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90-583: Korail uses the name of KTX as the official name of KTX-I. The name of KTX-I is derived to distinguish KTX-Sancheon , which was formerly called as KTX-II , but it is not the official name for this rolling stock. The high-speed rail service of South Korea's national rail carrier Korail , Korea Train Express (KTX), started with the KTX-I. The operational reliability of the trains was improved over time with better maintenance and minor modifications. As of 2011,

180-518: A KTX-Sancheon train bound for Seoul from Busan derailed on a switch in the Iljik Tunnel, 500 m (1,600 ft) before Gwangmyeong station, when travelling at around 90 km/h (56 mph). No casualties were reported, only one passenger suffered slight injury, but KTX traffic was blocked until repairs for 29 hours. Preliminary investigation indicated that the accident resulted from a series of human errors, Workers had improperly repaired

270-637: A South Korean train carrying railroad inspectors entered North Korea. A Trans-Korean Main Line , spanning North Korea and connecting to Russian Railways , is being planned. On 30 November 2018, 30 officials from North and South Korea began an 18-day survey in both Koreas to connect the Korean railroads. The survey, which had previously been obstructed by the Korean Demilitarized Zone's (DMZ) "frontline" guard posts and landmines located at

360-416: A combined length of 83,078 m (51.622 mi), among them the 6,844 m (22,454 ft) Pungse Viaduct; and 46 tunnels with a combined length of 75,621 m (46.989 mi), among them the 10,290 m (33,760 ft) Iljik Tunnel and the 9,970.5 m (32,712 ft) Hwanghak Tunnel. Hwanghak Tunnel became Korea's longest bored tunnel once the line opened. The project budget also included

450-506: A half of the last estimate, but rose significantly in the second and third year. In October 2010, before the opening of the Daegu–Busan section, Korail expected total KTX ridership (including Honam KTX) to rise from the then current 106,000 to 135,000 passengers a day. On the short distance relation between Seoul and Cheonan, due to the short distance and the location of the KTX station outside

540-565: A maximum gradient of 1.5%, which was later increased to 2.5%, an open line cross section including two tracks with centerlines 5.0 m (16 ft 5 in) apart, and a two-track tunnel cross sectional area of 107 m (1,152 sq ft). Of the planned 411 km (255 mi) line, 152.73 km (94.90 mi) would be laid on bridges, and another 138.68 km (86.17 mi) in tunnels. However, plans were changed repeatedly, in particular those for city sections, following disputes with local governments. Planned operating speed

630-584: A maximum of 154 services on Saturdays in the 17 January 2011 timetable. When the project was started, initial ridership on the Gyeongbu HSR was expected to be 200,000 passengers a day. In the first estimate after the separation of the project into phases, the prediction for the first-year average daily ridership of the Gyeongbu KTX Line was 141,497, which reduced to 115,828 in the final August 2003 forecast. Actual first-year numbers were about

720-543: A minimum travel time of 2 hours 54 minutes. This service is to be extended to Jinju by 2012. From 2012, Korail plans to extend some KTX services to Incheon International Airport on the AREX line. The planned travel time between Incheon International Airport and Busan is 2 hours 41 minutes. From 2015, a KTX service between Seoul and Pohang, diverging from the Gyeongbu HSR to the Donghae Line at Singyeongju station,

810-497: A new "showel nose" design, with the underside of the nose closer to the track, for better aerodynamics in tunnels; however, the final design was only a slightly modified version of another TGV export version, the AVE Class 100 for Spain. The trains are pressure-sealed to reduce passenger discomfort from pressure variations during tunnel passages. Windows are triple-glazed, with a thickness of 29 mm (1.1 in). Seat distance

900-429: A point along the tracks. Investigators found that the derailment was caused by a switch malfunction triggered by a loose nut from track, and suspected that a repairman failed to tighten it during maintenance the previous night. The switch's detectors signalled a problem earlier, however, a second maintenance crew failed to find the loose nut and didn't properly communicate the fact to the control center, which then allowed

990-529: A three-day survey 100-km-long section on the eastern Donghae Line. On 24 December 2018, the four-day road survey, which will assist with the groundbreaking ceremony for the railroad, was completed after a separate team of ten South Korean surveyors entered North Korea and joined ten North Korean surveyors to survey a 4-km-long road in Kaesong. On 26 December 2018, the groundbreaking ceremony was held as scheduled in Kaesong. About 100 South Korean officials attended

