# SOUTH KOREA | Railways



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*South Korea Railroad Map*


_click to enlarge_



*Total Length : 3399.1 km* (as of 2007)

single track : 1,995.6 km
double track : 1,283.9 km
four track : 106.0 km
six track : 13.6 km

Track Electrified : 1,817.8 km


*Number of Rolling Stock* (as of 2007)

High-Speed Electric Rail Car : 920 
Diesel Locomotive : 422
Diesel Rail Car : 566
Eletric Locomotive : 151
Eletric Rail Car : 2,086
Steam Locomotive : 1
Passenger Car : 1,411
Freight Car : 13,183


*Train Classes*

KTX : High-Speed trains on High-Speed Rail (some routes run on conventional railway)
Saemaul : First Class trains on conventional railway
Mugunghwa : Second Class trains on conventional railway
Commuter (conventional) : Commuter train


*More Information*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_South_Korea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korail 


KTX(on conventional railway)

















Saemaul

















Mugunghwa

























Commuter

















all photos from trainstory.net


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

photos from 광필


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Locomotives*


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Locomotives*





































all photos from trainstory.net


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## MelbourneCity (Sep 12, 2002)

Quite interesting photos! Some of those locomotives look reminiscent of some Australian/New Zealand locos!


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

MelbourneCity said:


> Quite interesting photos! Some of those locomotives look reminiscent of some Australian/New Zealand locos!


Probably it's because most of disel locomotives were made in USA or assembled in Korea under license and most of electric locomotives were from Europe.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX, KTX-II*

KTX is korean high-speed railway. There're two main lines to operate high-speed train service but some sections are run on conventional railway. Currently high-speed railway between Seoul and Daegu were built in 2004 and the construction of Daegu-Pusan line will be completed by late of 2010. This year Honam high-speed line began its construction and according to government's plan, the phase one between Osong and Gwangju will be completed by 2014 and the phase two between Gwangju and Mokpo by 2017.

KTX trains were made in France or assembled in Korea under license. Now KTX-II , made by Hyundai-Rotem with the help of Alstom, has been on trial test for commercial operation which is scheduled to begin service on Honam line (conventional railway) by late of 2009.























































images from trainstory.net

About KTX-II there is another thread.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Saemaul and Mugunghwa class trains*





































images from trainstory.net


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Commuter Train (CDC)*



















images from trainstory.net


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Nooriro*



> From early June 2009, Korail introduced brand-new Nooriro-ho (누리로호) service, between Seoul and Sinchang. Nooriro is almost identical service to Mugunghwa, with same trip cost, but in relatively shorter distance, therefore it initially positions between inter-city Mugunghwa and local commuter train of Seoul subway system. Korail also introduced 8 newly built electric multiple unit sets based on Hitachi A-train, for Nooriro service.
> 
> from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korail


Korail also has a plan to substitute most of Mugunghwa class trains with Nooriro class EMU trains by 2020. As a result a lot of locomotives will, except for locomotives for passenger cars in non-electrified railway and freight cars or for emergency, be disappeared.




























images from modernday.kr


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## metsfan (Apr 14, 2008)

Wow, those are some very interesting trains!

I want to know how the EverLINE is coming along, shockingly enough i've seen several railcars here in my town!!!

- A


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

metsfan said:


> Wow, those are some very interesting trains!
> 
> I want to know how the EverLINE is coming along, shockingly enough i've seen several railcars here in my town!!!
> 
> - A


Everline has yet one year to open. It will open in July 2010 if the construction is going well as planned. As far as I know the train(korean rail fans tend to call it 'big bus' because it's consist of one car) arrived here already, though.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*AREX (Incheon International Airport Railway)*



> After significant delays, construction of the line started in 2001, after the opening of Incheon Airport. The first 37.6 km segment from Incheon Airport to Gimpo opened on March 23, 2007, with the remaining length of 20.4 km to Seoul Station scheduled to be operational in January 2010.
> 
> The line is being constructed by IKFC (Incheon Korean French Consortium), a
> consortium headed by Eukorail. Eukorail includes as partners the French company Alstom and the South Korean company ROTEM, and also built the KTX high-speed train line.
> ...











Commuter Train









Express Train

images from trainstory.net


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*HSR-350X*



> South Korean engineers began working on the High Speed Rail project in 1995.
> 
> However, South Korea has always had ambitions to develop HSR technology
> independently. Rotem and the National Rail Technology Institute of Korea have been researching and developing high speed rolling stock for 10 years, under the name of HSR-350x a couple of years before the arrival of French TGV technology in South Korea.
> ...




















HSR-350x stationed on a train basement


images from trainstory.net


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*TTX*



> TTX(Tilting Train Express), also known as Hanbit 200, is a prototype train for developing 200 km/h tilting train. The maximum design speed is 200 km/h and the maximum operation speed is 180 km/h. It's designed to improve running speed up to 20~30% on curved railroad tracs by tilting a train up to 8 degrees. It was manufactured with carbon fiber reinforced composite materials, and it saved 40% weight compared with aluminum body. And it reduced manufacturing process and time with the one-body manufacturing of a body shell with a length of 23m. The tilting mechanism is belt type forced-tilting. and the braking system uses both regenerative brake and compressed-
> air brake.
> 
> TTX's future is, even if the test of TTX is successful, not bright now because the demand for TTX or tilting trains is declining with the upgrade of the existing conventional lines.






























images from trainstory.net


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains *


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

images from hyperlion08


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains operated by KORAIL*






































photos from dhwlswn5869


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains operated by KORAIL*




























photos from dhwlswn5869


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains operated by KORAIL*





























photos from dhwlswn5869


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Business Car*

This train is so-called ' Business car ', which is generally used by C.E.O or high-levels of Korail.




























images from dhwlswn5869


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*President Train*

This train is '경복호(Gyeongbok-ho)' for president's use. Although the appearance of the train is similar to Saemaul Class train, it's a newly-built train, not a renovated-train from Saemaul Class train. KOROS(now Rotem) made it on 2001, and most of specifications, except for speed or bulletproof body etc, are unknown.





































images from korail5148


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX on Singil station*




























images from korail5148


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II Ready For Trial Run*

KTX-II No.04 and No.05 trainset is ready for trial run on Seoul station. KTX-II is expected to be operational on Honam Line by this year.




























images from korail5148


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II Video Clip*


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Trains*




























images from 사자나미


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Trains*



















images from 사자나미


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Trains*




























images from 사자나미


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Trains*




























images from 사자나미


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Trains*




























images from 사자나미


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail Trains*




























images from 사자나미


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II Trains*




























images from korail5148


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II Trains*



















images from korail5148


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II Trains*



















images from korail5148


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## Aenelia (Jun 13, 2009)

Thanks for all the pictures, I can't wait for KTX II to begin commercial service


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

images from blog.daum.net/sakaman


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

images from blog.daum.net/sakaman


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

images from blog.daum.net/sakaman


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

images from blog.daum.net/sakaman


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains on Hyundai-Rotem Factory Yard*




























images from korail5148


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II*














































source


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## goldbough (Jun 19, 2007)

Can the KTX-II seats change directions? I thought it was stupid the way the KTX seats are oriented - half facing forward and the other half of the car facing the other way. They weren't movable either.


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## goldbough (Jun 19, 2007)

Has Korea stopped closing small stations? Several years ago they started closing small stations a couple times a year. I would think there's none left to close by now. I don't understand why they didn't just make those flag stops because what are the old ladies and farmers supposed to do? The only other way is to take several buses. Maybe Korea has never heard of flag stops; I didn't until after I came back to the USA.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

goldbough said:


> Can the KTX-II seats change directions? I thought it was stupid the way the KTX seats are oriented - half facing forward and the other half of the car facing the other way. They weren't movable either.


Yes, you can change directions of a seat.



goldbough said:


> Has Korea stopped closing small stations? Several years ago they started closing small stations a couple times a year. I would think there's none left to close by now. I don't understand why they didn't just make those flag stops because what are the old ladies and farmers supposed to do? The only other way is to take several buses. Maybe Korea has never heard of flag stops; I didn't until after I came back to the USA.


The fate of small stations are not bright, I think even worse than before, now that many conventional lines are double-tracked and electrified to speed up trains. It means trains just have to pass through small and almost-none-ridership stations more and more. 

Anyway most of local governments are always struggling to save stations in their area, but they can't simply claim that Korail should keep train services on where the ridership is extremly low. So in most cases local government solve this problem with the easy solution; giving subsidies on bus companies to serve remote areas where train services are shut down.( and on the contrary it's not a rare case that train services are terminated by the growing bus services and car ownerships.)


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KOREA HIGH-SPEED RAIL PLANS*










*Gyeongbu HSR (Dedicated Track)*


Route : Gwangmyeong <--> Busan
Total Budget : 18조4358억원 (about 16 billion dollars)
Track Length : 417.3 km (Phase 1 : 293.1km , Phase 2 : 124.2 km)
Phase 1 (~2004) : Gwangmyeong <--> Dong-daegu
Phase 2 (~2010) : Dong-daegu <--> Busan

*Honam HSR (Dedicated Track)*

Route : Osong <--> Mokpo
Total Budget : 11조2720억원 ( about 10 billion dollars)
Track Length : 230.9 km (Phase 1 : 182.3 km, Phase 2 : 48.6 km)

Phase 1 (~2014) : Osong <--> Gwangju-Songjeong
Phase 2 (~2017) : Gwangju-Songjeong <--> Mokpo

*Suseo HSR (Dedicated Track)*

Route : Suseo <--> Connected to Gyeongbu HSR at Pyeongtaek
Total Budget : 3조7천2백31억원 ( about 3.2 billion dollars )
Construction Period : 2011~2014
Track Length : 61.08 km
Suseo HSR via Gyeongbu HSR is to tackle a bottleneck on the Seoul-Siheung section. The already over-burdened section, which are shared with all kind of trains from various lines, is expected to be worsened when Honam HSR 1st phase opens on 2014. In result government decided to build Suseo HSR, in time for Honam HSR 1st phase openning, to relieve the Seoul-Siheung conjestion. Suseo HSR, mostly built underground, will also cut KTX journey time through a dedicated high-speed underground track.

*KTX service to Jinju (Conventional Track)*

This is the extension of KTX service to Masan, Changwon, and Jinju via Gyeongjeon Line. For this, Gyeongjeon Line between Masan and Jinju are now being upgraded to double electrified track. According to Korail, KTX to Masan, Changwon will begin on 2011, and KTX to Jinju on 2012.

*KTX service to Yeosu (Conventional Track)*

This is the extension of KTX service to Yeosu via Iksan, using conventional track on Jeolla Line. Jeolla Line(Iksan to Yeosu), single non-electified track (up to 120 km/h), is now being upgraded to double electrified track (up to 180km/h). KTX service will begin on 2011 April, one year before 2012 YEOSU EXPO, and will cut Seoul-Yeosu travel time to three hours 13 minutes from five hours 13 minitues. Furthermore rail passengers would be able to get to Yeosu in two hours and 25 minutes when Honam HSR opens on 2014.

*KTX service to Pohang (Conventional Track)*

This project is to give a direct link to Pohang, with a junction at Gyeongbu HSR between Dong-Daegu and Shin-Gyeonju. Construction of the 7.5 km direct track diverging from Gyeongbu HSR would begin this year, but KTX service would not be available until Donghae Nambu Line between Ulsan and Pohang, scheduled to be completed by 2014, is finished and connected to the 7.5 km direct track. The current five hours travel time from Seoul to Pohang will be cut to one hours 50 minutes when the construction is done.


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## goldbough (Jun 19, 2007)

Those HSR lines will move people a lot faster during the holidays. I remember on holidays when the train was so full the aisles were packed from people heading home.

There must be huge demand for them to build a dedicated line to Suseo instead of making people take the subway from Gwangmyeong or Seoul.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*The last NDC train was retired.*

The last NDC(New Diesel Car) trains were retired last week, as it reached the persisting period of 20 years. First NDC trains were debuted in 1985 and total 35 trainset were produced. Korail is considering to preserve a train as historical sources.


















source


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## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

^^ Why does Korail withdraw trains after only twenty years?


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## GreenPeas (Aug 19, 2006)

Wow north east asian countries is rail crazy!


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Gag Halfrunt said:


> ^^ Why does Korail withdraw trains after only twenty years?


By Korean Railway Safety Law, every train has their own lifetime(or endurance term), so you can't use the train past its designed lifetime, even though you can extend the period by up to five years after safety inspection.

