Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) has cleared the final hurdle in its next-generation high-speed train project, as the plan passed the Ministry of Economy and Finance's preliminary feasibility study for public-institution projects, ushering in a full-scale generational shift for Korea's high-speed rail.
Korail announced Wednesday that its "next-generation high-speed train introduction project" had passed the preliminary feasibility study. The project was launched to replace 46 KTX-1 trainsets, which will reach the end of their expected service life in 2033, in a timely manner and to establish a stable high-speed rail operating environment.
Under the feasibility study results, the project scope was confirmed at 49 distributed-power high-speed trainsets (EMU-320), each consisting of 16 cars, for a total of 784 cars. Considering inflation and other factors, the total project cost is expected to reach approximately 5 trillion won. In addition to replacements for the 46 KTX-1 trainsets, the project includes spare trains to expand high-speed rail seating capacity and respond to emergency situations.
Korail plans to order the first batch of 28 trainsets next year and take delivery of the trains sequentially starting in 2032. The company said it will systematically manage the manufacturing process, funding strategy and train operation plans, devoting full efforts to the timely introduction of the new trains.
The next-generation KTX will be a 320 km/h-class train developed as a distributed-power high-speed train, with power distributed under each passenger car. Korail explained that it is faster and offers superior acceleration and deceleration performance compared with the 300 km/h-class power-concentrated KTX-1, making it suitable for Korea's terrain, where distances between stations are short. The seating capacity is about 1,000 seats, the largest in the country and an increase from the KTX-1's 955 seats.
Korail plans to strengthen safety using a condition-based maintenance (CBM) system and advanced derailment detection devices, while improving energy efficiency by adopting a streamlined aerodynamic design, an intelligent energy-saving automatic train control system (IEOS) and highly energy-efficient permanent magnet synchronous motors. CBM is a system that monitors and analyzes the condition of trains and devices in real time, while IEOS is a technology that automatically controls trains according to the optimal operating pattern for each track.
In addition, Korail plans to optimize the layout of convenience facilities such as seats, luggage storage and restrooms, designing them from the user's perspective while comprehensively considering transport capacity, safety, convenience and usability for mobility-impaired passengers. Korail also plans to take delivery of one EMU-370 trainset, currently being developed as a national research and development (R&D) project, in 2032. Rated at 370 km/h, it is the fastest commercial-speed train in the country.
"The next-generation KTX is a key national infrastructure investment project aimed at resetting the standards of Korea's high-speed rail," Korail President Kim Tae-seung said. "We will work closely with the government and other relevant agencies to introduce the next-generation KTX in a timely manner and create safe and convenient high-speed rail services that the public can feel."
