KORAIL subsidiary Supreme Railways launched commercial services on the Suseo high-speed line on December 9, providing a much-needed rail link for the south-eastern areas of Seoul and Gyeonggi province under the Super Rapid Train (SRT) brand.
KOREA Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hyundai Rotem and Korail in Seoul on November 10 pledging to collaborate on a project to develop Korea’s first double-deck high-speed train.
PRESIDENT Park Geun-hye of Korea along with 1200 invited guests and members of the public attended a ceremony at Songjeong station in Gwangju on April 1 to mark the opening of the new 182.3km high-speed line from Osong to Gwangju. New KTX Honam services from Seoul to Mokpo will begin using the line on April 2.
Ten years after the launch of KTX, Korea's high-speed rail network continues to grow and the country's railway industry is working on the development of the next generation of high-speed trains. Dr Gil-hyun Kang, senior vice-president of Hyundai Rotem, charts the evolution of KTX.
To cope with increasing demand for rail transport in Korea, Korean Rail Network Authority is engaging in a programme of new railway construction and improvements to existing infrastructure that will enhance services provided by national operator Korail and its new private subsidiary Suseo High Speed Railway Corporation. Kevin Smith profiles the projects.
TRAIN services started to return to normal in Korea today following the end of a 22-day strike by railway workers over the government's decision to grant a licence to a new affiliate operator to be set up by Korail to run the new Suseo KTX service.
KOREA's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has dropped plans announced earlier this month to allow a private company to operate high-speed services from the new Suseo station is southeastern Seoul which is due to open in 2015.
THE Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has unveiled plans to reform Korail over the next four years, which will create new business units under a holding company structure.
Korea's latest experimental high-speed train, Hemu430X, was unveiled in Changwon on May 16, and is now being tested with a view to achieving a new Korean speed record of 430km/h later this year, explains Dr G H Kang with Hyundai Rotem's R&D centre.
KOREA Rail Network Authority (KRNA) has selected a consortium led by LSIS, Korea, and including Ansaldo STS to supply the train control system for the 182km Honam high-speed line between Osong and Gwangju Songjeong, which is due to be completed by December 2014.