*Train Lifetime*

High speed train : 30 years
Diesel Locomotive : 25 years
Diesel Multiple Unit : 20 years
Electric Locomotive : 30 years
Electric Multiple Unit : 25 years
_The lifetime of electric multiple unit train in urban transit is decided, regardless of this regulation, by production specification submitted by train manufacturer, according to Urban Transit Safety Law. By this law, operators of urban transit can also extend the period by up to fifteen years after safety inspections._
Passenger Car : 25 years
Freight Car : 30 years ( feright car carrying chemicals, 25 years )


Above train is Diesel Multiple Unit type, so the lifetime is 20 years.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Korail decided to name KTX-II as KTX-산천 (KTX-Sancheon)*

Korail announced yesterday that they named KTX-II KTX-산천. 산천(sancheon, 山川 in hanja) means mountains and streams literally but also means nature generally. It seems that it's also partly derived from 산천어(cherry salmon), which is said to be a motive in KTX-II design.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II*





























_First Class_










_Second Class_










_Business Class_










_Snack Car_









source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

track view clips


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

KTX from Seoul to Busan


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-II (KTX-Sancheon) began commercial operation today*





































source


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## Alexriga (Nov 25, 2007)

Very nice, there is some possibility I could take this train this summer if I'm lucky


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## Aenelia (Jun 13, 2009)

Nice but too expensive for me ^^


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## goldbough (Jun 19, 2007)

ruready1000 said:


> *KTX-II (KTX-Sancheon) began commercial operation today*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This picture is awesome.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-Sancheon
*



























source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

double post


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Alexriga said:


> Very nice, there is some possibility I could take this train this summer if I'm lucky


I hope you enjoy the trip if you visit. If you plan to travel by rail, I recommend Korea Rail Pass.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-Sancheon (KTX-II)*




























source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

_KTX-Sancheon driver's cabin_



_



KTX-Sancheon on high speed track_






_KTX-Sancheon arrives at Seoul_


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## mccol (Sep 11, 2009)

Thank you very much for your uploaded video Mr. ruready. 

The last video , I can hear the chat between the reporter and the driver 
and the driver told the KTX II is much more convinient to operate than KTX I. 

Always very much appreciated to your videos. 
Thank you.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

mccol said:


> Thank you very much for your uploaded video Mr. ruready.
> 
> The last video , I can hear the chat between the reporter and the driver
> and the driver told the KTX II is much more convinient to operate than KTX I.
> ...


Thank you for your comment. But I want to make it clear that the video clips above and most of video clips in this thread are not mine. (Embedded youtube links, as you may know, give a direct link to its original posts when you click the screen, so I usually didn't cite its sources.)


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-Sancheon*
































































source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Mugunghwa Class Train*










*Saemaul Class Train*


















source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX*



















*KTX-Sancheon (KTX-II)*










*Saemaul*



















*Mugunghwa*










*
Electric Locomotive*










source


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## Aenelia (Jun 13, 2009)

KTX-II looks sooo much better then KTX (TGV). Even the current design of the TGV sucks actually in comparaison...


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## foxmulder (Dec 1, 2007)

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing..


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Mugunghwa Class Train on Nakdong Riverside*




















*Saemaul Class Train on Nakdong Riverside*










source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Saemaul Class Train(Ladybird Train) on Nakdong Riverside*











*KTX Train on Nakdong Riverside*











*KTX-Sancheon(KTX-II) Train on Nakdong Riverside*









source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX on high speed track *










*KTX-Sancheon(KTX-II) on high speed track*










source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains on Gyeonghwa Station*

Gyeonghwa Station is, since 2006, a simple station without staffs, and no trains stop at this station. But during Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, some extra trains stop at this station for the convenience of tourists.



























source









source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains on Gyeonghwa Station*




























source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains on Gyeonghwa Station*



















source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Trains on Bukcheon Station*





































source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

KTX-Sancheon on Han River





Commuter Train





RDC(mugunghwa class) Train





Mugunghwa Class Train


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Convention Center on the northern area of Seoul Station approved by MKE*

Construction of convention center on the northern area of Seoul Station, one of Development plan for the northern area of Seoul Station, was approved by MKE(Minstry of Knowledge Economy), according to Korail. source(korean)




> *Development masterplan for the northern area of Seoul Station*
> 
> Samoo Architects' plans for the Northern area of Seoul Station had to develop around a characterful yet isolated topography to create a new public realm, fit for the 21st century. The project was to create a major transfer-point for public transportations including the Airport Railway Station, which will be completed next year, and to develop a synergy with parks located around the site.
> 
> ...


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## TheKorean (Apr 11, 2010)

ruready1000 said:


> *KTX-Sancheon*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is that the railyard? 

I wish I could ride KTX.


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## foxmulder (Dec 1, 2007)

Convention center looks nice on those renderings.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

TheKorean said:


> Is that the railyard?



Yes it's railyard.


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## TheKorean (Apr 11, 2010)

Its been a long while since I was in Korea. Can anyone tell me why they retired the commuter train? I liked tonggeun train. Low ridership? Why did they replace them with subway on Gyeongui line?


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

TheKorean said:


> Its been a long while since I was in Korea. Can anyone tell me why they retired the commuter train? I liked tonggeun train. Low ridership? Why did they replace them with subway on Gyeongui line?


There is only one line where commuter train(tonggeun) is survived : Gyeongwon line. Most of commuter trains were retired, partly because of low ridership and partly because of being incorporated into subway system.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Gyeongbu HSR Phase 2 Section Began Test Operation*










Gyeongbu HSR Phase 2, a 124.2 km-long track between Daegu and Busan, completed its construction and launched test operation. Phase 2 is scheduled to open on September this year and trial operation will be continued till October this year.

Gyeong HSR Phase 2

- constructing a high speed track between Daegu and Busan (~2010)
- constructing a 20km-long Geumjeong tunnel below Busan downtown to secure a direct connetion to Busan station (~2010)
- total length : 124.2 km


- constructing a dedicated track for HSR in Daejeon and Daegu downtown (~2014)
- daejeon section : 19.2 km-long aboveground track
- daegu section : 27.1 km-long aboveground track

With the completion of Daegu and Busan section, the travel time between Seoul and Busan will be reduced by 27 minutes from current 2 hours 45 minutes to 2 hours 18 minutes.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX Photos*


















































source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*HSR-350X Photos*

 HSR-350X from Wikipedia



















source


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX-Sancheon(KTX-II) Photos*


















































source


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## Aenelia (Jun 13, 2009)

I just can't get enough of the KTX II


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## rheintram (Mar 5, 2008)

Why is the whole line built on a viaduct?


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## HyperMiler (Apr 18, 2010)

rheintram said:


> Why is the whole line built on a viaduct?


Most of terrain is mountainous, so tracks consist of viaducts and tunnels to obtain level and straight path needed for a 350 km/hr service speed.


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## G5man (Jul 28, 2008)

Aenelia said:


> I just can't get enough of the KTX II


Neither can I, I can't wait to see South Korea's new HSL in operation soon.


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## TheKorean (Apr 11, 2010)

Does anyone have pictures of Korail's diesel/electric locomotive or does Korail have none of those?


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Honam High Speed Railway to speed up its design speed*


It is reported that government is considering to increase the design speed of Honam High Speed Railway from the current 350 km/h to 400 km/h. 

Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out that government were developing 400 km/h Next Generation High Speed Train(so called HEMU-400X) while constructing 350 km/h design speed rail track, so it might cause there would be no available tracks to test or operate HEMU-400X even if it's successfully developed.

In accordiance with this directions, MLTM(Ministry Of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs) will order a study on increasing the design speed soon and reflect the result in next year's budget. 

Korea Rail Network Authority said it would be possible to increase the current 350 km/h design speed to 400 km/h in some straight section of Honam High Speed Railway(around 118km) without route changing if reinforcement works would be done, but another160 billion won would be required.




> (무안=연합뉴스) 여운창 기자 = 호남고속철도에 시속 400km 수준의 차세대 고속철도 차량이 운행될 것으로 보인다.
> 
> 24일 전남도와 국토해양부 등에 따르면 오는 2017년 완공될 예정인 호남고속철도에 차세대 고속철도 차량을 운행하는 방안을 추진 중이다.
> 
> ...


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

TheKorean said:


> Does anyone have pictures of Korail's diesel/electric locomotive or does Korail have none of those?


In the previous pages there were photos of diesl/electric locomotives.


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## HyperMiler (Apr 18, 2010)

ruready1000 said:


> *Honam High Speed Railway to speed up its design speed*
> 
> 
> It is reported that government is considering to increase the design speed of Honam High Speed Railway from the current 350 km/h to 400 km/h.


I wonder how they are going to do this, since the second line's tracks are supposed to be a cost optimized design, with relaxed design rules and lightened rolling stocks to achieve same revenue service speed at lower cost.

Redesigning a section to demonstrate 400 km/hr revenue service operation is going to expensive.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

HyperMiler said:


> I wonder how they are going to do this, since the second line's tracks are supposed to be a cost optimized design, with relaxed design rules and lightened rolling stocks to achieve same revenue service speed at lower cost.
> 
> Redesigning a section to demonstrate 400 km/hr revenue service operation is going to expensive.


According to the article, KR(Korea Rail Network Authority) assumes the cost of redesigning through reinforcement works is 160 billion won (approximately 133 million dollar). The point of the direction by Board of Audit and Inspection is " You should construct 400 km/h track while you are constructing high speed rail track so as to test 400 km/h high speed train and to operate, if possible, the train later. "


----------



## HyperMiler (Apr 18, 2010)

ruready1000 said:


> According to the article, KR(Korea Rail Network Authority) assumes the cost of redesigning through reinforcement works is 160 billion won (approximately 133 million dollar).


It takes more than simple reinforcements to enable 400 km/h service.

We are talking about a track redesign, with an increased minimum curve radius and an increased gap between tracks over the current 350 km/h track design.

Edit : Nevermind, there is supposed to be a 120 km stretch of the line that is essentially straight and it would cost only $110 million to bring up the service speed to 400 km/h on that segment.

Of course 400 km/h would last for only a few minutes, but that would be enough for a 400 km/h demonstration of HEMU-400X to prospective foreign clients.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX Railroad to Expand Further by 2020*



> People in more cities including Incheon, Pohang and Jeonju across South Korea will be served with the nation’s high-speed railway network run by KTX by 2020.
> 
> This is part of the nation’s Phase II high-speed railway construction project, aiming to travel between any two places for up to 95% of the nation within just two hours.
> 
> ...



"Under the plan, the ongoing extension work that will link Daegu and Busan will be completed in November of this year and the railway service to link Daejeon and Daegu will be available in 2014."

This article has wrong information. Daejeon and Daegu are already linked by high speed track. This project is to construct exclusive tracks for HSR trains within Daejeon and Daegu downtown areas where tracks are currently being shared with conventional trains.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Seoul stations morphing into malls*



> Even on a weekday afternoon, a stream of shoppers strolls through a modern glass railway station building in Cheongyangni, northeastern Seoul, which doubles as a local shopping hub.
> 
> Once notorious as a hangout for those living rough on the streets, the spruced-up station plaza now bustles with customers and travelers. It is hard to imagine that a worn-out, squalid station building used to stand there.
> 
> ...


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Samsung C&T Abandons Right to Urban Development Project*


> Samsung C&T gave up its right to South Korea’s multi-billion dollar urban project to develop an area by the Han River into an international business hub.
> 
> The constructor and trader said on August 31 it decided to return its business right to the Yongsan international business zone development project by accepting the demand from KORAIL and Lotte Tours, the two largest shareholders of the project run by a consortium called Dreamhub. Samsung C&T had participated in Asset Management Company for Dreamhub, where it owned a 45.1% stake worth 1.35 billion won ($1.12 million) when transferred. AMC was capitalized at three billion won and KORAIL holds a 29.9% and Lotte a 25% stake.
> 
> ...



source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KORAIL sees new hope after Samsung’s exit*



> Railroad firm to start wooing new investors but outlook not bright due to murky real estate market
> 
> State-run railroad operator KORAIL is fervently hoping for the embattled Yongsan development project to take off in earnest now that it has resumed control.
> 
> ...


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX, KTX-Sancheon, HEMU-400X* | Video Clip from TV Program


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*South Korea To Begin Full-fledged Bullet Train Service Between Seoul, Busan*



> SEOUL, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- South Korea will begin its full-fledged bullet train operations between its two largest cities starting in November. Yonhap news agency reported.
> 
> The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said once the new Korea Train Express (KTX) railway line is open, it will take 2 hours and 18 minutes for people to move from Seoul to Busan, the country's biggest seaport, a reduction of 22 minutes from the present travel time.
> 
> ...



