Korea Train Express
.Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004.
KTX will operate to Incheon International Airport from Seoul Station with a stop at Geomam Station from April 2014. A new terminal in Seoul's Gangnam District is under construction at Suseo Station which will open in 2016 along with intermediate stations in New Dongtan City and Seoul Subway Line 1's Jije Station in Pyeongtaek. Construction of a second high-speed line to Gwangju began in December 2009, and is to open in 2015. A new line from Wonju to Gangneung is under construction to serve the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Top speed for trains in regular service is currently 305 km/h (190 mph), though the infrastructure is designed for 350 km/h (217 mph). The initial rolling stock was based on Alstom's TGV Réseau, and was partly built in Korea. The domestically developedHSR-350x, which achieved 352.4 km/h (219.0 mph) in tests, resulted in a second type of high-speed trains now operated by Korail, the KTX Sancheon. The next generation KTX train, HEMU-430X, achieved 421.4 km/h in 2013, making South Korea the world's fourth country after France, Japan and China to develop a high-speed train running on conventional rail above 420 km/h.
History[edit]
Origins of the project[edit]
The Seoul-Busan axis is Korea's main traffic corridor. In 1982, it represented 65.8% of South Korea's population, a number that grew to 73.3% by 1995, along with 70% of freight traffic and 66% of passenger traffic. With both the Gyeongbu Expressway and Korail's Gyeongbu Line congested as of the late 1970s, the government saw the pressing need for another form of transportation.[1]
The first proposals for a second Seoul-Busan railway line originated from a study prepared between 1972 and 1974 by experts from France's SNCF and Japan Railway Technical Service on a request from the IBRD.[2][3] A more detailed 1978-1981 study by KAIST, focusing on the needs of freight transport, also came to the conclusion that separating long-distance passenger traffic on a high-speed passenger railway would be advisable, and it was adopted in the following Korean Five Year Plan.[4]
During the following 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.[4] In 1989, following 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).[5] In 1990, the planned Seoul–Busan travel time was 1 hour 51 minutes, the project was to be completed by August 1998,[6] and costs were estimated at 5.85 trillion South Korean won[6] in 1988 prices, 4.6 trillion of which were to be spent on infrastructure, the remainder on rolling stock.[7]
As planning progressed, the Korea High Speed Rail Construction Authority (KHSRCA) was established in March 1992 as a separate body with its own budget responsible for the project.[8] In the 1993 reappraisal of the project, the completion date was pushed back to May 2002, and cost estimates grew to 10.74 trillion won.[6][7] 82% of the cost increase was due to a 90% increase in unit costs in the construction sector, mostly labour costs but also material costs,[9] and the remainder due to alignment changes.[6][9] To finance the project, the option of a build-operate-transfer (BOT) franchise was rejected as too risky.[10] Funding included direct government grants (35%), government (10%) and foreign (18%) loans, domestic bond sales (31%) and private capital (6%).[11]
Creation of the system[edit]
Start of high-speed line construction[edit]
Main article: Gyeongbu High Speed Railway
KHSRCA started construction of the Seoul–Busan Gyeongbu High Speed Railway (Gyeongbu HSR) on June 30, 1992, on the 57 km (35 mi) long section from Cheonan to Daejeon, which was intended for use as test track.[7]
Construction started before the choice of the main technology supplier, thus alignment design was set out to be compatible with all choices.[7] 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.[7] However, plans were changed repeatedly,[12] in particular those for city sections, following disputes with local governments,[13] while construction work suffered from early quality problems.[14] Planned operating speed was also reduced from 350 km/h (217 mph) to the 300 km/h (186 mph) maximum of high-speed trains on the market.[6] Three competitors bid for the supply of the core system, which included the rolling stock, catenary and signalling:[15] consortia led by GEC-Alsthom, today Alstom, one of the builders of France's TGV trains; Siemens, one of the builders of Germany'sICE trains; and Mitsubishi, one of the builders of Japan's Shinkansen trains.[16] In 1994, the alliance of GEC-Alsthom and its Korean subsidiary Eukorail were chosen as winner.[17]