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1080-459: Is South Korea 's first high-speed rail line from Seoul to Busan . KTX high-speed trains operate three sections of the line: on 1 April 2004, the first between a junction near Geumcheon-gu Office station , Seoul and a junction at Daejeonjochajang station north of Daejeon , and a second between a junction at Okcheon station , southeast of Daejeon, and a junction near Jicheon station , north of Daegu entered service; then on 1 November 2010,

1170-485: Is 423.8 km (263.3 mi). The section includes 54 viaducts with a total length of 23.4 km (14.5 mi) and 38 tunnels with a total length of 74.2 km (46.1 mi). The two largest structures are the 20,323 m (66,677 ft) long Geomjeung Tunnel, under Mount Geumjeong at the Busan end of the line; and the 13,270 m long Wonhyo Tunnel, under Mount Cheonseong south-west of Ulsan, which will be

1260-620: Is 930 mm (36.6 in) in Standard Class cars, 1,120 mm (44.1 in) in First Class cars. All passenger compartments are equipped with ceiling-mounted video displays, on-board audio systems, phones and vending machines. Each set is formed of two power cars and 18 coaches: The KTX was launched with KTX-I trains starting revenue service on April 1, 2004 on two routes: the Seoul–Busan Gyeongbu KTX , then using

1350-684: Is a public corporation , managed by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation . KORAIL operates intercity/regional, commuter/metro and freight trains throughout South Korea, and has its headquarters in Daejeon . Historically, the South Korean railway network was managed by the Railroad Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation before 1963. On 1 September 1963, the bureau became an agency that

1440-492: Is a single set of articulated cars. The two normal (non-Jacobs) bogies next to the traction heads under the two extreme passenger cars are motorised, like on the TGV Sud-Est . Further traits differentiating the KTX-I from all European variants are the supply voltage frequency of 60 Hz (instead of 50 Hz), rotating seats in the First Class sections, the lack of any bar or restaurant cars. Original plans in 1993 proposed

1530-678: Is currently the highest class of KORAIL services. KTX services are provided on the Gyeongbu HSR and Honam HSR , as well as their branches such as Gyeongjeon Line , Donghae Line , or Jeolla Line . ITX (Intercity Train eXpress) are a group of intercity services. The first ITX service was introduced in 2012, which was named ITX-Cheongchun (ITX-청춘) on Gyeongchun Line . Before the introduction of ITX services, intercity trains were named Saemaul-ho ( 새마을호 ), which borrowed its name from New Community Movement . Later, Saemaul-ho services are merged into ITX as ITX-Saemaeul (ITX-새마을). Currently,

1620-461: Is expected. The frequency of Gyeongbu HSR services was 94 daily runs when the service started in April 2004. Three and a half months later, trains running on some days of the week only were introduced, while overall frequency was reduced. Since then, total weekly train frequency was increased with every timetable change, and fluctuates between a minimum of 120 services from Tuesdays to Thursdays to

1710-719: Is frequently at odds with KORAIL management. Strikes , such as the South Korean railroad strike of 2006 , are not uncommon. In December 2013, 23,000–100,000 union members and friends protested the privatization of KORAIL in Seoul. Until the division of Korea following the end of the Second World War , the Gyeongui Line and Gyeongwon Line extended into what is now North Korea . The Gyeongui Line connected Seoul to Kaesong , Pyongyang , and Sinuiju on

1800-514: The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis , the government decided to realise the Gyeongbu HSR in two phases. In a first phase, 222.1 km (138.0 mi) of the high-speed line would be finished by 2004, with trains travelling along the upgraded conventional line along the rest of the planned 409.8 km (254.6 mi) route. With the rest of the now 412 km (256 mi) long Gyeongbu HSR (now including 112 km (70 mi) of viaducts and 189 km (117 mi) of tunnels) finished, travel time

1890-720: The Donghae Bukbu Line . On 17 May 2007, two test trains ran on the reconnected lines: one on the west line from Munsan to Kaesong ; the second on the east from Jejin to Kumgang . In December 2007, regular freight service started on the Gyeongui line, from South Korea into the Kaesong Industrial Park in the north. The service has been underutilized, however: as it was reported in October 2008, on 150 out of 163 return trips that had been done so far,

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1980-531: The Grand National Party expressed concern about the practice to use parts from other trains for spare parts, but Korail stated that that is standard practice in case of urgency with no safety effect, and the supply of spare parts is secured. Korail is also conducting a localisation program to develop replacements for various imported parts, starting with auxiliary inverters and brake cylinders, and continuing with other auxiliary electrical equipment in