*Time Schedule of KTX Gyeongbu Line on Major Cities ( from November )*

```
Train							
No.	Seoul		Daejeon		Dongdaegu	Busan
101	05:30		06:30		07:21		08:09
201	05:45		06:42		07:31		08:41
103	06:00		07:02		07:50		08:33
105	06:30		07:27		08:18		09:02
351	06:40		07:45		08:31		
107	07:00		07:57		08:48		09:33
109	07:10		08:15		09:03		09:47
111	07:30		08:28		09:16		10:01
301	07:40		08:37		09:29		10:39
221			08:47		09:35		10:13
113	08:00		09:00		09:48		10:33
271	08:10		09:07		09:53		
601	08:20		09:59		10:52		11:37
115	08:30		09:27		10:18		11:03
353	08:40		09:38		10:24		
117	08:50		09:47		10:35		11:13
119	09:00		09:52		10:40		11:28
273	09:10		10:12		10:59		
121	09:30		10:22		11:10		11:48
303	09:40		10:42		11:30		12:40
203	09:55		10:47		11:35		12:19
123	10:00		11:02		11:50		12:34
251	10:10		11:08		11:59		13:09
603			11:55		12:43		13:28
125	10:30		11:28		12:16		12:59
355	10:40		11:37		12:27		
205	10:50		11:48		12:36		13:14
127	11:00		12:02		12:50		13:34
129	12:00		12:58		13:50		14:35
223			13:11		13:59		14:44
131	12:30		13:27		14:15		14:59
305	12:40		13:36		14:29		15:39
207	12:55		13:47		14:35		15:20
133	13:00		13:57		14:45		15:30
275	13:10		14:08		14:58		
225			14:16		15:05		15:50
135	13:30		14:28		15:16		16:00
357	13:40		14:42		15:29		
209	13:55		14:47		15:35		16:19
137	14:00		14:56		15:48		16:33
253	14:10		15:12		16:00		17:10
139	14:30		15:28		16:16		16:59
307	14:40		15:37		16:26		17:36
211	14:55		15:47		16:36		17:20
141	15:00		16:02		16:50		17:34
277	15:10		16:07		16:57		
143	15:30		16:28		17:16		18:00
309	15:40		16:37		17:29		18:39
213	15:55		16:53		17:41		18:19
145	16:00		17:02		17:50		18:35
279	16:10		17:09		17:56		
147	16:30		17:27		18:18		19:02
359	16:40		17:37		18:24		
149	17:00		18:02		18:54		19:39
605			18:49		19:37		20:22
311	17:20		18:22		19:10		20:19
151	17:30		18:32		19:20		20:04
215	17:50		18:42		19:30		20:15
153	18:00		18:57		19:51		20:36
255	18:10		19:08		19:59		21:09
227			19:22		20:11		20:56
155	18:30		19:28		20:17		21:03
313	18:40		19:37		20:25		21:35
157	18:50		19:52		20:40		21:24
159	19:00		19:57		20:50		21:28
607	19:03		20:39		21:27		22:12
361	19:10		20:12		20:58		
161	19:30		20:27		21:15		22:04
217	19:50		20:47		21:35		22:19
163	20:00		20:58		21:51		22:36
315	20:20		21:17		22:05		23:15
165	20:30		21:22		22:10		22:48
363	20:50		21:47		22:38		
167	21:00		22:05		22:53		23:40
169	21:30		22:32		23:20		00:05
317	21:50		22:48		23:37		00:47
171	22:00		23:02		23:54		00:37
331	22:40		23:45				
173	23:00		23:57		00:45		01:30
333	23:30		00:35				

source : www.korail.com
```


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Related News Clips*


----------



## Luli Pop (Jun 14, 2010)

wow!
I've seen in the first video that it's really a very very long train!

how long is it exactly?


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

Luli Pop said:


> wow!
> I've seen in the first video that it's really a very very long train!
> 
> how long is it exactly?


18 Carriages I believe. Annoyingly only 2 have unreserved seating.


----------



## Gadiri (Oct 30, 2009)

ruready1000 said:


>


What services can be payed on board with telephone and hostess PDA (tickets, food ...) ?


----------



## HyperMiler (Apr 18, 2010)

Gadiri said:


> What services can be payed on board with telephone and hostess PDA (tickets, food ...) ?


I believe the cellphone doubles as a credit card with its RFID over there. You can pay for a bus ride, a cab ride, a vending machine purchase, etc.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Luli Pop said:


> wow!
> I've seen in the first video that it's really a very very long train!
> 
> how long is it exactly?


KTX Trainset = 2L2M16C = 388m
(L=22,517 mm M=21,845 mm C=18,700 mm)



Gadiri said:


> What services can be payed on board with telephone and hostess PDA (tickets, food ...) ?


PDA has 'Seating Information' and 'Ticket Sale' function. Crews, using PDA, check free riders and sell ticket to passengers on board when passengers ask.

Passengers can purchase ticket from :

- ticket booth
- ticket vending machine
- internet
- mobile phone : if you install mobile phone program on your phone(3G), you can purchase ticket by mobile phone. In this case your ticket is saved on your phone. you can simply check schedule or fare via mobile korail site 'm.korail.com' if your phone has web-browsing fuction, but can't purchase ticket.) And you can use vending machine on KTX if your phone or credit card has transportation card function.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*KTX Trial On 2nd Phase Section*


*SinGyeongJu Station*






































*Ulsan Station*




















source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*SinGyeongJu Station* | It will open on November. 1.







































*Ulsan Station* | It will open on November. 1.






































source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*CDC(Commuter Diesel Car) Train On Gyeongwon Line*









_CDC(Commuter Diesel Car) Cabin Room_









_Arriving at Jeongok Station_




































_Arriving at Yeoncheon Station_









_Water Tower for Steam Locomotive in Yeoncheon Station(Registered Cultural Properties)_









CDC Train Cabin Room

source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Gyeongchun Line Pictures Taken From Cabin Room*









_The train for Cheongpyeong is ready for departure on Cheongnyangni station_









_Waiting for signal_









_The train is entering Seongbuk station_









_The train is running on old track(This track will be no use when new track is ready)_









_Newly-built track_









_Old and newly-built track_









_The train is running on newly-built track_









_Pyeongnae-Hopyeong station(not yet opened)_


















_The train is waiting on Daeseongni station to let the opposite train pass_









_Cheongpyeong station_

source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Yongsan Station* | 용산역 | in Seoul
































































source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Several Random Trains*









































































source


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

ruready1000 said:


> _Pyeongnae-Hopyeong station(not yet opened)_
> source


Does anyone have any idea when this station becomes part of the metro? They keep delaying it and as you can tell by my location, I would find it very useful


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Stainless said:


> Does anyone have any idea when this station becomes part of the metro? They keep delaying it and as you can tell by my location, I would find it very useful


According to this article(korean), Gyeongchun Line(Metro) will start its operation on December. 21, so your station will be ready soon finally.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Haerang* | Rail Cruise



> Haerang is a train that’s part hotel, part observatory, part entertainment facility, and 100% fun. On the outside, the train is a striking blue with a gold phoenix emblem; on the inside, it’s full of clean and modern accommodations and conveniences, ensuring visitors a safe and pleasant travel experience.
> 
> The luxury train takes passengers to major tourist destinations in Korea's southwest, southeast, and eastern regions, including Gokseong, Suncheon, Tongyeong, Gyeongju, and Jeongdongjin as part of a one-night, two-day or two-night, three-day program. Train fare is inclusive of all services and travel fees (not including your souvenirs!). Travelers move from one destination to another by train or by bus and visit famous local restaurants to feast on regional specialties like hanjeongsik, raw fish, and hanu beef. Deluxe lunchboxes are provided when the travel schedule does not allow time for a more elaborate meal (only once or twice during the trip).
> 
> ...


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Haerang*


































































source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Gyeongbu HSR Aerial View*


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Small or Simple Stations in Korea*



























Nampyeong Station | _Gyeongjeon Line_ | Manned, Registered Cultural Properties




























Myeongbong Station | _Gyeongjeon Line_ | Unmanned




























Bukcheon Station | _Gyeongjeon Line_ | Manned

source


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Small or Simple Stations in Korea*



























Bulguksa Station | _Donghae-Nambu Line_ | Unmanned




























Sabang Station | _Donghae-Nambu Line_ | Unmanned

source


----------



## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

Are the Bulguksa Station buildings from the Japanese colonial era? And do you know why Nampyeong Station is a registered cultural property?


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Gag Halfrunt said:


> Are the Bulguksa Station buildings from the Japanese colonial era? And do you know why Nampyeong Station is a registered cultural property?


According to Korail website, Bulguksa station was opened in November, 1918. And the current station was built in December, 1936.


*Registered Cultural Heritage*


> The Registered Cultural Heritage refers to architectural structures or monumental facilities of early modern or modern times, that have significant values and thus need to be preserved.
> 
> Source : Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea


*Nampyeong Staton*


> Classification : Registered Culture No. 299
> Quantity : 90.6㎡
> Designated Date : 2006.12.04
> Owner : Korail and Ministry of Construction & Transportation(Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs)
> ...


----------



## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

^^ Thanks.


----------



## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

ruready thank you for the very nice pics of the tidy rural stations, these have more character than any modern ones that honestly could be located any where in the world. If you find any stations that still use semaphore signals, please post them.



> Are the Bulguksa Station buildings from the Japanese colonial era?


Though these stations may have seen rebuilding over their lives, I can detect the subtle Japanese design origins in some small details. For example the disused freight siding and platform at Bulguksa Sta., the wooden station signs on the platforms, yellow/black striping of crossing sleepers, and coloring of switchstand target indicators. Taiwan railways has even stronger elements left over as a result of its Japanese colonial origins (most notably, 1067mm gauge).


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

k.k.jetcar said:


> ruready thank you for the very nice pics of the tidy rural stations, these have more character than any modern ones that honestly could be located any where in the world. If you find any stations that still use semaphore signals, please post them.


According to unofficial information, there are only two stations, Samhwa and Jupyeong station.



























Samhwa Station

source 










semaphore signal on road. -_-



k.k.jetcar said:


> Though these stations may have seen rebuilding over their lives, I can detect the subtle Japanese design origins in some small details. For example the disused freight siding and platform at Bulguksa Sta., the wooden station signs on the platforms, yellow/black striping of crossing sleepers, and coloring of switchstand target indicators. Taiwan railways has even stronger elements left over as a result of its Japanese colonial origins (most notably, 1067mm gauge).


Many small stations, as you said, were built in Japanese colonial period and have not been rebuilt due to the declining passenger numbers so that there are many resemblance between them. 








































































source 

This station is old Naju station not in use. It's a rare case that old station is well-preserved.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Janghang Line | tv clips*

















*Old Gokseong Station | tv clip*


----------



## Sopomon (Oct 2, 2010)

Wow, those pictures are wonderful! Korea look really pretty, actually. I had no idea what to expect of the country


----------



## ddes (Oct 17, 2006)

Sopomon said:


> Wow, those pictures are wonderful! Korea look really pretty, actually. I had no idea what to expect of the country


Agreed. I need to take a second look at Korea; I came here twice during the winter and I thought it was the dullest and ugliest thing I've ever seen.


----------



## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

ddes said:


> Agreed. I need to take a second look at Korea; I came here twice during the winter and I thought it was the dullest and ugliest thing I've ever seen.


You should come in the warmer months when everything is much greener. Northeast Asia can be quite drab and gray in winter.

*Ruready, thank you for the addt'l pics, including the preserved station!


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Speeding up Incheon Airport Railroad*

According to KR(Kora Rail Network Authority), several measures to vitalize Incheon Airport Railroad passed through the pre-evaluation(preliminary feasibility study).


Improving track, signal, electric equipment to enable 120km/h travel speed.
Replacing the current 110 km/h trains with new 180km/h trains.
Diversifying destinations 
- Current : Seoul station
- Adding : Yongsan station
Securing direct connection
- KTX and Incheon Airport Railroad via Gyeongui Line(extending KTX service to Incheon Airport and North Incheon)
- Line 9 and Incheon Airport Railroad
Incorporating the fare of some section into Seoul Metropolitan Integrated Fare System










Anway Incheon Airport Railroad phase 2 was completed and will begin operation on December, 29.










_KTX Sancheon running on Maseok Bridge(Incheon Airport Railroad)_









_KTX Sancheon test run on Incheon Airport Railroad_


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Tv Drama Clips Set In Small Station*


----------



## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

^^ Bad continuity in the first clip. The train crossing the bridge has an electric locomotive, but the driver's point of view shots were filmed on an unelectrified line.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Gag Halfrunt said:


> ^^ Bad continuity in the first clip. The train crossing the bridge has an electric locomotive, but the driver's point of view shots were filmed on an unelectrified line.


You are right. As you can see in the clips, the station itself has no catenary. :lol:

Anyway the actual station named as Migang station in this drama is Hwabon station on Jungang Line. See this blog.


----------



## Jaroslaw (Mar 9, 2004)

ruready1000 said:


> *Speeding up Incheon Airport Railroad*
> 
> According to KR(Kora Rail Network Authority), several measures to vitalize Incheon Airport Railroad passed through the pre-evaluation(preliminary feasibility study).
> 
> ...


Seriously, it's no fun when even on the express trains you are being passed by cars and buses on the adjoining highway... 

Another item I'd add to the list: move the station into the terminal at Incheon!


