GIMHAE — Commuting between Busan and the nearby cities of Changwon and Gimhae will change from April next year. The Bujeon-Masan double-track railway, stalled for more than six years by a ground subsidence accident, will open first on the sections outside the accident zone.
The accident-free sections of the Bujeon-Masan line will open on April 1, 2027, South Gyeongsang Province said on the 17th. The line, a core rail network in the southeastern region, runs 50.2 kilometers between Bujeon Station in Busan and Masan Station in Changwon. It has been expected to sharply cut travel times by directly linking Changwon and Gimhae with Busan.
The project was originally due for completion in June 2020, but construction halted in March that year when ground subsidence occurred during work on an evacuation passage in the Nakdong No. 1 tunnel. Reviews of how to repair the damaged section and confirm its safety dragged on, pushing the opening back by more than six years. Since November last year, the province has urged the central government to open the sections where safety has been secured, making 54 visits to the government, the National Assembly and related agencies to press for a partial opening and a return to normal work on the project.
The partial opening covers 40 kilometers from Masan Station to Gangseo Geumho Station and 6.85 kilometers from Sasang Station to Bujeon Station, where ITX-Maum trains will run. On the 3.35-kilometer stretch between Gangseo Geumho and Sasang stations, where rail service is cut off, the project operator will run free shuttle buses. Transfers will be timed to train schedules, but passengers will have to get off and board buses, making some waiting and inconvenience unavoidable. Details such as the number of train runs and headways will be finalized two months before the opening.
An accident investigation committee is reviewing repair methods and safety for the damaged section, with results due in October this year. It will also decide whether to install an evacuation tunnel as originally designed or to apply a partitioned evacuation passage. The province expects the entire line to open by the end of 2028 if construction proceeds without further setbacks.
Once the full route is connected, travel time from Masan Station to Bujeon Station is expected to fall to about 30 minutes from roughly an hour and a half. Commuting and school travel between Changwon, Gimhae and Busan will become easier, and movement between the areas for medical care, cultural facilities and tourism is also expected to increase. Access to Busan from western South Gyeongsang Province will improve as well, widening the Busan-Gyeongsang living area. Gimhae in particular is expected to strengthen links with major logistics infrastructure such as Busan New Port and Gadeokdo New Airport.
"Reorganizing the rail network in line with changes in industry and living areas is important for raising regional competitiveness," a provincial official said. "We will work to ensure safety in train operations and additional construction while pushing for the full line to open as soon as possible."
