Ulsan City announced that the Gadeokdo New Airport rail-link project cleared the preliminary feasibility review at the Planning and Budget Office’s 3rd Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee meeting on the 10th.
The approval formalizes plans to build a direct rail line from Ulsan’s Taehwagang Station to Gadeokdo New Airport without transfers.
The Gadeokdo New Airport rail link will connect the Busan Bujeon–Masan double-track line with the newly constructed airport spur. The national project is expected to invest approximately 521.7 billion KRW (approximately $391.3 million) to build a 6.58 km (4.09 mi) section between 2026 and 2035.
Currently, traveling from Ulsan to the new airport requires departing Taehwagang Station and transferring at Bujeon and Jangyu stations, taking roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes.
When the link opens, it will reduce that trip by about 43 minutes, bringing travel time from Taehwagang Station to the new airport to roughly 90 minutes.
Ulsan City said it will work closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Rail Network Authority on follow-up steps, including basic planning and detailed design.
Officials aim to open the rail link in time for the Gadeokdo New Airport’s scheduled 2035 opening.
Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-gyeom said the Gadeokdo New Airport rail link will serve as a key hub that lifts Ulsan out of the periphery and positions the city at the center of the southern region’s transportation network. He added, "We will focus the city's administrative resources on advancing this project so Ulsan residents can access the new airport faster and more conveniently."