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Jaroslaw said:


> Seriously, it's no fun when even on the express trains you are being passed by cars and buses on the adjoining highway...
> 
> Another item I'd add to the list: move the station into the terminal at Incheon!


I've never used Incheon Airport Railroad, but I can understand your feeling. I think moving the station into the terminal is impossible or will be very expensive(if possible). Installing moving walk on the passage, considering that the current station is not far from the terminal, will be good option.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

_TV Program about Mokpo station and 2km-long Samhakdo Line in Mokpo._

Samhakdo Line was constructed to transport cargo(mostly coal) from and to Mokpohang station(or Mokpo Port statio). This line is practically the only remaining railway in korea, which runs closely on street level. Due to the low demand of coal, rail services have been constantly decreased and it will stop operation from next year.


----------



## Jaroslaw (Mar 9, 2004)

ruready1000 said:


> I've never used Incheon Airport Railroad, but I can understand your feeling. I think moving the station into the terminal is impossible or will be very expensive(if possible). Installing moving walk on the passage, considering that the current station is not far from the terminal, will be good option.


They already have moving walkways. Anyway, nothing is impossible in Korea. And they could sell the current station to pay for the new one--it would make for a nice performance venue.


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

pwormald said:


> Photos ready from our 10 day trip around on KORAIL, very enjoyable, captions not ready yet I'm afraid
> http://locopage.smugmug.com/Other/2011-10-South-Korea-New/


So many great train pictures. I think it will be better if you make a caption about it.



pwormald said:


> Almost all stations have a new version of the latest rail map dated 2010.12.31, we tried to get a copy to take away but failed
> http://locopage.smugmug.com/Other/2011-10-South-Korea-New/20413307_35Ksxr#1615477884_fDH4fW7-O-LB
> 
> Can anyone supply a really big high res origonal copy of this please? It's never possible to get good copy by taking photo of it sadly
> ...


Korail site provides the latest rail map.(image size : 2362x3384)
http://info.korail.com/2007/download/sta/korailmap_101230.jpg


----------



## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> So many great train pictures. I think it will be better if you make a caption about it.
> 
> Korail site provides the latest rail map.(image size : 2362x3384)
> http://info.korail.com/2007/download/sta/korailmap_101230.jpg


Captions will soon be ready  Thank you for map link, just what I was looking for 

What else do Korail offer for download please?


----------



## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> Korail site provides the latest rail map.(image size : 2362x3384)
> http://info.korail.com/2007/download/sta/korailmap_101230.jpg


Actually its not quite the version I'm looking for as the one we try to find is all straight lines and very interesting as it has the distances around all the junction curves (look carfully on this link and you'll see difference marked in red) http://locopage.smugmug.com/Other/2011-10-South-Korea-New/20413307_35Ksxr#1615477884_fDH4fW7-O-LB
Is this also available for download please? (This is the version at each station on display). Thanks


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

pwormald said:


> Actually its not quite the version I'm looking for as the one we try to find is all straight lines and very interesting as it has the distances around all the junction curves (look carfully on this link and you'll see difference marked in red) http://locopage.smugmug.com/Other/2011-10-South-Korea-New/20413307_35Ksxr#1615477884_fDH4fW7-O-LB
> Is this also available for download please? (This is the version at each station on display). Thanks


I can see what you are trying to find.

http://cfile29.uf.tistory.com/image/1253F6364EF1DC8229DB76
2010.11.01 Version (Scan Version)
http://korearail.tistory.com/attachment/[email protected]
2010.11.01 Version (PDF Version)


http://cfile25.uf.tistory.com/image/17501A3C4EF1DE2F19426D
2010.12.31 Version (Source. Someone took a picture on the station, just like you.  I can't find scan or pdf version of it.)


----------



## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> I can see what you are trying to find.
> 
> http://cfile29.uf.tistory.com/image/1253F6364EF1DC8229DB76
> 2010.11.01 Version (Scan Version)
> ...


Many thanks, these are very good quality! If the latest version appears sometime please send a link to here. Thank you!


----------



## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

Thank you for the map links, really excellent.

*Industrial Railway Lines and Locomotives*

I have some questions - On the Jungang Line - can you please tell me the names of the stations after Jecheon km 149.3 and before Danyang km 166.7. There is a freight station (_128.278629625482, 37.07481116308958_) between Gomyeong and Dodam, where there is a private siding of more than a kilometre in length, leaving the north end of the yard heading north then east through a short tunnel into the premises of a cement factory. What is the name of the Korail freight station, and what is name of the cement works, please?

Thanks

-PGG-


----------



## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

-PGG- said:


> Thank you for the map links, really excellent.
> 
> *Industrial Railway Lines and Locomotives*
> 
> ...


It's Samgok station(삼곡역), and the factory is Hyundai Cement Danyang Factory(현대시멘트 단양공장).


----------



## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

*Industrial Railway Lines and Locomotives*



ruready1000 said:


> It's Samgok station(삼곡역), and the factory is Hyundai Cement Danyang Factory(현대시멘트 단양공장).


Thank you for the information. The amount of cement traffic on the Korean Railways is astounding!

Here is a photo taken at the next station down the line. A new diesel hydraulic shunting locomotive from Schöma was being tested and commissioned after delivery from Germany a few days earlier. The loads to be shifted by these shunters are generally much larger than is usually handled in Europe. Just look at the size of the rake of wagons being coupled up to the CFL500DCLR4!










Sungshin Cement Co, Danyang cement plant - Schöma CFL500DCLR4 B/n 5875 B/d _/04 - 1435 mm gauge. Locomotive undergoing commissioning trials at KNR Dodam yard. Hanil Cement factory in background - Sungshin factory is to the south end of the yard, behind photographer.

Can anybody add some more photos of Korean industrial locomotives in operation in this thread, or a new thread, please? It is a very interesting subject.

Greetings and thanks,

-PGG-


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

*Industrial Railway Lines and Locomotives*

I am looking to find out the location where this photograph has been taken. It has been photographed from a passing commuter train somewhere in the greater Seoul city area. The rather loose English translation from the Japanese caption comes out as: "swamp station virtue" or "Virtue marsh station" which now turns out to be Deokso (37.588191,127.206857 South Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Namyangju-si, Wabu-eup, Deokso-ri) 

KoreaSth - Industrial diesel & electric locomotives by -PGG-, on Flickr
_Asia Cement Manufacturing - Schöma CFL500DCLR3 B/n 5711 B/d _/02 - 1435 mm gauge. Shunts cement traffic at the Asia Cement Manfacturing Deokso cement terminal._

There have been six (6) of these three-axle 565kW diesel hydraulic shunting locomotives delivered to Korea in the last decade. Four (4) of these 66-tonne units have been delivered to the *Ssanyong Cement Company*: Schöma 5248,5249 in 1992 and 5452,5460 in 1996 and leased from the Miyoung leasing company. *Asia Cement Manfacturing* has the 5711 illustrated here. One other CFL500DCLR3, Schöma 5253, was delivered in 1992 to an unidentified customer which has leased the locomotive from Korea Industrial Leasing. It is likely that the other units are also leased, rather than being owned outright by the operator. Most of the units have been ordered from Europe through the dealer and engineering consultants: Holtrade.

These industrial locomotives would be working at either of two types of location. The main cement manufacturing works in the provinces where the cement wagons are loaded and originate from; or the destination cement terminal in the major urban centres where the cement wagons are unloaded.

Other photographs of Korean industrial railways and locomotives would be of great interest.

-PGG-


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

*Industrial Railway Lines and Locomotives*



ruready1000 said:


> *Trains on Hyundai-Rotem Factory Yard*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Your top photograph. *Hyundai-Rotem* #K002 looks to be a diesel hydraulic centre cab shunter. It is very similar to the industrial units produced earlier by Rotem partner *Daewoo*. Do we know any details about these industrial locomotive classes? Are there any others? Of what size, weight, power etc are these?

Thanks

-PGG-


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Kojects
http://kojects.com/2012/02/01/funding-approved-for-high-speed-rail-from-chuncheon-to-sokcho/
Article about HSR from Chuncheon to Sokcho


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## Aenelia (Jun 13, 2009)

Woonsocket54 said:


> Kojects
> http://kojects.com/2012/02/01/funding-approved-for-high-speed-rail-from-chuncheon-to-sokcho/
> Article about HSR from Chuncheon to Sokcho


Thanks for the URL, its going straight to my bookmarks


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

I found a very interesting website done by a Japanese railfan covering Korail as well as TRA. There is a good section detailing a run in 2004 by a switcher in the Uiwang area, on the Gyeongbu Line, complete with maps and pictures as we go along for a ride:

http://www.east-asia-railroad.com/starthp/subpage29.htm
Arriving at Uiwang, we join driver Ryu Gyun and switcher #2118. Today's job involves taking inoperable diesel #7402 to the repair depot, which involves some reversing moves and using a flyover over the main line.

http://www.east-asia-railroad.com/starthp/subpage30.htm
The job finished, #2118 returns to its home depot, Susaek, in Eunpyeong-gu, northwest Seoul. We see action along the Gyeonbu Line, crossing the Han River, through Seoul Station, and proceed on the Gyeongui Line to Susaek. There is a nice diagram of Korail signal indications (3 light type).

Index of website, much more interesting stuff:
http://homepage3.nifty.com/bong-seol-gang/MAPindex.htm


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*HEMU to debut later this month*

After the testing of high speed bogies late last year, I was wondering about the progress of the demo HEMU trainset. Here is the latest news:



> *Korea set to disclose next-generation train*
> 
> By Kim Tae-gyu
> 
> ...


http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2012/03/123_106224.html


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

^^Very exciting news!! I can't wait to see it in action.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*Nostalgia: Suin Line narrow gauge*

A segment from the Japanese TV program _Railway Story_, about the 762mm gauge Suin Line. Program likely from the early 1990's, at this time the line had service from Suwon to Songdo. *Begins at 3:58:





This line was closed in 1995. A diesel railcar is preserved at the National Railway Museum at Uiwang. It had a Cummins engine and a transmission from Niigata Engineering. It had a top speed of 105km/h (!).

*bonus- a TV commercial for Korean National Railways in 1984:






I think one promotional point is increased speed, as I thought I heard the word "kousoku" (高速), which may be the same as the Japanese meaning "high speed"...


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

k.k.jetcar said:


> A segment from the Japanese TV program _Railway Story_, about the 762mm gauge Suin Line. Program likely from the early 1990's, at this time the line had service from Suwon to Songdo.
> 
> This line was closed in 1995. A diesel railcar is preserved at the National Railway Museum at Uiwang. It had a Cummins engine and a transmission from Niigata Engineering. It had a top speed of 105km/h (!).


Thanks for the video. I think it's first time to see the train on Suin line is running on the track for this long. The sound of engine is funny, sounding like bus engine, but I can't believe that it's top speed is 105 km/h. The train looks quite unstable even at the low speed.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> Thanks for the video. I think it's first time to see the train on Suin line is running on the track for this long. The sound of engine is funny, sounding like bus engine, but I can't believe that it's top speed is 105 km/h. The train looks quite unstable even at the low speed.


Yes, that number seems very high, as old diesel railcars in Japan on the 1067mm gauge typically had a top speed only of 95km/h (and rarely reached that speed, I reckon). Perhaps it's the theoretical speed on a dead straight, flat track.

I like the sound of that engine, like a low rpm tractor engine or as you say an old bus engine, with no fancy turbocharger.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*Yeongdong Line switchback*

This is quite famous, it was even featured in the Japanese manga series "tetsuko no tabi" (No.42), so many railfans from Japan visit.

At Heungjeon, a coal train, as well as a light engine movement:





At Nahanjeong Station at the bottom of the switchback, a cement train and a passenger train (Mugungwha service?):




*I love the languid beat of Korean railway crossing bells

Cab view on Mugungwha train, descending from Heungjeon to Nahanjeong, and then onto the main line:





Apparently this switchback will be replaced by a (boring) tunnel this year. Ruready, do you know the exact date of the closure of this portion? If it's in the autumn, I may just visit this summer holiday...


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

k.k.jetcar said:


> Apparently this switchback will be replaced by a (boring) tunnel this year. Ruready, do you know the exact date of the closure of this portion? If it's in the autumn, I may just visit this summer holiday...


According to several news media ,the switchback section will be closed in June. (source)


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

^^
Oh, that's a pity, will just miss it by a month...bummer. Thanks for the info, ruready.


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Speed-up of Jeolla Line Completed*

Jeolla Line
- Iksan ~ Suncheon ~ Yeosu Expo
- Line Length : 180.4 km
- Track Gauge : 1, 435 mm



> KR (Korea Rail Network Authority) said yesterday that they completed the speed-up project of Jello line and started a test from 12th of March.
> 
> KR will test the track, with KTX and KTX-Sancheon, up to 230 km/h until April 25.
> 
> ...


