Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 Tram Opening Delayed... Now Set for Second Half of 2030

Compensation for the Seodaejeon Underground Road Section
and Additional Time Required for Tram Test Runs

Yoo Deukwon, Deputy Mayor of Daejeon City Photo by Seokbong Mo

The opening of Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 (Tram) has been rescheduled from the original target of late 2028 to the second half of 2030, reflecting additional plans such as compensation and test runs.

On June 23, Yoo Deugwon, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Daejeon City, held a press conference on the tram at City Hall's briefing room and stated, "The opening of the tram is expected to be adjusted from the original late 2028 to the second half of 2030," adding, "The final schedule will be confirmed through the establishment of an integrated construction plan."

He continued, "The Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 Tram is a project where the safety of citizens and stable operation over the coming decades are of utmost importance," and added, "We will transparently explain the currently identified construction issues to the public and focus our administrative resources on building a safe and high-quality tram through thorough establishment and management of the integrated construction plan."

He further stated, "Rather than pushing for an unreasonable schedule, we will proceed with the project within the scope of ensuring safety and quality, and provide detailed explanations to citizens regarding the future opening schedule and construction management measures."

The Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 Tram is 38.8 km long, with 45 stations and one train depot. Construction began in December 2024, and work is underway on all 14 sections of the main line.

However, during a recent construction management inspection, the following factors that could impact the opening schedule were identified: compensation for the Seodaejeon Underground Road section and changes to the tram test-run plan.

Photo by Daejeon City

For the Seodaejeon Underground Road section, a construction delay of about 10 months is being considered due to several factors: delays in compensation for expropriated land leading to ongoing expropriation procedures, subsequent steps such as the delivery of land and removal of obstacles, and nighttime construction plans for the non-open cut section of the Honam Line being carried out by the National Railroad Corporation.

As a result, construction of the tram track is expected to be delayed by about 10 months. However, excluding the Seodaejeon Underground Road section, construction of the main line roadbed and the train depot is expected to be completed by the second half of 2028.

Additionally, in order to verify facilities and ensure safety for perfect tram operation, changes to the tram test-run plan are under consideration.

The original plan was to conduct tram test runs in parallel with main line construction. However, in consideration of the experience from the Wirye Line Tram and the need to ensure public safety, an additional period of about six months is now being considered necessary.

Accordingly, the city will initiate the development of an integrated construction plan covering all areas, including civil engineering, architecture, electricity, signaling, and communications, through a systems engineering service.

The city will comprehensively review factors that could cause interference between different construction areas, bottleneck processes, and the tram test-run schedule, with the aim of finalizing the business plan in the second half of this year. Administrative procedures such as amending the basic plan for urban railways and changing the total project period are expected to be completed in the first half of next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.