President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to expand the planned higher-speed commuter rail network in the Seoul metropolitan area to connect to the country's other major cities.

At a new year public debate on public transportation on Thursday, Yoon promised to accelerate extensions of Great Train eXpress(GTX) Lines A, B, and C while simultaneously pushing for construction of Lines D, E, and F this year.

The president said the quality of commuting correlates with quality of life, vowing improvements by easing the gap in access to public transportation.

While the Suseo-Dongtan section of the GTX Line A is set to open in March, construction of Line B will break ground the same month for operation to start in 2030. Construction of Line C is set to begin on Thursday, with operations expected to begin by 2028.

Yoon said Lines D, E, and F, still in the pre-planning stage, will be included in the national rail network plan for a simultaneous push through private investment, anticipating a 30-minute travel time to central Seoul from the metro area.

The president also announced plans to build an express train network of capable of hitting 180 kilometers per hour in the nation's four major cities and surrounding regions, such as the so-called Chungcheong Train eXpress(CTX) linking the central Chungcheong cities of Daejeon, Sejong and Cheongju, a project set to begin this year.