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Iksan Station* | Honam Line / Jeolla Line

















*Jeonju Station* | Jeolla Line 







*Namwon Station* | Jeolla Line







*Guryegu Station* | Jeolla Line


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Gokseong Station* | Jeolla Line







*Seomjin-gang(river) Train Town* | Old Gokseong Station







*Yeosu Expo Station* | Jeolla Line

















*Trains on Jeolla Line*


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> So many great train pictures. I think it will be better if you make a caption about it.


Captions are now on new site with our visit photos
http://locopage.piwigo.com/index?/category/10-2011_11_south_korea_new_zealand/


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## everywhere (May 10, 2012)

*Double-decker KTX to ply Seoul-Daejon route*
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20)



> A double-decker train will be in operation as early as 2016. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs on Thursday said it commissioned the Korea Railroad Research Institute to look into the feasibility of a double-decker KTX in April. The actual feasibility study will begin next year.
> 
> The aim is to increase passenger capacity on Seoul-Daejeon route, which has long been saturated.


more: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/07/20/2012072001308.html


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## krnboy1009 (Aug 9, 2011)

I think Rotem made a design of the potential double decker train, theres a pic in this thread or the other South Korea HSR thread.


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

Does anyone have good contacts with KORAIL? A few of us are making another trip to travel all over the Korail network and we'd really like to try and have a look inside the depot at Jecheon. I'm big fan of the 8000 loco and would like some photos at the depot. Getting permission out there may not be so easy. I'd rather set it up in advance

Thanks


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

pwormald said:


> Does anyone have good contacts with KORAIL? A few of us are making another trip to travel all over the Korail network and we'd really like to try and have a look inside the depot at Jecheon. I'm big fan of the 8000 loco and would like some photos at the depot. Getting permission out there may not be so easy. I'd rather set it up in advance
> 
> Thanks


Vehicle Management Division of Korail Chungbuk Branch has a control over Jecheon Depot. I called the division and they said you would need to arrange in advance several things such as date and time, the number of visiting persons etc. I asked them if it's possible to commuicate in english and the answer was No. I think you have to find some people speaking korean.

- Vehicle Management Divison of Korail Chungbuk Branch (코레일 충남본부 차량처) : (TEL) 043-641-2251 (E-Mail) I will send you it as a private message
- Korail Chungbuk Branch (코레일 충남본부) : (TEL) 043-643-7200


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> Vehicle Management Division of Korail Chungbuk Branch has a control over Jecheon Branch. I called the division and they said you would need to arrange in advance several things such as date and time, the number of visiting persons etc. I asked them if it's possible to commuicate in english and the answer was No. I think you have to find some people speaking korean.
> 
> - Vehicle Management Divison of Korail Chungbuk Branch (코레일 충남본부 차량처) : (TEL) 043-641-2251 (E-Mail) I will send you it as a private message
> - Korail Chungbuk Branch (코레일 충남본부) : (TEL) 043-643-7200


Thanks VERY much for your assistance! I'll respond to your message


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

pwormald said:


> "...A few of us are making another trip to travel all over the Korail network and we'd really like to try and have a look inside the depot at Jecheon..."


When were you thinking about doing this Jecheon depot visit? I am travelling independently - any chance of linking up on the day for this visit? My details are in a PM seperately.

-PGG-


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

*New Deliveries - Korail 8500 series*

I have just returned from South Korea where I saw quite a few of the new 8500-series Co-Co electric locomotives currently being delivered from Hyundai-Rotem/Toshiba. 

Only a few are actually in revenue service, most of the deliveries are involved in driver training and homolgation on each the Korail operating divisions. I saw them as far apart as Gangneung in the north and Suncheon in the south.

At the Hyundai-Rotem factory in Changwon, #8536 was on the delivery connection to Korail 25/09/2010.

-PGG-


KoreaSth - Diesel & electric locomotives by -PGG-, on Flickr

_Korail #8521 - HyundaiRotem/Toshiba (E) B/n ____ B/d 8/12 - 1435 mm gauge. Undergoing driver training and homolgation on the Korail Jungang Line near Jecheon._


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

Do you have any photos that you can share please? Were any any of the new 8500 series seen on any passenger trains, if so where please. Thanks


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/-pgg-/8099115774/


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

__


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

The 8500-series are primarily freight locomotives to start to replace to early members of the 8000-series. At the moment they are being used on driver training with an empty stock four-car set to provide braking sequence experiences. I saw at least three different rakes being utilised - no passengers inside. Delivered in batches of three or four locos at a time and stored locally until homolgation. Plenty around Jecheon, although I doubt any regular pass workings, perhaps when you do your depot visit there might be a special involved?

They have these really ugly anti-climb buffers which spoil an otherwise quite elegant unit. Why they have added these, only the designer could love them...!

-PGG-


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

I read that they are fitted with a 24 pin plug which I think may later see a few passenger workings if this is power connection for train power?
Also read a few of the early 8000 locos may now be stored or being used for spare parts.
Did you see 8101 or 8102 in use at all? Thanks


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

Sorry, did not see any trace of the two pre-series Siemens locos. They seem to have moved from where you photographed them last year. I guess you will have to wait until the depot visit to glean why and where - I will need a report too, curious also.

As most Korean passenger trains with loco-hauled stock now have hotel-power supplied from the ubiquitous and noisy power car, I still doubt that the 8500's will see much regular passenger service. I would say the multi-pin plug/socket is more for loco mu that train power supply.

I have a proposal for possible industrial locomotive action if you are interested - my e-mail address is on your website.

-PGG-


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

-PGG- said:


> Sorry, did not see any trace of the two pre-series Siemens locos. They seem to have moved from where you photographed them last year. I guess you will have to wait until the depot visit to glean why and where - I will need a report too, curious also.-PGG-


8101 is still active, trains 1671 and 1674 from Yeongju - Gangneung is its regular duty, though I think its broken at moment. Between January and April this year is did those rains nearly every day. 8102 has not moved for months, its right beside the station at Jecheon, wheels very rusty but looks intact



-PGG- said:


> As most Korean passenger trains with loco-hauled stock now have hotel-power supplied from the ubiquitous and noisy power car, I still doubt that the 8500's will see much regular passenger service. I would say the multi-pin plug/socket is more for loco mu that train power supply.-PGG-


The chief we met said 8500 will do some passenger work, but only small amounts is the impression we got. The big multi pin plug is for power supply as I said. Loco MU is the small four black plugs higher up. See the photos I'm adding


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

Recently back from another KORAIL trip, so plenty of photos of the new 8500 class, around 50 locos were on KORAIL property when we were there, and deliveries are fast. I think there will be 87 locos in all. Sad days for the great 8000 locos, they are losing work fast now  All the visit photos on my photos site http://www.loco-photos.net and a few on here also.
These photos during an official visit to Jecheon depot  Lots of locos undergoing commissioning and driver training all over the country

























































and the rest at Yemi


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

^^_Fap_tastic! :lol: Thankyou 

I've a question about Busan-Ulsan-Pohang *Donghae Nambu Line*.

Yesterday I was looking at Daum Maps and I saw the line through Busan are doing works... and according to Wikipedia:



> Planning for the upgrading of the line started in 1990 already, with the primary aim to improve commuter traffic; construction started in June 2003. The section gets a new 72.1 km long alignment with several tunnels. Korea Rail Network Authority, Busan, and Ulsan city government is undertaking the upgrade. As of 2010, construction progress reached 32% of the total budget of 2,268.9 billion won. The completion of the upgrade is foreseen for 2015.
> 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. As part of the plan, the Busan-Ulsan section of the Donghae Nambu Line is to be further upgraded for 230 km/h.


No more news? no photos? no video news report? :lol:


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Sr.Horn said:


> ^^_Fap_tastic! :lol: Thankyou
> I've a question about Busan-Ulsan-Pohang *Donghae Nambu Line*.
> 
> Yesterday I was looking at Daum Maps and I saw the line through Busan are doing works... and according to Wikipedia:
> ...


Donghae Nambu line was originally planned as 'metropolitan railway' which imposed a share of the expenses on Busan and Ulsan local governments. In result this line had been delayed due to the expenses imposed on both local governments, so government decided last year to transform it into 'normal railway' that central government solely beared the cost. According to the government plan the construction will be completed by 2015.


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## zoqaeski (Dec 10, 2012)

Does anyone know where I might be able to find a description of the railway signalling used in South Korea? It looks heavily influenced by Japanese designs.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

zoqaeski said:


> Does anyone know where I might be able to find a description of the railway signalling used in South Korea? It looks heavily influenced by Japanese designs.


Likely none in English, I have trouble finding anything in Japanese, and that's usually a reliable source for some substance. I don't know much about the signals themselves, my personal observations saw similarities to Japanese practice, though the blue indication (=green?) surprised me (there is also green, like in Japan). As far as train control, positive train control was instituted in 1969, with the adoption of an ATS-S system based on the type used by Japan National Railways. In the 1980's the Gyeongbu Line had five lamp type signals installed with ATS, allowing high speed running. Later, the Gyeongbu and Honam Lines had ATP with Eurobalise system installed. KTX is of course ATC, using the TVM430 track to train transmission system.


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## Gadiri (Oct 30, 2009)

pwormald said:


>


The right loco looks like an old Asthom loco.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

> The right loco looks like an old Asthom loco.


Yes, that's because it is- the 90 out of 95 locomotives of this class (8000 class) were built by Alstom, the last 5 were built by Daewoo.


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## Silly_Walks (Aug 23, 2010)

Gadiri said:


> The right loco looks like an old Asthom loco.


Haha yes, it looks like the old NS 1600 series.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600/1800_(locomotieftype)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Class_1600


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

k.k.jetcar said:


> Yes, that's because it is- the 90 out of 95 locomotives of this class (8000 class) were built by Alstom, the last 5 were built by Daewoo.


Actually 94 locos, the last 4 built in Korea by Daewoo. Take a look here and there are many photos of 8000 locos. Sadly around the first 25 locos are now stored out of use as the new 8500 are arriving fast 
http://locopage.piwigo.com/index?/search/824

Also not the last four locally built locos had side grills and windows opposite (upper/lower) to the other 90 locos, this photo is perfect example of the difference
http://locopage.piwigo.com/picture?/1543/search/824


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## Kowiana (Jan 26, 2012)

Hey guys, I've just relaunched Kojects so we should have more frequent posts about rail in Korea coming up soon. The Donghae Nambu Line is definitely on the list. Like always there are a ton of projects coming up, so will keep you posted.


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

I saw this on Kojects page:

"KORAIL is holding a naming contest for the new train which will replace the Saemeul at the end of this year"

Can anyone give detailed info of these new trains, I guess they are electric? What about the Saemeul running over diesel and part electric and then diesel lines (example Seoul - Pohang)

I understand all the DHC train sets are now running with GM locos pulling carriages, we like this


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## Kowiana (Jan 26, 2012)

pwormald said:


> I saw this on Kojects page:
> 
> "KORAIL is holding a naming contest for the new train which will replace the Saemeul at the end of this year"
> 
> Can anyone give detailed info of these new trains, I guess they are electric? What about the Saemeul running over diesel and part electric and then diesel lines (example Seoul - Pohang)


I'm no expert in locomotives etc, but here are some really basic details about the new trains. 

The new trains will serve the same areas that Saemaul trains currently serve. Max speed will be 150km/h with 376 seats available. It appears they are electric. I'm guessing it may be very similar to the current Nuriro trains. Will look into the part elec/diesel thing and might post about it soon.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

There appears to have been some past speculation that a version of the Tilt Train Express (Hanvit 200) would be the replacement. The Hanvit 200 was detailed in an issue of _Railers_ magazine a couple of years ago. The Nuriro option seems more viable though, if tilt is not needed (tilt is maintenance intensive).


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

pwormald said:


> I saw this on Kojects page:
> 
> "KORAIL is holding a naming contest for the new train which will replace the Saemeul at the end of this year"
> 
> ...


The last PP-DHC Saemauel train was retired on Jan, 6, 2013. The new trains are EMU-type and have a similar spec to Noorio(TEC) trains.

The New EMU Trains :
- 150km/h (Maximum Speed)
- 6 Cars per One trainset ( 23 trainsets and 138 cars in total )

This is the draft design :































k.k.jetcar said:


> There appears to have been some past speculation that a version of the Tilt Train Express (Hanvit 200) would be the replacement. The Hanvit 200 was detailed in an issue of _Railers_ magazine a couple of years ago. The Nuriro option seems more viable though, if tilt is not needed (tilt is maintenance intensive).


There was news that Korail asked government subsidies to build tilt train because of the high cost of building tilt trains but the government rejected it. The government plan of straightening most of main lines is another obstacle to tilt trains.


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> The last PP-DHC Saemauel train was retired on Jan, 6, 2013. The new trains are EMU-type and have a similar spec to Noorio(TEC) trains.
> The New EMU Trains :
> - 150km/h (Maximum Speed)
> - 6 Cars per One trainset (23 trainsets and 138 cars in total)


Thanks for info  So maybe the "Saemauel" trains running on partly diesel lines to Pohang and Iksan will continue with old cars and diesel locos?