2070-591: The Janghang Line , opened on 14 December 2008. Gwangmyeong station was linked to the same subway line by a shuttle service on 15 December 2006, but it made little impact due to the longtime differences between KTX and subway train schedules. Services using the Gyeongbu HSR only from Seoul to Daejeon and continuing all along the Honam Line are operated as the Honam KTX service. When introduced in 2004,

2160-410: The 4.0 km (2.5 mi) South Daegu Interconnection, 122.8 km (76.3 mi) of high-speed tracks, and a 1.3 km (0.81 mi) low-speed section connecting into Busan station, follow a long curve to the northeast of the existing Gyeongbu Line, with new stations for Gyeongju and Ulsan built well outside of the city centres. The Seoul–Busan travel distance along the second phase route

2250-649: The Chinese border, while the Gyeongwon Line served Wonsan on the east coast. Another line—the Kumgangsan Electric Railway —connected the town of Cheorwon , now on the border of North and South Korea , on the Gyeongwon Line , to Mt. Geumgang , now in the North . The Gyeongui Line is one of two lines whose southern and northern halves are now being reconnected, the other line being

2340-508: The DMZ's Arrowhead Hill, consists of a 400-kilometer (250 mi)-long railroad section between Kaesong and Sinuiju that cuts through the North's central region and northeastern coast. The railway survey, which involved the inspection of the Gyeongui Line , concluded on 5 December 2018. On 8 December 2018, an inter-Korean survey began in both Koreas for the Donghae Line . On 13 December 2018, it

2430-576: The Gyeongbu HSR between Daejeon and Dongdaegu to serve Gimcheon and Gumi on the conventional line. These services were discontinued with the opening of the Gimcheon (Gumi) station on the high-speed line. New services introduced with the same timetable change leave the Gyeongbu HSR on the Seoul–Daejeon section to serve Suwon . With the opening of the Daegu-Busan section on 1 November 2010,

2520-428: The Gyeongbu HSR will directly connect to four existing main stations in major cities, which KTX trains currently reach on tracks of the conventional Gyeongbu Line: Regular service started on the first phase of the Gyeongbu HSR on 1 April 2004, with KTX-I trains reaching a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). In response to frequent passenger complaints regarding speeds on the video display staying just below

2610-491: The Gyeongbu high-speed railway (Gyeongbu HSR) on 30 June 1992, on the 57 km (35 mi) long section from Cheonan to Daejeon , which was intended for use as test track. Construction started before the choice of the main technology supplier, thus alignment design was set out to be compatible with all choices. Superstructure-related design specifications included a minimum curve radius of 7,000 m (22,966 ft),

2700-514: The KTX-I is a permanently coupled trainset that consists of two traction heads, that is powered end cars carrying no passengers, flanking a fixed set of passenger cars or trailers that are articulated with Jacobs bogies between them. Though the KTX-I is based on the TGV Réseau, it has 18 instead of 8 passenger cars, making them the longest member of the TGV family with a monobloc configuration, that

2790-437: The KTX-I remains Korail's main workhorse in KTX service with a maximum scheduled speed of 305 km/h (190 mph). In 1991, bids were called for the supply and technology transfer of the core system technology, encompassing the catenary , signalling and rolling stock, for a South Korean high speed train service. On August 26, 1991, three competitors submitted initial bids: consortia led by GEC-Alstom (today Alstom ), one of

KTX-I - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-495: The Pandrol clips saw no prior use on another high-speed line. With the exception of the sections across Daejeon and Daegu, the second phase went into service on 1 November 2010. By that time, ₩4,905.7 billion was spent out of a second phase budget, or ₩17,643.4 billion out of the total. The two sections across the urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu, altogether 40.9 km (25.4 mi), will be finished by 2014, and will reduce

2970-485: The Seoul–Busan travel distance to 417.5 km (259.4 mi). As of October 2010, the total cost of the second phase was estimated at ₩7,945.4 billion, that for the entire project at ₩20,728.2 billion. The Honam HSR branches from the Gyeongbu HSR at its newly built Osong station , and is meant to accelerate Honam KTX services to Mokpo . The first stage from Osong to Gwangju started construction on December 2009, and

3060-417: The advertised 300 mark, operating top speed was raised to 305 km/h (190 mph) on 26 November 2008. From 2 March 2010, KTX-II (KTX-Sancheon) trains began to use the line in commercial service with the same top speed. As of 2011, all KTX services routed along the line also use sections of connected conventional mainlines. The first incident on the high-speed line happened on 11 February 2011, when

