Korea Train Express:
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Korea Train Express |
KTX train
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The Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is South Korea's high-speed rail system. It is operated by Korail. The train's technology is largely based on the French TGV system, and has a top speed of 350 km/h, limited to 300 km/h during regular service for safety.[1] On December 16, 2004, the Korean-made HSR-350x achieved an experimental top speed of 352.4 kilometers per hour.[2]
[edit] History
After 12 years of construction, the Gyeongbu Line (connecting Seoul to Busan via Daejeon and Daegu) and the Honam Line (Yongsan to Gwangju and Mokpo) opened on March 31, 2004. Presently using high-speed track for only part of the distance (from Seoul to Daegu), the new line cuts travel time between Seoul and Busan from the Saemaul-ho's 4 hours and 10 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes, and between Yongsan and Mokpo from 4 hours and 42 minutes to 2 hours and 58 minutes.[3] A further improvement to 1 hour and 56 minutes on the Gyeongbu Line is expected in 2010, when the train will begin to run entirely on high-speed tracks.
The initial trainsets are TGV-A models with minor modifications. In all, 46 trains were built - the initial twelve in France by Alstom, the remainder in South Korea by ROTEM.[4] The tracks were built with technical assistance from SNCF technicians.
The next generation of KTX trains, the HSR-350x (KTX II), is based on the TGV-R trainset, but with over 80% locally produced in Korea. The trains may be introduced into service as early as 2009.[5]
[edit] Future
| KTX network map |
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Shared track (KTX) |
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Gyeongbu Line (KTX) |
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Gyeongbu Line (normal) |
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Honam Line (normal) |
Construction of the second phase linking Daegu to Busan started in June 2002, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.[5] The new section follows a different, more easterly route, with new stations planned for Gyeongju and Ulsan.
High-speed track for the Honam Line from Seoul via Osong to Gwangju and Mokpo is also planned, with construction to start in 2009 for tentative completion in 2014.[5]
KTX services running partly on ordinary track are planned for the Jeolla Line to Suncheon and Expo 2012 site Yeosu, branching from the main Honam Line at Iksan.[6] Operations may start as soon as 2009, although the Iksan-Yeosu line has a top speed of only 120 km/h, currently being increased to 180 km/h.[5] The Samnangjin-Jinju line is also being doubled and electrified to allow KTX operations by 2014.[5]
A spur line from Seoul to Gangneung on the northeast coast was under consideration, but seems to have been shelved after Korea's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics failed[citation needed].
[edit] Ridership
When introduced in April 2004, KTX ridership was an average of 70,900 passengers per day. This number was more than on the busiest French TGV line, but that on a more expensive line, and well short of initial expectations of 200,000. While earning an operational profit of about 2.1 billion won per day, this amount was insufficient to service the loans, as the construction cost grew from an initial estimate of 5 trillion to an actual 18 trillion Korean won (approx. 5 billion to 18 billion US dollars). On January 14, 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hai Chan stated that KTX was a political failure.
test ticket for KTX trial run
However, less than two years after the introduction of KTX service, the market share of rail on the Seoul-Busan sector increased from 38% (2003) to nearly 61% (2005), with air travel dropping from 42% to 25% and road travel falling from 20% to 14%.[6] On January 9, 2006, Korail reported that average daily ridership in December 2005 had reached 104,600, an increase of almost 50%, with daily operating profit up to 2.8 billion won and financial breakeven expected by early 2007.[7] In 2006, KTX carried 36.49 million passengers (against 32.37 million in 2005). On the Lunar New Year in 2007 (February 18, 2007), KTX carried a record 158,967 passengers. The 100-millionth rider was carried after 1116 days of operation on April 22, 2007, generating an income of 2.78 trillion won.[8] Throughout May 2008, the average ridership reached 160,000 passengers per day.[5]
[edit] Technical issues
According to an investigation by the Grand National Party in 2006, the KTX broke down 160 times in the span of three years,[9] an average of once per week. Obtaining spare parts for the KTX from French suppliers can be a time-consuming process, which has resulted in parts being cannibalized from functional trains.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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