International Railway Journal - July 2008 - (Page 24)

Korea the Honan high-speed line from Jochiwon via Iksan and Gwangju to Mokpo. “The Mokpo line should be ready by 2014, a year earlier than originally planned,” says Ahn. Mokpo will then be around 2 hours from Seoul instead of 3h 15min today. KR plans to invest Won 63 trillion up to 2020 to upgrade and expand the Korean rail network. This means bringing key sections up to modern standards (see table on page 26) by realigning some sections, track doubling, and electrification. The Iksan Suncheon - Yeosu line is being upgraded to allow the maximum speed to be increased from 120 to 180km/h. Yeosu will host an international Expo in 2012, so it is vital to have a commercial train service to Seoul in operation by then - the 444km trip currently takes about 5h 10min by the fastest trains. The Samnangjin - Jinju line is also being upgraded (track doubling and electrification) to allow KTX to be introduced on the line in 2012 running at a maximum speed of 180km/h. KR plans to extend the electrification west from Jinju to Suncheon by 2014. A number of new conventional lines Korea Jeojin Sokcho Mr Choi Han-Joo, Korail’s senior executive director. terminals, and to automate many other stations by installing ticket machines. “A further Won 9 trillion will come from station development and selling land between 2007 and 2015,” says Choi. Korail plans to set up a property construction company to help it achieve this goal. KTX continues to go from strength to strength. On April 3 last year, the third anniversary of the launch of the service between Seoul and Busan, KTX carried its 100 millionth passenger. Last year, KTX averaged 100,000 passengers/day, but in May this year it reached a record of 160,000 passengers/day. To cope with the continuing growth in traffic, Korail will take delivery next year of the first six of 19 10-car KTX II trains from Hyundai Rotem. KTX II is the first all-Korean high-speed train and will replace the 18-car KTX trains on the services from Seoul to Gwangju and Mokpo. KTX II will also be used to launch a new service from Seoul to Suncheon and Yeosu where electrification and upgrading is nearing completion. According to Mr Ahn Nag-Kyoun, executive director of Korea Rail Network Authority’s (KR) Railway Facilities Division, construction of the final section of the Seoul - Busan line from Daegu via Gyeongju to Busan is 65% complete and will open at the end of 2010. This will cut the Seoul - Busan journey time by about 30 minutes to 2h 10min, which should help to boost traffic even more. Construction should start next year of Doekro Samcheok Wonju Uljin Yesan Jochiwon Boryeong Sejong Pyeonghae Yeongdeok Samnangjin Port High-Speed Lines Open Under construction Planned Conventional lines Non-electrified lines Electrified lines Being electrified Planned new lines Proposed new lines 24 IRJ July 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of International Railway Journal - July 2008

International Railway Journal - July 2008 Contents This Month News Transit News Market News/Technology News News Analysis Conference Report Korean Railways Face a Bright Future Korean Exports Surge Ahead Ready to Roll in China Velaro Shows Eastern Promise Are You Sitting Comfortably? Compin Meets New Challenges The Fabric of Society Grinding Out a Result Rendezvous Full Contact List The Last Word

International Railway Journal - July 2008

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