3150-667: The basis to develop the experimental train HSR-350x, which in turn led to orders for a Rotem-built commercial high speed train, the KTX-II . Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation ( Korean :  한국철도공사 ; Hanja :  韓國鐵道公社 ) is the national railway operator in South Korea . It is branded as KORAIL ( 코레일 ) and changed its official Korean name ( 한국철도 ; 韓國鐵道 ) in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL

3240-531: The builders of France's TGV / LGV system; Siemens , one of the builders of Germany's ICE ; and Mitsubishi , one of the builders of Japan's Shinkansen . After five rounds of evaluation, the French and German consortia submitted final bids on June 15, 1993. The Korea High Speed Rail Construction Authority (KHSRCA) announced that the GEC-Alstom-led consortium was the preferred bidder on August 20, 1993, and

3330-591: The builders of Germany's ICE trains; and Mitsubishi , one of the builders of Japan's Shinkansen trains. Once planning progressed, in March 1992, the Korea High Speed Rail Construction Authority (KHSRCA) was established as a separate body with own budget responsible for the project. In the 1993 reappraisal of the project, the finishing date was pushed out to May 2002, and estimated costs grew to ₩10.74 trillion. 82% of

3420-653: The ceremony after departing to North Korea on a Korail train based at Dorasan Station in Palu. JR Kyushu offers a jet foil ferry service between Busan and Fukuoka taking about 3 hours. KORAIL and JR West had a joint rail pass (called 한일공동승차권 ) which included discounted KTX and Shinkansen tickets and Busan - Shimonoseki / Fukuoka ferry tickets, but the pass was discontinued due to low ridership. There are no railway connections between both countries. The Korean Strait undersea tunnel connecting Fukuoka and Busan via Tsushima had been proposed as far back as 1917, but

3510-471: The city, KTX gained only a very modest market share, with little effect on the overall modal share of intercity rail. On the medium-distance relation from Seoul to Daejeon, KTX gained market share mostly at the expense of normal express services on the Gyeongbu Line, and helped to increase the total share of rail to a third. On the long-distance relations from Seoul to Daegu and Busan, KTX took both

3600-645: The completed sections of the Gyeongbu High Speed Railway until Daegu, and the upgraded old Gyeongbu Line from there; and the Seoul–Mokpo or Seoul–Gwangju Honam KTX , using the Gyeongbu HSR until Daejeon and the upgraded old Honam Line from there. From June 2007 until October 2010, some trains in Gyeongbu KTX service ran along an alternative route leaving the Gyeongbu HSR between Daejeon and Dongdaegu to serve Gimcheon and Gumi before

3690-474: The completion of the entire line. On 1 August 2015, construction on urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu were completed; all the sections of HSR line were connected. As of November 2010, two train services use the line: the Gyeongbu KTX Line, with trains running along the Gyeongbu HSR or the parallel Gyeongbu Line only; and the Honam KTX Line, with trains leaving the Gyeongbu HSR at Daejeon and continuing on

KTX-I - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-780: The contract was signed on June 14, 1994. Part of the core system contract won by GEC-Alstom and its South Korean subsidiary Eukorail were the first high-speed trains in South Korea, the KTX-I , which were based on the TGV Réseau. The carbody of the first end car was manufactured in January 1996, the first full train was completed and began testing in France in December 1997, and was shipped to South Korea in March 1998. The first test run in South Korea took place in December 1999. In June 2000,

3870-457: The conventional Honam Line . A number of other high-speed lines branching from the Gyeongbu HSR are in construction or planned, and several more KTX services using connecting conventional rail lines are also planned. After 2016, the privately owned SRT service started operations on the railway from Suseo station in Seoul. The Seoul - Busan axis is Korea's main traffic corridor. In 1995, it housed 73.3% of Korea's population, and conducted 70% of

3960-530: The cost increase was due to a 90% increase of unit costs in the construction sector (mostly labour costs but also material costs), the remainder due to alignment changes (longer route, more stations), though some city tunnels were dropped. To finance the project, the option of a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) franchise was rejected as too risky. Funding included direct government grants (35%), government (10%) and foreign (18%) loans, domestic bond sales (31%) and private capital (6%). KHSRCA started construction of

