After the completion of reconstruction on the 11.1 km (6.9 mi) cross-border section between Jejin in South Korea and Gamho in North Korea, the initial test run was set for May 25, 2006, but North Korean military authorities cancelled the plans a day ahead of the scheduled event.

[2] On the South Korean side, Korail opened Jejin Station in 2006 and has maintained some rolling stock for a trial run.

More than one million civilian visitors crossed the DMZ until the route was closed following the shooting death of a 53-year-old South Korean tourist in July 2008.

On September 1, 2010, the South Korean government announced a strategic plan to reduce travel times from Seoul to 95% of the country to under 2 hours by 2020.

The section from Gangneung to Sokcho forms a part of the plan as a line for 230 km/h (140 mph), and may see KTX service.