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

pwormald said:


> Thanks for info  So maybe the "Saemauel" trains running on partly diesel lines to Pohang and Iksan will continue with old cars and diesel locos?


Yes. Saemauel class trains are still in service. It's just that all of PP-DHC Saemauel trains are gone and another Saemauel trians pulled by diesel or electric locomotives will fill the position.

Korail has a plan to send all 'Saemauel' trains into retirement till 2015 and introduce EMU type trains. The non-electified lines would have different options, of course.


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> Yes. Saemauel class trains are still in service. It's just that all of PP-DHC Saemauel trains are gone and another Saemauel trians pulled by diesel or electric locomotives will fill the position


I think they just removed the "power cars" and pull the trains around with diesel locos using the same cars? The original loco hauled "Saemauel" had five figure numbers, and the PP_DHC have 3 numbers


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

150km/h seems awfully slow for the replacement for the Saemaeul trains. Weren't they the fastest trains in South Korea until the KTX? And don't they already have the ITX working the Gyeongchun line at up to 180km/h? It seems like they should aim for a stepping stone between that train and the KTX, not more trains underneath the 200km/h line.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

aquaticko said:


> 150km/h seems awfully slow for the replacement for the Saemaeul trains. Weren't they the fastest trains in South Korea until the KTX? And don't they already have the ITX working the Gyeongchun line at up to 180km/h? It seems like they should aim for a stepping stone between that train and the KTX, not more trains underneath the 200km/h line.


I think the speeds are a function of the existing line conditions, as well as line capacity. The Gyeongchun Line was built practically new, and is engineered for high speeds (elevated ROW, gentle curves), judging by the pics ruready has posted in the past here.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

So then, the listed maximum speed is not the maximum speed of the train, but the maximum speed allowed by the track? If that's the case, it seems like they ought to be preparing for the upgrade plan the government is implementing to increase speeds nationwide. Is it likely that the train itself would be able to go faster on, for example, the Gyeongbu KTX line (which I assume it will operate on if it's totally replacing the Saemaeul trains)?


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

Korail had a plan to introduce the so-called 'Vitzro(180km/h)'train to replace Saemauel trains several years ago, but the borad of audit and inspection tackled this plan for various reasons :

1. There're no upgrade plan to the lines in much demand such as Gyeongbu or Homan line. In these lines 150km/h trains would be sufficient.

2. 180km/h trains would not be sufficient for the lines which are planned to be upgraded to 180km/h ~ 230km/h, and it would be more efficient to introduce trains along the plan.

Anyway in spite of the board's opposition, MLTM(Minstry of Land, Transportation and Martime Affairs) seems to introduce 200~230km/h EMU trains, according to this news. According to this news, MLTM has a plan to put all of Saemauel trains out of service till 2015 and introduce 200~230km/h EMU trains, if possible, to the lines where no KTX train is in service.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

^^So then the 150km/h EMU isn't going to replace the Saemaeul trains, but another train will come along to in the next couple years. Got it; thanks ruready!


----------



## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

Korail employees discuss their working with Hitachi on the Nuriro EMU trainsets:


----------



## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*Korail 8500 series freight locomotive scenes*

Test train at Daejeon Station:





After a freight passes headed by a DL3700 class diesel, an 8500 heads through pulling the Haerang Cruise Train (out of service?), at Uiwangyeok:


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## pieterpieter (Jan 11, 2011)

Nice collections of trains!


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*Govt. plans to break up Korail*



> SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- The government revealed its long-awaited plans Friday to improve the country's railroad services that will lead to a de facto breakup of the state-run Korea Railroad (KORAIL) into three separate companies by 2017.
> 
> According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, KORAIL will first set up a new subsidiary before the end of this year that will handle the operation of a new KTX express train service set to be launched in 2015.
> 
> ...


http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2013/06/14/32/0501000000AEN20130614006400320F.HTML


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## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

좋습니다


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Please try to keep to English in the international sections so that as many members can participate as possible. Many thanks.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

^^I know it's not the issue, but he's just saying "Great" or "I like this". 

I didn't know that Korail had any problems with service. I'd be willing to bet that this is really being done to deal with the organization's debt problems. I'd also imagine that this must be especially gratifying for those within Korail involved with the failed Yongsan development.


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

*Cheoram – Buncheon tourist train*

I see a new tourist train is running from Yeongju – Cheoram – Buncheon

http://trainspo.com/photo/38760/
http://trainspo.com/photo/38761/

Does anyone have timetable of this train and how is it possible to book a ticket on this train?

Thank you


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## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

Svartmetall said:


> ^^ Please try to keep to English in the international sections so that as many members can participate as possible. Many thanks.


I'm sorry


----------



## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

ruready1000 said:


> I can see what you are trying to find.
> http://cfile29.uf.tistory.com/image/1253F6364EF1DC8229DB76
> 2010.11.01 Version (Scan Version)
> http://korearail.tistory.com/attachment/[email protected]
> 2010.11.01 Version (PDF Version)


Are there new versions of these maps on Korail site or elsewhere please?
Thanks


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## skykraper (Jan 7, 2011)

ruready1000 said:


> The last PP-DHC Saemauel train was retired on Jan, 6, 2013. The new trains are EMU-type and have a similar spec to Noorio(TEC) trains.
> 
> The New EMU Trains :
> - 150km/h (Maximum Speed)
> ...


Beautiful. Is it being developed by Hyundai Rotem?


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*Hyundai Rotem files for IPO to raise up to $575 million*



> (Reuters) - South Korean train maker Hyundai Rotem said it plans to raise up to 622.4 billion won ($575 million) in an initial public offering in what would be the country's biggest share sale so far this year.
> 
> *Hyundai Rotem, founded in 1999, controls over 90 percent of the domestic train market, while its global share stands at a meager 2 percent to 3 percent.* The maker of high-speed trains also engages in plant construction.


complete article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/16/hyundairotem-ipo-idUSL3N0HC3M720130916


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## BIFC (Jun 6, 2011)

*ITX-Saemauel*


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## Sopomon (Oct 2, 2010)

Beautiful


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

I suppose the new train starts from Seoul to other places. Busan needs best access with double track electrified.

What about the new line direct from Busan to Ulsan? (it's extended the double track electrified to Daegu via Gyeongju?)

And a direct link from Hopo ? to Jinju via Gimhae?


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## dan72 (Apr 26, 2012)

What is the top speed of these? Do they replace the diesel vrsions?


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## I(L)WTC (Jan 30, 2010)

The Korean electrification system is very similar to Line Roca in Buenos Aires  :lol:








http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NfigtC0CA...D_p5ZfHl0b0/s1600/TREN+ROCA+Glew+-+Korn+2.JPG


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

Back from another great 10 day trip around Korea on KORAIL, so lots new photos, complete collection on my main site
http://www.loco-photos.net/ 

Some views at Gimcheon on the Seoul - Busan main line


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

We then moved north to Yeongju to ride "V train" and continued north to Jeongdongjin to stay in the Suncruise ship hotel which has great views of the trains!


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

A few photos at Dogye and back to Jecheon and a trip to Auraji with freight loco 7513 on the train


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

Photos of the new S train cars at Gwangju and the loco at Suncheon


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

A depot visit at Jecheon where more new 8000 will soon finish with second series of 8500 now arriving
















































Immaculate 7370  








Lots 8000 now out of use, quite a few here at Yeongju








also new paint
















7383 on regular train


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

An afternoon at Sema and Seryu


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## Sopomon (Oct 2, 2010)

Are the express tracks in the middle?


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

Sopomon said:


> Are the express tracks in the middle?


Yes, fast lines line middle


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## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

Taken by me 


ktx high speed rail


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

> ktx high speed rail


I wonder what that Sancheon unit was coupled to, as the coupler fairing is open- another Sancheon trainset?


----------



## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

^^
yea 

its Double trains from Seoul to Yeosu ~


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

From Iksan to Yeosu is a 200km/h line, right?


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## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

^^

from seoul to Yeosu a 200km/h line !


----------



## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

Well, from Seoul to Daejeon the trains travel on the Gyeongbu HSL, so it should be 300km/h until southwest of Daejeon.


----------



## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

^^

yes , from seoul to Busan via Daejeon it's 300 km/h


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## -PGG- (Jan 12, 2012)

*Korail candidates for preservation?*



pwormald said:


> A depot visit at Jecheon where more new 8000 will soon finish with second series of 8500 now arriving
> 
> Lots 8000 now out of use, quite a few here at Yeongju


Every colour of the rainbow and then some. Just needs a few industrial locomotives sprinkled in around and it will have been splendid! Shame about the 8000s and also the shrinking number of GT26CWs. Hope the preservation movement (?) will be able save a couple of working examples of both in the future.

Thanks muchly for a well-rounded coverage again this year - I am a bit envious as I will not be able to make back until next year...

-PGG-


----------



## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

Ongoing railroad strike is the longest ever, with no end in sight

Seoul rally on 11th day of Korail workers’ strike

I'm surprised that no one's posted anything about this.

The situation has been developing for a few weeks now. From another article I read on the Hankyoreh, it seems like railroad worker strikes are somewhat common, but this time, they've obviously got something to really worry about. Frankly, I'm wary of privatizing anything in South Korea considering how private sector employers seem to treat their employees.


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

In december the "traditional" Haeundae Station was closed and changed for the new, far away from the beach. This is part of the upgrading works in Donghae-Nambu Line between Bujeon and Ulsan.










No more trains runs trough the old line in this sector.

Pictures taken by me this evening near Dalmaji:




















New Haeundae Station:



>


Photos from Pure Train~


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Very excellent underground station. Well done!:cheers:


----------



## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

*Haeundae Station !!

It's new KTX station in busan haeundae ? *


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

압둘라-爱- LOVE;110170104 said:


> *Haeundae Station !!
> 
> It's new KTX station in busan haeundae ? *


It's said yes


----------



## 압둘라-爱- LOVE (May 17, 2012)

dimlys1994 said:


> It's said yes


^^
that good but it's direct from seoul to haeundae ?!


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

New diesel locomotive 7600 series made by Hyundai.Rotem.

Masan station:









































































Pure~Train


----------



## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm guessing that loco is for freight usage, right? I think Korea is aiming for more electrification of passenger services.


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## pwormald (Nov 29, 2008)

aquaticko said:


> I'm guessing that loco is for freight usage, right? I think Korea is aiming for more electrification of passenger services.


I assume its the GE PowerHaul series, for both freight and passenger use


----------



## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

This afternoon I toke some photos of the new ITX in Busan-Guam. Enjoy.


----------



## Maadeuurija (Nov 14, 2010)

Is the front suppose to be flat like that?


----------



## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

Maadeuurija said:


> Is the front suppose to be flat like that?


No, I think the coupler fairing was removed so the trainset could be shunted.


----------



## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

Up

*Donghae-Nambu Line upgrades [Bujeon - Gijang sector]*
Impressions of the visit to check the status of improvement works in Donghae-Nambu line.









http://frdb2.wo.to/511.htm

The first phase, to be completed in 2015, between Bujeon and Ilgwang with new alignment, duplication and electrification. By-pass over Haeundae area [between Udong and Songcheong] and some new stations to allow a new commuter service in Busan and Ulsan.

The second phase, to be completed in 2017 between Ilgwang and Ulsan [Taehwagang] I will check in other moment.

*GIJANG*

New layout in this station with two main tracks (central) for commuter trains and two side tracks for Mugunghwa or long distance trains.

Platforms partially built. Station building waiting. I suppose that they construct a concourse on a second floor with access on West and East side.


















Ulsan bound platform









Busan bound platform (right) and Ulsan bound (left). In the Busan bound platform they will end with a hight floor platform on main tracks for commuter services.









Ulsan end.









Busan end.









Looking to Ulsan. I think the right track will connect close to the bridge with the main track.









I think this is the new space for the station building east access close to the Road 14. 


















Current station building.




End of part one


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

SONGCHEONG

The new Songcheong :banana: in a new location (but not really far away from the original) due the new path of the track on Haeundae by-pass.

In the future only commuter trains will stop at this station with two main tracks, two side and two islands of platforms. BTW it looks that Korail install here a new huge depot for trains.



























Accustomed to as seen in Japan, I don't like the soundproof panels, I prefer a clear view of the trains.









Parking and taxi pole.


















Space for ticket vending machines on right side?









Platform 1-2 still closed until 2015.



























Platform 3-4, waiting room.



























Busan bound.









Works next to the station.



























Low-floor platform provisional for Mugunghwa trains.









Looking to Busan.













































^^ Looking to Ulsan.


And during the time that I spent in this station I recorded a short video with construction trains movement.









End of part two.


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

HAEUNDAE


Not too much time here but you can see pictures from the inauguration day on December 2013.