4050-455: The electrification of the short connecting section at Daejeon and the Daegu-Busan section of the existing Gyeongbu Line, as well as the entire Honam Line from Daejeon to Mokpo. The Seoul–Busan route length was reduced from 441.7 to 408.5 km (274.5 to 253.8 mi). The infrastructure and rolling stock were built in the framework of a technology transfer agreement between core system supplier Alstom and local companies, with Alstom's part of

4140-600: The environmental impact assessment of the Wonhyo Tunnel, which passes under a wetland area. The dispute gained nationwide and international attention due to the repeated hunger strikes of a Buddhist nun, led to a suspension of works in 2005, and only ended with a supreme court ruling in June 2006. For the second phase of the Gyeongbu HSR, the RHEDA ;2000 ballastless track system of German manufacturer RAIL.ONE

4230-552: The fare systems of these services are separate from other services operated by Korail; such services are integrated with subway fare systems, allowing free transfers between Korail-operated lines and local metro lines. KORAIL has a number of tourist or sightseeing trains, including the Sea Train , DMZ Train , V-Train , S-Train , A-Train , and G-Train . Korail offers a rail pass called Korea Rail Pass , or KR Pass for short, to foreign travelers, such that they can take most of

4320-519: The fastest Seoul–Busan services, using all of the Gyeongbu HSR with intermediate stops in Daejeon and Dongdaegu only, reduced the shortest travel times by 22 minutes to 2 hours 18 minutes. From 1 December 2010, Korail added a pair of non-stop trains with a travel time of 2 hours 8 minutes. With the completion of the sections across urban Daejeon and Daegu, a further improvement of the four-stop travel time to 2 hour and 10 minutes between Seoul and Busan

4410-464: The first month of service to the fifth, the number of all operation irregularities decreased from 28 to 8, among which the number of rolling stock related incidents decreased from 18 to 5. Causes for breakdowns in the first years of operation involved inexperienced staff and insufficient inspection during maintenance. The failure rate decreased sharply by the fifth year of operation. In an investigation report released in October 2006, representatives from

4500-651: The first stage of the Honam HSR and then the Suseo HSR, most Honam and Jeolla KTX services will use the Gyeongbu HSR only between the junction near Pyeongtaek and Osong. Services using the Gyeongbu HSR between Seoul and Dongdaegu, and diverging to the Gyeongbu Line to reach the Gyeongjeon Line, are operated as the Gyeongjeon KTX service, which started on 15 December 2010, initially reaching Masan with

4590-580: The freight traffic and 66% of the passenger traffic. With both the Gyeongbu Expressway and Korail 's Gyeongbu Line congested, the government saw the need of another mode of transport. The first proposals for a second Seoul-Busan railway line originated from a study prepared between 1972 and 1974 by experts of France's SNCF and Japan Railway Technical Service on a request from the IBRD . A more detailed 1978-1981 study by KAIST , focusing on

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4680-704: The go-ahead for the project, the institutions to manage its preparation were established: the Gyeongbu High Speed Electric Railway & New International Airport Committee, and the High Speed Electric Railway Planning Department (later renamed HSR Project Planning Board). In 1990, the foreseen Seoul-Busan travel time was 1 hour 51 minutes, the project was to be implemented by August 1998, and costs were estimated at 5,846.2 billion South Korean won (₩) in 1988 prices, of which ₩4.8 trillion

4770-534: The groundbreaking ceremony emerged after it was revealed that the North Korean railway was in poor condition. On 21 December 2018, however, the United States agreed to no longer obstruct plans by both Koreas to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The same day, a four-day inter-Korean road survey began when ten working-level South Korean surveyors entered North Korea to work with ten North Korean surveyors on

4860-584: The introduction of KTX, it was degraded into regional services. Currently, Nuriro services are provided by only EMU trains (class 20). KORAIL has a plan of introducing Nuriro with the newly ordered EMU-150. Named as metro services ( 전동열차 ), these services are provided in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and the Busan Metropolitan Area . Sometimes it is considered as a successor of Bidulgi-ho ( 비둘기호 ) class trains. Officially,

4950-589: The last decade, with the exception of 2015. In 2021 alone, the deficit was 1.1081 trillion won. As of the end of 2021, the cumulative deficit is 18.66 trillion won. Rail fares have been frozen since they were raised by 4.9% in 2011. In the 2021 public institution management evaluation, KORAIL was given the lowest grade of E (extremely unsatisfactory). Excluding the other high-speed service provider, SR, South Korean high-speed and intercity services are provided by KORAIL. Currently, KORAIL provides 5 classes of railway and metro services. KTX (Korea Train eXpress)

