other hand, if handled by subway in a large city, it is a problem that can be solved with just one train. Ultimately, stations pushed to the outskirts induce the 'Park and Ride' or 'Ride and Park' phenomenon, where passengers drive to the station, park, and move, causing massive spatial inefficiency. As a result, old city centers where the flow of people has been cut off have lost their commercial self-sufficiency and faced decline.

Failure of Gwangju Railway Network... Geographical Limitations and Fragmented Development

In the video, the mismatch between urban structure and railway policy was specifically pointed out through the case of Gwangju's railway network construction. Jeon diagnosed that Gwangju has structural limitations, such as a horseshoe-shaped semi-basin topography and difficulty in securing development land due to military facilities like military airports. Because the vacant land in the direction of the military airport runway could not be utilized, urban development was carried out in a fragmented manner, resulting in a situation where the trunk railway connecting Seoul and Busan fails to properly connect the region.

In particular, the conflicts and inefficiencies that appeared during the construction process of Gwangju Metro Line 1 and Line 2 were also mentioned. The case of 'Greenway Park,' where existing lines were removed to create a park, has positive aspects enough to be the precursor to the Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Seoul, but it is evaluated that the urban railway network built thereafter failed to properly reflect the city's demand. It is pointed out that Gwangju Metro Line 1 was connected mainly to areas with low demand, and for Line 2, the debate surrounding the second phase has continued for decades following the completion of the first phase.

Jeon mentioned the regional experience where railway investment felt like a cost burden rather than economic profitability, stating, "To Gwangju citizens, railways have been perceived as machines that only consume money for the past 50 years." Considering the economic situation in the 90s, railway investment was a very challenging task, as there were great concerns that the budget to be invested in railways could cause a contraction in other fields. This experience became the background for citizens to perceive railways as a 'money-eating hippo.'

The Need for Recombination of Urban Structure and Railway Network

Ultimately, the reason the railway problem in regional cities is not being resolved is that the direction of urban growth and the direction of railway network construction are misaligned. Jeon's analysis is that as the population disperses to the outskirts, dependence on road transport increases, and even things like BRT, which were introduced to supplement this, find it difficult to achieve effectiveness in environments with low population density. This is because even if bus-only lanes are installed, it is difficult to see effects if they are not placed on axes where people gather when the population is dispersed into fragmented urban areas.

For railways to act not as a 'stumbling block' that hinders urban development, but as a 'net' that connects the city and breathes vitality into it, the task remains that an organic combination of urban structure and the railway network is essential. Rather than simply straightening lines or moving them to the outskirts, it is a time when fundamental consideration is needed on how to connect them with the city center.