On the 26th, the Chungcheong Megacity Union hosted a working-level meeting with the four Chungcheong provinces and cities (Daejeon Metropolitan City, Sejong Special Self-Governing City, Chungcheongbuk-do, and Chungcheongnam-do) to discuss joint responses and strengthen cooperation in the railway sector.

This meeting was organized to form a strategic consensus among the provinces and cities for the solid establishment and efficient promotion of the Chungcheong region's railway network. Team leaders and working-level officials from each city and province's railway departments attended the meeting to share policy directions and discuss cooperation measures.

Despite being a central axis of national transportation connecting the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the central inland, and the southern regions, the Chungcheong region faces structural problems such as insufficient railway network connectivity and imbalanced infrastructure between regions.

Accordingly, each city and province decided to work together to strategically promote railway projects and lay the groundwork for a broader living and economic zone through joint responses for integrated regional development.

The meeting focused on practical discussions covering: △sharing the current status and challenges of railway projects being promoted by each city and province; △reviewing linkage plans for the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan; △identifying common proposals for the Chungcheong region; and △forming and operating a regular working-level consultative body.

In particular, a robust cooperative system was established to ensure that Chungcheong region railway lines are reflected as much as possible in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan.

An official from the Chungcheong Megacity Union, which organized the meeting, stated, "Expanding the railway network is essential for the Chungcheong region to develop into a single living and economic zone." He added, "This working-level meeting is the beginning of a joint response system, and we plan to solidify this cooperative foundation through regular meetings in the future."

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