5040-462: The longest and second longest tunnels in Korea once the line is opened. The original plans foresaw a second-phase opening in 2008, with new trains cruising at a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) cutting Seoul-Busan travel times to just 1 hours 56 minutes. However, construction was delayed, and trains with higher top speeds weren't yet available. The main cause of delay was a long dispute over

5130-413: The main KTX maintenance facility, Goyang depot. Passenger surveys in the first months found that the limited capacity of bus connections and the lack of subway connections for intermediate stations, especially the newly built stations Gwangmyeong and Cheonan-Asan, was the problem mentioned most often. A better connection to Cheonan-Asan station was provided by an extension of Seoul Subway Line 1 along

5220-412: The majority of the market and the bulk of rail passengers, increasing the total share of rail from around two-fifths to a market dominating two-thirds by 2008. The terminal for most Gyeongbu KTX services is Seoul Station, but some trains continue beyond Seoul Station for 14.9 km (9.3 mi) along the Gyeongui Line to terminate at Haengsin station , a stop added due to the station's vicinity to

5310-413: The needs of freight transport, also came to the conclusion that separating off long-distance passenger traffic on a high-speed passenger railway would be advisable, thus it was taken up in Korea's next Five Year Plan . During the next years, several feasibility studies were prepared for a high-speed line with a Seoul–Busan travel time of 1 hour 30 minutes, which gave positive results. In 1989, following

5400-505: The new service cut travel time between Yongsan in Seoul and Mokpo from 4 hours 42 minutes to 2 hours 58 minutes. From April 2011, the new Jeolla KTX service will use the same section of the Gyeongbu HSR to reach Yeosu along the Honam and Jeolla Lines, reducing the Seoul–Yeosu travel time from the current 5 hours 13 minutes to 2 hours 55 minutes. The new service will After the completion of

5490-503: The opening of an extra station for the two cities on the high-speed line. From November 1, 2010, most Gyeongbu KTX services began to use the new Daegu–Busan section of the Gyeongbu HSR, some trains remained on the Gyeongbu Line on that section, and additional trains began to use the Gyeongbu Line on the Seoul–Daejeon section to serve Suwon . The KTX-I started service with a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). In response to frequent passenger complaints regarding speeds on

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5580-440: The passenger cars and yaw dampers. On June 13, 2007, near Cheongdo on the upgraded Daegu–Busan section, a damper acting between two cars of a KTX-I train got free at one end due to a loose screw and hit the trackbed, throwing up ballast that hit cars and caused bruises to two people on the parallel road, and generating smoke inside the train's passenger compartment. The train was stopped by emergency braking when passengers noticed

5670-481: The plan has never progressed beyond the research phase. While the increased wealth of South Korea and continued growth of trade between the nations has made the economic case for the tunnel more compelling, promotion has focused more on using the project to reduce political tension between the nations. Gyeongbu High Speed Railway#Gyeongbu KTX Planned: 1 November 2010: 1 August 2015: The Gyeongbu high-speed railway , also known as Gyeongbu HSR ,

5760-428: The project amounting to US$ 2.1 billion resp. €1.5 billion. Other foreign contributors included SNCF (training and supervision of infrastructure and operations), Pandrol and Vossloh (rail fastenings), and Cegelec (catenary). Their domestic partners for the infrastructure parts were LG Industrial Systems and Samsung (signalling and train control); ILJIN and LG Cable (catenary). SYSTRA and Bechtel

5850-472: The project was modified to include the downtown passages of Daejeon and Daegu, as well as additional stations along the phase 1 section at Osong , between Cheonan and Daejeon; and Gimcheon , (between Daejeon and Daegu. Consequently, the budget was increased to 7,190.0 billion won, and the government's share of the funding was increased by 5 percentage points to 50%. Construction started in June 2002. The 128.1 km (79.6 mi) of new tracks, consisting of

5940-425: The remaining Saemaul-ho services are only operated on Janghang Line . In late 2023, another new ITX train equivalent to ITX-Saemaeul was introduced and named ITX-Maum . Mugunghwa-ho ( 무궁화호 ) and its planned successor Nuriro ( 누리로 ) services are regional train services of KORAIL. Mugunghwa-ho, inspired by its name from the national floral emblem hibiscus , was introduced as express service at first, but after