The technology was almost identical to that found on the high-speed lines of France's TGV system.[18] Track-related design specifications included a design speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) and standard gauge.[19]
Phase 1: Seoul–Daegu and conventional line upgrades[edit]
See also: Upgrade of the Gyeongbu and Honam Lines
Following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the government decided to realise the Gyeongbu HSR in two phases.[8] In a first phase, two-thirds of the high-speed line between the southwestern suburbs of Seoul andDaegu would be finished by 2004, with trains travelling along the parallel conventional line along the rest of the Seoul–Busan route.[6] The upgrade and electrification of these sections of the Gyeongbu Line was added to the project,[20] and also the upgrade and electrification of the Honam Line from Daejeon to Mokpo, providing a second route for KTX services.[21] The budget for the first phase was set at 12,737.7 billion won, that for the entire project at 18,435.8 billion won in 1998 prices.[22] 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%.[23]
The infrastructure and rolling stock were created in the framework of a technology transfer agreement, which paired up Korean companies with core system supplier Alstom and its European subcontractors for different subsystems.[24][25][26] Alstom's part of the project amounted to US$2.1 billion[19] or €1.5 billion.[17]
Well ahead of the opening of the Gyeongbu HSR for regular service, in December 1999, 34.4 km (21.4 mi) of the test section, later extended to 57 km (35 mi), was finished to enable trials with trains.[8] 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.[27] The high-speed section itself included 83.1 km (51.6 mi) of viaducts and 75.6 km (47.0 mi) of tunnels.[28]Conventional line electrification was finished over the 132.8 km (82.5 mi) across Daegu and on to Busan, the 20.7 km (12.9 mi) across Daejeon, and the 264.4 km (164.3 mi) from Daejeon to Mokpo and Gwangju.[29] After 12 years of construction and with a final cost of 12,737.7 billion won,[30] the initial KTX system with the first phase of the Gyeongbu HSR went into service on April 1, 2004.[31]
Phase 2: Daegu–Busan, extra stations, urban sections[edit]
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 won, with funding from the government and private sources by the same ratios as for phase 1.[32] In August 2006, the project was modified to again include the Daejeon and Daegu urban area passages, as well as additional stations along the phase 1 section. For these additions, the budget as well as the government's share of the funding was increased.[33]
Construction started in June 2002. The 128.1 km (79.6 mi) line, which follows a long curve to the northeast of the existing Gyeongbu Line, 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).[30] The two largest structures are the 20,323 m (66,677 ft) Geomjeung Tunnel, under Mount Geumjeong at the Busan end of the line;[34] and the 13,270 m (43,540 ft) Wonhyo Tunnel,[35] under Mount Cheonseong south-west of Ulsan, which will be the longest and second longest tunnels in Korea once the line is opened.[36]
A long dispute concerning the environmental impact assessment of the Wonhyo Tunnel, which passes under a wetland area,[35] caused delays for the entire project.[37] 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,[38] and only ended with a supreme court ruling in June 2006.[39] With the exception of the sections across Daejeon and Daegu, the second phase went into service on November 1, 2010.[40] By that time, 4,905.7 billion won was spent out of a second phase budget, or 17,643.4 billion won out of the total.[30]
The two sections across the urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu, altogether 40.9 km (25.4 mi), will be finished by 2014.[30] As of October 2010, the total cost of the second phase was estimated at 7,945.4 billion won, that for the entire project at 20,728.2 billion won.[30] The last element of the original project that was shelved in 1998, separate underground tracks across the Seoul metropolitan area, was re-launched in June 2008, when an initial plan with a 28.6 km (17.8 mi) long alignment and two new stations was announced.[41]
Further upgrades of connecting conventional lines[edit]
See also: Upgrade of the AREX, Chungbuk, Daegok–Sosa–Wonsi, Daegu, Donghae Bukbu, Donghae Nambu, Gyeongchun, Gyeongjeon, Gyeongui, Gyeongwon, Janghang,Jeolla, Jungang and Yeongdong Lines