The track layout is exactly same as Gijang.



























There is a intermediate floor between ground level and platforms ONLY for commuter trains access. They install here the faregates? BTW the access from concourse to the Mugunghwa platforms is on the sides of the picture.

I hope that Busan Subway extend the Line 2 to this point or at least they improve the bus service hno:




End of part three.


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

UDONG

New station in the area of BIFF, Centum City and Busan Museum of Art. BTW they could rename same as subway hno:

Two main tracks and two side platforms with access in each end. :banana:


















^^ Ulsan end.


















^^ Busan end.


















From mountain side, Busan end.




End of part four.


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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

DONGNAE and BUJEON

Theres five new station between Udong and Bujeon but I have no time for all so... next day.


From the train, the current situation was not bad between Udong and Anrak but terrible (IMO) between Dongnae and Bujeon.

Here Dongnae:


















Looking to Busan.









New Dongnae station place.












BUJEON









Looking to Ulsan. The new track comes from something between the current single track and the soundproof panel on right.


















Commuter platform in Bujeon. Hoy to connect to the main building. The construct a new building? :nuts:






















In other moment: From Gijang to Ulsan and the new stations in Busan.

Thanks


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)




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## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

The new ITX-Saemaul. 

From http://blog.naver.com/031fe.


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## CanadianAlex (Dec 3, 2013)

^^Is the ITX going to replace the regular slow trains around the country, and serve places like Mokpo like in the test pictures? I thought, initially, the ITX was one specific route.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

It seems likely ITX will become a sub-brand of trains and services below KTX, although as there are only two trains/services in that brand right now (Saemaul and Gyeongchun), it's kinda hard to tell.


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## Mr._Hockey (May 8, 2014)

Hi all can anyone say me on which line I can find the 8000 Locos?

Yesterday I were at the Line from Tabaek to Dogye. As I saw there was a new line constructed through a tunnel. But I also saw works at the old line. What are the plans with this old line?


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## ruready1000 (Nov 18, 2008)

CanadianAlex said:


> ^^Is the ITX going to replace the regular slow trains around the country, and serve places like Mokpo like in the test pictures? I thought, initially, the ITX was one specific route.


ITX-Saemaul will replace the current Saemaul trains gradually(except for the non-electified lines). According to related news ITX-Saemaul replace all the Saemaul trains on Gyeongbu, Honam and Jeolla Line till this July.





Mr._Hockey said:


> Hi all can anyone say me on which line I can find the 8000 Locos?
> 
> Yesterday I were at the Line from Tabaek to Dogye. As I saw there was a new line constructed through a tunnel. But I also saw works at the old line. What are the plans with this old line?


I can't say it exactly but I think what you saw is train-theme resort being constructed on the abolished switchback line after the construction of Solan tunnel. The train-theme resort will include switchback line, railbike, incline railway etc.


----------



## wwc234 (Apr 1, 2013)




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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

*Train collision in eastern S. Korea*

At this moment it looks like signal failure on a single track line.



> Two passenger trains collided head-on in eastern South Korea on Tuesday, killing one passenger and injuring dozens, officials said.
> 
> Authorities are investigating what caused the crash, which occurred at about 6 p.m. in eastern Gangwon province, said Nam Young-woo, an official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...outh-korea-train-collision/article6237880.ece

brief Japanese TV news report:


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

Another news report from Japan's ANN. The graphic shows that the two trains were supposed to pass each other on a loop siding, however, the "O train" inexplicably did not, taking the loop line and colliding with the stopped mugungwha train. The driver of the O train told police he wasn't paying attention to the signals.


----------



## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Opening of the Donghae Line (Phase 1) in Busan*

Here is the recap from Kojects.



> *Donghae Line Opens in Busan, Next Phase to Ulsan to be Completed in 2018 *
> 
> Andy Tebay|
> 
> ...


http://kojects.com/2016/12/30/donghae-line-opens-busan/


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Gangneung Station*

Here's a picture from Gangneung Station, currently being rebuilt ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. I was actually there in mid-July. It's an interesting shape and structure. Also, the new station will be over the tracks, so it's easier to access from the North side (near where the venues will be located). The neighborhood surrounding the station is really not so great though. Since the station was previously pretty much abandoned or freight only, there were only hardware stores, storage facilities or factories around the station. And I didn't see much construction around the station, so we'll see if they get more high-end dining and shopping options.

The new station will open in December.

Mostly unrelated news, but I'll probably go see the Olympics myself. Don't know if I'll go to Pyeongchang (snow) or Gangneung (ice) yet. I'll keep you posted.









http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=101&oid=001&aid=0009503494


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

*Yeongdeok Station to open in December*








as of October:
















Source: http://blog.daum.net/spear723/8515218
Yeongdeok Station, which is the first county-level station to open on the northward extension of the new Donghae Line (which will eventually stretch from Pohang in the south to Gangneung in the north), is set to open by the end of the year. 

This will also be the first time that the county of Yeongdeok (pop. ~55,000) will have rail service. From what I've been able to gather (I could be wrong), Yeongdeok Station marks the terminus of double-tracking on the Donghae Line, but plans have been made to permit double-tracking after this point along the remainder of the route. Again, from what I've read, the entire line is set to be electrified like the rest of the country's electric lines: 25kV, 60Hz.

As it looks in the render, the station itself is designed to rest at the bottom of an embankment, and there will be a tunnel and escalators/elevators which bring passengers up to the platform. I could be wrong (I hope I am), but I judging by the picture, the platform itself will be built to Korail's usual, non-level height--550mm. _Why_ they aren't building new stations with level boarding is beyond me. I suppose that at least the station's design is kind of neat, and the location is right in "downtown" Yeongdeok.


----------



## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Opening of the Gyeonggang Line*

Also known as the Wonju-Gangneung or Seoul-Gangneung Line, the Gyeonggang Line will improve transportation to the Gangwon province, and be a key asset for the Olympics.

The line opened this morning. The line puts Gangneung City 114 minutes away from Seoul Station, and 86 minutes away from Cheongnyangni Station in eastern Seoul. Jinbu and Pyeongchang station, which will be the base for the snow events at the Olympics, will be reached even quicker.

Eastbound trains depart from Seoul, Cheongnyangni or Sangbong Station, and use the refurbished Jungang Line until Seowonju Station, which is the beginning point of the actual Gyeonggang Line, which is 118 kilometers long.

The full project is for the Gyeonggang Line to be extended to Incheon, bypassing Seoul by the pass, using the Gyeonggang Line section of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, and the Wolgyo-Pangyo and Yeoju-Wonju lines, still under planning.
























http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2017/12/22/0200000000AKR20171222031800062.HTML?input=1195m

http://news.donga.com/3/all/20171222/87866811/2

http://www.etnews.com/20171222000036


----------



## wwc234 (Apr 1, 2013)




----------



## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

Can't help but wonder what South Korea would look like now if they' decided to build the Gyeongbu HSR instead of the Gyeongbu Expressway.

Better, in my biased opinion.


----------



## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Extension of AREX to Incheon Terminal 2*

On January 13th, the Airport Railroad (AREX) Line was extended by one station to Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 (the line is extended by 5.8 km), ahead of the opening of the new terminal on January 18th.










http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/photos/1990000000.html?cid=PYH20180116204000004&input=1196m










http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=101&oid=001&aid=0009136545


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Opening of the Yeongdeok-Pohang Line*

On the Donghae Line, the Yeongdeok-Pohang Section opened this morning. It's 44.1km long, single-tracked, and will only see Mugunghwa traffic (14 trains a day).

However, this line is part of the greater Donghae Line project. The remaining section from Yeongdeok to Samcheok (122.2km) is scheduled to open in 2020. The line would then continue up North to Gangneung, and I guess some train would take the Gyeonggang Line to go back towards Seoul. On the south side from Pohang, Pohang staton is linked to the main Gyeongbu Line through Daegu, but there is no service to Gyeongju, Ulsan and Busan. This will also change by around 2020, as the Donghae Nambu Line will first be extended from Ilgwang to Taehwagang (aka. Ulsan) by 2019, and then from Taehwagang to Gyeongju, with connections between the Jungang Line, Gyeongbu HSR and Donghae Line. Long story short, by 2020, the entire Donghae Line will be completed, and it should be possible to take the train from Gangneung to Busan. It will of course depend on the service offered by Korail, but in principle that's the plan.




























http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2018/01/25/2018012503145.html


----------



## Ghostpoet (Nov 29, 2016)

The Ilgwang - Taehwagang section of the Donghae Line is opened or not?
According to this (a bit old article) it is scheduled for opening in 2018!

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/asia/single-view/view/donghae-line-opens.html

Ghostpoet


----------



## Sr.Horn (Jun 11, 2006)

Be patient with the Ilgwang - Taehwagang section. According Future Rail Database, opening is expected by December 2019.


----------



## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

Sr.Horn said:


> Be patient with the Ilgwang - Taehwagang section. According Future Rail Database, opening is expected by December 2019.



Yep, the opening was pushed back to 2019.


----------



## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm really hoping that section includes a redesigned Taehwagang station; the current one looks pretty...ick:


----------



## cheehg (Jan 5, 2018)

This thread has many beautiful pictures and nice videos about Korea and korail.


----------



## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Shinhan Bank Consortium selected as preferred bedder for GTX Line A*

So, I don't report on all updates (especially ones so far away from opening), but this one is fairly significant.

MOLIT has just announced today that a consortium led by Shinhan Bank has been selected as the preferred bidder to build GTX Line A, beating out Hyundai E&C, which comes as a bit of a surprise as Hyundai was considered the favorite.

The consortium include Consus Asset Management, Dohwa Engineering, Shinwoo ENG, Daelim Industrial, Daewoo E&C, SK E&C and Hanjin Heavy Industries.

If the contract is confirmed, construction is scheduled to start before the end of the year, for an opening in 2023. The line will run from Dongtan to Paju, with stops at Seongnam, Suseo, Samseong, Seoul Station, Yeonsinnae, Daegok and Kintex. The Dongtan-Suseo station is already built and part of the SRT line, and the Suseo-Samseong construction started last year already, for an opening planned in 2021.

One of the main differences between Hyundai and Shinhan was that Hyundai proposed adding a stop at Seoul City Hall, while Shinhan added no station but proposed implementing a discount scheme for the SRT.

I think this is the better proposal, as adding a station at City Hall (located near Seoul Station) kind of defeated the purpose of this high-speed line. City Hall and Seoul Station are already linked by Line 1, and the Shinbundang Line will connect the stations as well, so there was little need for an extra connecting line between the two.

As for the Shinbundang Line, it will share some of the tracks with GTX. The final design of the Shinbundang has the line extended north from Gangnam to Shinsa (already under construction), and then cross the river to Seobinggo, National Museum of Korea, Yongsan Station, Seoul Station, City Hall, Sangmyeong University, Dokbawi, Eunpyeong, Jingwan, Samsong, so they've removed the projected brand they add around Noksapyeong (with some of the trains terminating at Yongsan, and others going directly through to Seoul Station). Also a good choice I believe, as although the line will be a little less straight, removing the two branches should limit costs while making it more convenient.










http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2018/04/26/0200000000AKR20180426178151003.HTML?input=1195m


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Opening of the Seohae Line*

The Seohae Line opened to the public on June 16th. The Seohae (West Sea) line is also known as the Sosa-Wonsi Line, runs for 23.3km in 33 minutes and has 12 stations, including transfer stations with Seoul Subway Line 1 (Sosa Station) and Seoul Subway Line 4 (Choji Station).

The line is part of the greater Seohae Line project. The section of the line which will get subway service will be extended north by 2021 to Daegok (section also known as Daegok-Sosa line), and south to Songsan by 2023. The southern section to Songsan will actually be built as part of the Shinansan line, which has yet to start construction.
In addition, there is another "Seohae Line", under construction, from Songsan to Hongseong. This line, scheduled for completion in 2020, will only see regular train traffic (no subway). Once the four section (Daegok-Sosa (U/C), Sosa-Wonsi (Comp), Wonsi-Songsan (approved), Songsan-Hongseong (U/C) is completed, I think trains (EMU250) will run all the way from Daegok to Hongseong, and may through to the Janghang line as well).










http://www.ikld.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=94933


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

*Korail orders 34 EMUs from Woojin*
_KOREAN national train operator Korail has awarded Woojin Industrial Systems, Korea, a $US 250m contract to supply 34 EMU-150 trains for ITX-Saemaul services on the Gyeongbu, Honam and Jeolla lines._









Woojin will deliver a total of 150 cars by mid-2021, with the order comprising 27 four-car and seven six-car EMUs.

The EMU-150s are designed for 165km/h running, but will operate at a maximum speed of 150km/h.

This the first time Woojin has secured a contract for intercity trains on Korail’s network, which has been dominated by Hyundai Rotem vehicles until now.