6030-407: The smoke. On November 3, 2007, an arriving KTX-I train collided with a parked KTX-I train inside Busan Station, resulting in material damage of 10 billion won to the two trains and light injuries to two persons. The accident happened because the driver has fallen asleep and disabled the train protection system, while the station dispatcher was absent from his observation point without notice. The driver

6120-405: The so-called mud flaps, the rubber bands attached to the end of the intermediate cars to smooth the airflow at the articulated car joints, from a width of 100 to 143 mm ( 3 + 15 ⁄ 16 to 5 + 5 ⁄ 8  in). Korail then retrofitted all trains with the wider mud flaps until May 2006. The Korean rail industry used the know-how gained in the technology transfer for the KTX-I as

6210-484: The speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) had been achieved, regular testing at that speed started in November 2000, after all of the 12 sets built by Alstom in France have been delivered to South Korea. In line with the core system contract condition that over 50% of the added value has to come from South Korea after technology transfer, the remaining 34 of the 46 trainsets ordered were built under license by Rotem in South Korea itself. The first carbody manufactured in Korea

6300-442: The test section was finished to enable trials with trains. The test section extended to 57.2 km (35.5 mi) on 26 June 2000. After further design changes, the high-speed tracks were finished over a length of 223.6 km (138.9 mi), with 15.0 km (9.3 mi) of interconnections to the conventional Gyeongbu Line, including at a short interruption at Daejeon. The high-speed section itself included 84 viaducts with

6390-409: The third section, between a junction west of Daegu and Busan became operational. The missing gaps across the urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu were in construction for an expected opening in 2014, separate tracks into Seoul Station were also planned. The temporary ends of the three sections were connected to the parallel conventional Gyeongbu Line by tracks that will serve as interconnector branches upon

6480-464: The train carried no cargo at all. The total amount of cargo carried over this period had been merely 340 tons. This absence of interest in the service has been explained by the customers' (companies operating in Kaesong) preference for road transport. In November 2008, North Korea shut down the link. However, railroad transportation from South Korea to North Korea resumed again on 30 November 2018, when

6570-417: The train on the track. The rail union criticised Korail's use of hired repairmen. There were no problems with the train according to the investigation. KTX trains not deviating from the Seoul–Busan corridor are operated as the Gyeongbu KTX service. When introduced in 2004, the new service cut travel time between Seoul and Busan from 4 hours 10 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes. The Seoul–Busan travel distance

6660-612: The trains operated by Korail freely, including KTX. However, subways and tourist trains operated by KORAIL are not covered. Foreigners living in South Korea for more than six months are ineligible to use a KR Pass, but Korail offers the Happy Rail Pass, which is very similar to the KR Pass, for a slightly higher price. Most of the railroad's employees are members of the Korean Railway Workers' Union , which

6750-404: The video display staying just below the advertised 300 mark, operating top speed was raised to 305 km/h (190 mph) on November 26, 2007. From 2006, the first car of KTX-I trains functions as a moving cinema during selected services. Most of the operation irregularities after the start of KTX service concerned the rolling stock, but also signalling, power glitches and track problems. From

6840-575: Was almost identical to that found on the high-speed lines of France's TGV system. Track-related design specifications included a design speed of 350 km/h (215 mph), standard gauge , continuously welded rails with UIC  60 profile (60 kg/m (120 lb/yd)), 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) wide concrete sleepers, 35 cm (14 in) high ballast bed, swing-nose switches for high-speed passage, 25 kV/60 Hz electrification , standard French TVM 430 automatic cab signalling and centralised train control . Following

6930-454: Was also involved in project management. After 12 years of construction, service using the first phase of the Gyeongbu HSR started on 1 April 2004. The Daegu–Busan section of the Gyeongbu HSR became a separate project with the July 1998 project revision, with a budget of ₩5,698.1 billion, to be funded from direct government and private sources at the same ratios as for phase 1. In August 2006,

7020-453: Was also reduced from 350 km/h (215 mph) to the 300 km/h (185 mph) maximum of high-speed trains on the market, thus, with project variants of up to 430.7 km (267.6 mi) line length, Seoul–Busan travel times of up to 2 hours 4 minutes were projected. Construction suffered from early quality problems. After an independent safety inspection in 1996, repairs were necessary on 190 locations, and even partial reconstruction

7110-473: Was announced that the groundbreaking ceremony to symbolize the reconnection of the roads and railways in both Koreas will be held on 26 December 2018 in the North Korean city of Kaesong. On 17 December 2018, the latest inter-Korean railway survey, which involved an 800-km rail from Kumgangsan near the inter-Korean border to the Tumen River bordering Russia in the east, was completed. A potential threat to

