The era of next-generation high-speed trains will begin in 2032.
The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) said Wednesday that its "Next-Generation High-Speed Train Introduction Project" has cleared the preliminary feasibility study for public institution projects conducted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The project will replace, in a timely manner, the 46 KTX-1 trainsets reaching the end of their expected service life in 2033, establishing a stable high-speed rail operating environment.
Following the preliminary feasibility study, 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. The total project cost is expected to reach approximately 5 trillion won when factoring in inflation and other considerations.
In addition to 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 place an order for the first batch (28 trainsets) in 2027 and to take delivery of the trains sequentially from 2032.
The next-generation KTX will be developed as a distributed-power high-speed train in the 320 km/h class, with power distributed beneath each passenger car. It is faster than the existing 300 km/h class concentrated-power KTX-1 and offers superior acceleration and deceleration performance, making it suitable for Korea's terrain with short distances between stations. The number of seats will be about 1,000, the largest in Korea, up from the KTX-1's 955 seats.
Korail plans to strengthen safety by utilizing condition-based maintenance (CBM) systems and advanced derailment detection devices, and to improve energy efficiency by introducing streamlined aerodynamic designs, an Intelligent Energy-Efficient Operation System (IEOS), and highly energy-efficient permanent-magnet synchronous motors.
The company will also optimize the arrangement of amenities such as seats, luggage storage racks, and restrooms, and design them from the user's perspective, comprehensively considering transport capacity, safety, convenience, and accessibility for mobility-impaired passengers.
In addition, Korail plans to take delivery of one EMU-370 trainset, currently being developed as a national research and development (R&D) project, in 2032. A high-speed train in the 370 km/h class, it is the fastest commercially operated train in Korea.
"We will introduce the next-generation KTX in a timely manner and provide safe and convenient high-speed rail services that the public can experience firsthand," Korail President Kim Tae-seung said.