The electrification and the completion of the re-alignment and double-tracking of the Jeolla Line, which branches from the Honam Line at Iksan and continues to Suncheon andYeosu, began in December 2003, with the aim to introduce KTX services in time for the Expo 2012 in Yeosu.[42] The upgrade will allow to raise top speed from 120 to 180 km/h (75 to 112 mph).[43][44] The section of the perpendicular Gyeongjeon Line from Samnangjin, the junction with the Gyeongbu Line near Busan, to Suncheon is upgraded in a similar way, with track doubling, alignment modifications and electrification for 180 km/h (112 mph).[43][44] The until Masan was opened on December 15, 2010.[45] The upgrade is to be complete until Jinju by 2012 and Suncheon by 2014.[43][44] The top speed of the AREX line, Seoul's airport link, is to be raised from 110 to 180 km/h (68 to 112 mph) for the KTX.[46]
The Ulsan–Gyeongju–Pohang section of the Donghae Nambu Line is foreseen for an upgrade in a completely new alignment that circumvents downtown Gyeongju and connects to the Gyeongbu High Speed Railway at Singyeongju Station, allowing for direct KTX access to the two cities. On April 23, 2009, the project was approved by the government and a ground-breaking ceremony was held.[47] The altogether 76.56 km (47.57 mi) line is slated to be opened in December 2014.[47]
On September 1, 2010, the South Korean government announced a strategic plan to reduce travel times from Seoul to 95% of the country to under 2 hours by 2020.[48] The main new element of the plan is to aim for top speeds of 230–250 km/h (143–155 mph) in upgrades of much of the mainline network with view to the introduction of KTX services.[48]The conventional lines under the scope of the plan include the above, already on-going projects, and their extensions along the rest of the southern and eastern coasts of South Korea, lines along the western coast, lines north of Seoul, and the second, more easterly line between Seoul and Busan with some connecting lines.[48]
Further high-speed lines[edit]
See also: Honam High Speed Railway and Suseo High Speed Railway
Until 2006,[49] the first plans for a second, separate high-speed line from Seoul to Mokpo were developed into the project of a line branching from the Gyeongbu HSR and constructed in two stages, the Honam High Speed Railway (Honam HSR).[50] The budget for the 185.75 km (115.42 mi) first stage, from the new Osong Station on the Gyongbu HSR to Gwangju·Songjeong Station, was set at 8,569.5 billion won.[50] The second stage, the 48.74 km (30.29 mi) remaining to Mokpo, was to be finished by 2017 with a budget of 2,002.2 billion won.[50] The Osong-Iksan section of the first phase is also intended for use as high-speed test track for rolling stock development, to be fitted with special catenary and instrumented track.[51] The ground-breaking ceremony was held on December 4, 2009.[52] As of September 2010, progress was 9.6% of the project budget then estimated at 10,490.1 billion won for the first phase, which was due for completion in 2014, while the estimate for the entire line stood at 12,101.7 billion won.[53]
First plans for the Honam HSR foresaw a terminus in Suseo Station, southeast Seoul.[50] The branch to Suseo was re-launched as a separate project, the Suseo High Speed Railway (Suseo HSR),[54] in June 2008.[55] Detailed design of the 61.1 km (38.0 mi) line[56] is underway since September 2010, with opening planned by the end of 2014.[57] For the longer term, new high-speed lines from Seoul to Sokcho on the eastern coast, and a direct branch from the Gyeongbu HSR south to Jinju and further to the coast are under consideration.[48] In conjunction with the award of the 2018 Winter Olympics to PyeongChang in July 2011, KTX service via the eastern coast line was anticipated; the expected travel time there from Seoul is 50 minutes.
In January 2009, the Korea Transport Institute also proposed a 167 km (104 mi) line from Mokpo to Jeju Island, putting Jeju 2 hours 26 minutes from Seoul.[58] The line would include a 28 km (17 mi) bridge from Haenam to Bogil Island and a 73 km (45 mi) undersea tunnel from Bogil Island to Jeju Island (with a drilling station on Chuja Island), for an estimated cost of US$10 billion.[58] As the proposal was popular with lawmakers from South Jeolla province, the government is conducting a feasibility study, but the governor of Jeju expressed skepticism.[59] The route Seoul-Jeju has been mentioned as the world's busiest air route with 9.9 million passengers in 2011. [60]
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