7200-456: Was chosen. However, construction faced quality problems concerning sleepers and fastenings. In February 2009, cracks were found on 332 newly laid concrete sleepers on the 96.9 km (60.2 mi) long section between Daegu and Ulsan , the cause of which was improper water insulation. Meanwhile, it was revealed that the Pandrol and Vossloh clips chosen for the rail fastenings were submitted to indoor tests only, omitting field tests, and

7290-422: Was completed in October 1999, the first complete train was rolled out in April 2002, and all trains were delivered by December 2003. From the beginning of January 2004 until the start of regular service on April 1, 2004, 25–28 of the trains were in operation each day when the KTX system was put under intensive test operation to prepare all system components and personnel for regular service. Like all TGV variants,

7380-399: Was confirmed by the government. On 1 September 2010, the government released a new strategic plan, with the aim to reduce travel times for 95% of Korea to under 2 hours by 2020. Longer-term plans under consideration included a branch from the Gyeongbu HSR to Jinju and further to the southern coast. Six new stations were built along the Gyeongbu HSR. From Seoul to Busan: Once complete,

7470-444: Was foreseen for the high-speed line itself, and the remainder for rolling stock. In 1991, bids were called for the supply and technology transfer of the core system technology, which in addition to the rolling stock also included the catenary and signalling of the line. On 26 August 1991, three competitors submitted bids: consortia led by GEC-Alsthom (today Alstom ), one of the builders of France's TGV trains; Siemens , one of

7560-446: Was foreseen to be 1 hour 56 minutes. The budget for the first phase was set at ₩12,737.7 billion, that for the entire project at ₩18,435.8 billion in 1998 prices. While the share of government contributions remained unchanged, the share of foreign loans, domestic bond sales and private capital changed to 24%, 29% and 2%. Well ahead of the opening of the Gyeongbu HSR for regular service, in December 1999, 34.4 km (21.4 mi) of

7650-684: Was known as Korean National Railroad (KNR) in English. In the early 2000s, the split and public corporatization of KNR was decided by the South Korean government, and in 2003, KNR adopted the current KORAIL logo in blue to prepare for corporatization. On 1 January 2005, KNR was split into Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), which succeeded railway operation with the KORAIL logo and name, and Korea National Railway (KR), which succeeded in railway construction and maintaining tracks. Fares are set according to distance. KORAIL has posted losses every year for

7740-525: Was needed at another 39 locations. Meanwhile, the bidding of the core system technology contract progressed through five rounds of evaluation, and the French and German consortia submitted final bids on 15 June 1993. KHSRCA announced that the GEC-Alsthom-led consortium was the preferred bidder on 20 August 1993, and the contract was signed on 14 June 1994. The consortium consisted of GEC-Alsthom and its Korean subsidiary Eukorail. The technology

7830-537: Was shortened from 441.7 to 408.5 km (274.5 to 253.8 mi) The fastest services made intermediate stops only in Daejeon and Daegu, other stations were served by trains with different stopping patterns. Some Gyeongbu KTX services will continue to serve the original relation after the 1 November 2010, opening of the second phase of the Gyeongbu HSR, with travel times between 2 hours 55 minutes and 3 hours. Korail met local demands by introducing additional KTX services between Seoul and Dongdaegu in June 2007, which left

7920-523: Was to complete the project by 2014. Singyeongju station on the second phase section of the Gyeongbu HSR is to become a junction with the re-aligned Ulsan-Gyeongju-Pohang section of the Donghae Nambu Line , which is to open in 2014. On 23 April 2009, the project was approved by the government and a ground-breaking ceremony was held. In January 2010, the early completion of the Pohang branch

8010-405: Was to planned be opened in 2014 with actual opening date of April 1, 2015. A branch from the existing Gyeongbu HSR near its northern end to Suseo-dong , a southeastern ward of Seoul, was in the original plans of the Honam HSR. The Suseo High-Speed Railway was announced as a separate project, on a route from a junction with the Gyeongbu HSR at Pyeongtaek to Suseo, on 30 December 2009. The goal

8100-477: Was tried, convicted and fined 10 million won. The railway union noted that the driver had 2 hours and 29 minutes for sleeping between two shifts, and criticised single driver operation in conjunction with short rest times. The noise level in the trains during tunnel passages was subject to passenger complaints. Tests in August 2005 showed that noise level reductions of 3–4  dB can be achieved with an increase of

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