“This will be a great opportunity for us to expand our rolling stock business to other markets once the vehicles have been delivered successfully,” a spokesperson for Woojin told IRJ. The company says it is also looking at other opportunities in southeast Asia.

In addition to the order from Korail, Woojin recently secured a $US 20m contract to supply six two-car light metro trains for Incheon Line 2. Deliveries will be completed by June 2021.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/asia/korail-orders-27-emus-from-woojin


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

The Taehwagang Station (the old Ulsan station) is getting rebuilt after 26 years, to coordinate with the realignment of the Donghae Line.

Construction has just begun, and is scheduled to be completed in 2020.










http://www.fnnews.com/news/201810151546574863


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Opening of Seoul Subway Line 9 Phase 3 (Sports Complex - VHS Medical Center) *

On Saturday December 1st, the 3rd section of Seoul Subway Line 3 opened between Sports Complex and VHS Medical Station. The line is now 8.9 km longer, with 8 additional stations. There will be transfer available with Line 8 (Seokchon Station) and Line 5 (Olympic Park), as well as express service at these aforementioned stations, plus VHS Medical Center.

To alleviate the influx of passengers, all express trains have now been converted from 4 to 6 cars, and the operator plans to turn all local trains to 6-car trainsets by the end of 2019 as well. Nonetheless, the line could be crowded.










https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?oid=001&aid=0010493622


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## eu01 (Oct 14, 2005)

A nine-car South Korean train carrying about 100 officials, lawmakers and members of families separated by the 1950-53 war on the peninsula took a two-hour journey from Seoul to the North Korean town of Kaesong to be greeted by officials from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

Officials from both Koreas signed a wooden railroad tie, unveiled a new signboard and watched a ceremonial linking of tracks between North and South (text from The Washington Post, video published by Daily Mail)


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Groundbreaking Ceremony for GTX Line A*

Today was a very important day for rail transportation in Seoul. GTX Line A officially held its groundbreaking ceremony at Kintex earlier this afternoon.

GTX has been a matter of many discussions, news articles and speculation. I think this will become an essential part of Seoul Capital Area's infrastructure.

Within the city of Seoul, the subway already reaches almost all the neighborhood, and most of the infrastructure is already in place.

In the immediate vicinity of Seoul, almost all of the nearby satellite cities now have access to subway lines:
- Paju (Gyeongui-Jungang)
- Goyang (Gyeongui-Jungang, Line 3)
- Yangju (Line 1)
- Uijeongbu (Line 1)
- Namyangju (Gyeongchun Line)
- Guri (Gyeongui Jungang)
- Hanam (Line 5 - to open in 2020)
- Gwangju (Gyeonggang Line)
- Seongnam (Line 8, Bundang Line, Shinbundang Line)
- Yongin (Bundang Line, Shinbundang Line)
- Suwon (Bundang Line, Line 1)
- Gwacheon (Line 4)
- Anyang (Line 4, Line 1)
- Gunpo (Line 4, Line 1)
- Uiwang (Line 1)
- Siheung (Seohae Line)
- Ansan (Seohae Line, Line 4)
- Gwangmyeong (Line 7, Line 1)
- Bucheon (Line 7, Line 1)
- Incheon (Line 1, Suin Line, Incheon Subway)
- Gimpo (Gimpo Goldline - to open in 2020)

There will still be improvements with the Suin Line and Bundang Line merger, the Byollae Line (northern extension to line 8), the Sinansan Line, the Jinjeob Line (eastern extension to line 4), extensions to line 7 (on both ends of the line), completion of the full Seohae Line, as well as projects which are still far from completion (southern extension to Shinbundang Line, Wolgot-Pangyo Line, Wirye-Sinsa Line, Indeokweon-Suwon Line, etc...
Nonetheless, by 2020, each city near Seoul will be connected physically to Seoul by the subway.

But, with satellites cities located farther and farther away from central Seoul, and the time it takes to commute within Seoul itself, they don't really fulfill their function. Most people who live in these bedtowns don't take the subway, but instead either drive directly or take the bus.

What was urgent was this heavy lifting (high-density commuter-rail) to effectively link main satellite towns to Seoul's main business centers and transportation hubs (downtown, Gangnam, Yeouido, Yongsan, Cheongnyangni...). This system brings exactly that. For those leaving near the 20 or so stations outside Seoul on the GTX lines, this will be a game changer. And even for those who live farther away, it will probably be quicker to take a bus/metro to the station and transfer there than do the whole trip by subway.

Right now, only Line A is having its groundbreaking ceremony, and actual construction is scheduled to start in mid-2019. The official completion target is 2023, but I wouldn't be surprised if the line is only opened in 2025 on so. In any case, this was an important day.

There were also some good news for the other lines recently. For Line C, the project passed the most important step, the KDI's feasibility study, a couple of weeks ago, and is now on tracks to start construction in 2021. The approved line is the extended one, using existing rail sections to have traffic from Suwon to Geumjeong, and from Uijeongbu to Yangju (Deokjeong Station).

Finally, there's one last line, Line B, which is a bit more complicated. Its cost/benefit is more of a problem, for a couple of reasons:
- It has more stations (13 for now, maybe 14 eventually), so it can't go as fast as the other lines, which slightly defeats the purpose and is costlier
- On the eastern section especially, it uses the slower Gyeongchun Line, in an low-density area
- It is the only line which bypasses Gangnam, considered the most important destination.

Nonetheless, with the approval of the 2 other lines, the C/B for Line B is likely to improve, and so is the construction of 60,000 housing units near Namyangju where the line will pass through. It was very recently announced that the decision on the KDI's feasibility study would be completed by next year, and there is a lot of pressure for the line to get approved. The government is also pondering exempting the line from the study to make the process faster.

In any case, there has been good progress recently on the GTX project, and although today's event is merely a PR event, the government's weight is in the project, which directly affects around half of the country's population, so they can't really afford to have it delayed too much.
























https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20181227089400003?input=1195m


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

The Wild Boy said:


> So, South Korea plans a 400 km/h HSL?


They do... but they have for at least 10 years (if not more), and it's a project on which no real progress has been made, so I don't really expect things to change, at least any time soon.


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Final Plans Approved for the building of a new set of underground high-speed tracks between Pyeongtaek and Osong*

In planning for maybe around a decade, the new track, which was financially approved in 2019, passed a major milestone with the completion of the plans for the new track. It will be built to supplement the existing set of high-speed tracks on the Gyeongbu HSR line between Osong and Pyeongtaek. The difference is that this will not be a simple quadrupling of the tracks, but the construction of a brand new underground line, slightly west of the existing line, which will bypass the Cheonan-Asan Station. The length of this section is 46.4km. The cost of the project is over KRW 3 trillion. The reason for this costly project is simple, to increase the capacity of the line and the overall KTX network.

Right now, for the main KTX service (excluding smaller lines), there are two branches North (one to Seoul Station, one to Suseo Station), and two to the South (one to Mokpo/Gwangju and one to Busan). But all these branches share their central section between Osong and Pyeongtaek, creating a bottleneck. So far, this has not been a huge issue, apart from limiting the possibilities for growth of SRT and Suseo station, due to lack of additional capacity. But by the end of this decade, there will be 3 new lines connecting to this main network, which will increase demand, hence requiring the new line to be built. These new lines are the Incheon KTX (connecting to the Gyeongbu HSR near Eocheon Station, the Suwon KTX (with increase service to Suwon with a new connecting with the Suseo HSR line just North of Jije Station), as well as the NambuNaeryuk line, with service from Gimcheon to Geoje. Incheon KTX and Suwon KTX started construction a few months ago, and NambuNaeryuk line should start construction next year.

Interestingly, the new Osong-Pyeongtaek tunnel will be built to allow for a top commercial speed of 400 kph. For now, the fastest trains in Korea have a top commercial speed of 305kph (record fo 350kph in China). A new KTX with a top commercial speed of 320kph will be introduced in a couple of years, so once this tunnel is completed, the top speed on this section could be of 320kph. For now, there are no concrete plans to procure trains with a top speed of 400kph or to upgrade the rest of the lines to speed of up to 400kph (although it's been announced as a goal to ultimately increase speed to 400kph on the network), so it's not quite clear if and when trains could travel at up to 400kph on this line.



























 최고 400km/h 터널 도입…평택~오송 2복선화 사업 확정


국토교통부는 평택~오송 2복선화 건설사업에 대한 기본계획을 확정하고 고시했다고 29일 밝혔다. 평택~오송 2복선화 건설사업은 기존 평택∼오송 고속철도 지하에 46.4km 구간의 상·하행 복선을 추가 건설하는 사업으로




news.naver.com













경부선 판 GTX 평택~오송 지하에 건설.. 최고 속도 400km/h급


[파이낸셜뉴스] 오는 2027년까지 경부고속철도 평택~오송 구간 지하에 최고 속도 400km/h에 이르는 고속 철도가 건설된다. 지난 2019년 선정된 국가균형발전 프로젝트 예비타당성조사 면제 사업 중 가장 먼저 추




news.naver.com


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

*Approval of Gwangju-Daegu Line ("Moonlight Inland Line")*

There's been a plan to build a rail line from Gwangju to Daegu for a very long time, but it had been left out of the initial 4th national railway plan. At the end of last month, the final draft of the plan was released, and the only change was the inclusion of the Gwangju-Daegu Line. Construction has obviously not yet started, and it's not anticipated that the line will be completed before 2030, so it'll be a while before we see anything really moving on this project. Nonetheless, reports on the line seem pretty uniform on the approximate route and stations--Gwangju (likely with through service to the Gwangju Songjeong KTX station), Damyang, Sunchang, Namwon, Jangsu, Hamyang, Geochang, Hapcheon, Goryeong, and the newly-rebuilt Seodaegu station (which also has KTX service). The line's route will roughly parallel the Gwangju-Daegu expressway.

Service standards--such as speeds and frequency--are yet to be determined, but obviously as a brand new line, it will be completely electrified. From what I've gathered it will be primarily single-track, though like the new Donghae Line, with provisions for future double tracking. (Suffice to say, the name "Moonlight Inland Line" is also provisional)

There's an expectation that demand on the line will likely be somewhat low, but part of the justification was as a means of creating balanced national development. Currently, the only ways to take a train from Gwangju to Daegu are to go north to Daejeon or Osong and then back south on the Gyeongbu or Honam lines, or go south and take the much slower Gyeongjeon Line. Obviously, neither is ideal, and the current situation leaves a large swath of southern South Korea without direct rail service--just not populated areas. The line will indirectly connect some tourist sites, such as Haeinsa and Jirisan National Park, and it's being mooted as a way for Gwangju and Daegu to compete to jointly host the 2038 Summer Asian Games.

A lot obviously stands to change in the succeeding years before a hypothetical start of service, but assuming all goes roughly according to plan, it'll be great to see this big geographic hole in South Korea's rail network plugged.










달빛내륙철도 건설 확정…"국가균형 발전·화합 기폭제 될것"
20년의 염원 실은 ‘달빛내륙철도’ 확정, 광주~대구 1시간 생활권 된다


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

aquaticko said:


> *Approval of Gwangju-Daegu Line ("Moonlight Inland Line")*
> 
> There's been a plan to build a rail line from Gwangju to Daegu for a very long time, but it had been left out of the initial 4th national railway plan. At the end of last month, the final draft of the plan was released, and the only change was the inclusion of the Gwangju-Daegu Line. Construction has obviously not yet started, and it's not anticipated that the line will be completed before 2030, so it'll be a while before we see anything really moving on this project. Nonetheless, reports on the line seem pretty uniform on the approximate route and stations--Gwangju (likely with through service to the Gwangju Songjeong KTX station), Damyang, Sunchang, Namwon, Jangsu, Hamyang, Geochang, Hapcheon, Goryeong, and the newly-rebuilt Seodaegu station (which also has KTX service). The line's route will roughly parallel the Gwangju-Daegu expressway.
> 
> ...


Great update. Indeed, the revised 4th national railway plan includes this line, which was omitted from the initial version of the 4th railway plan.

Obviously, on paper, this line seems to make sense, as it brings train service for the first time to the central area in the south of the of the country (which is the largest area in Korea without rail service at all), and links Korea's 2nd (Daegu) and 3rd/4th (Gwangju) - depending on how you count major provincial cities. It's also very significant culturally and politically, as both cities are the heartlands of the two most significant regions in Korea (Jeolla and Gwangju). Jeolla is a bread basket, the home of the Baekje Kingdom, more "cultural" and left meaning. Gyeongsang is more industrial and mountaineous, the home of the Silla Kingdom, more "economic minded", and right leaning. Technically, Busan is bigger in the Gyeongsang region, but it's a port and a resort city, while Daegu is more central and and symbolic of the region overall, and the stronghold of conservatives in Korea. Needless to say, the rivalry between these two regions is huge, and especially between the two cities. One of the challenges of these past 30 years or so has been to better connect these two territories, so the political significance of this line would be very important.

That being said, and while there is certainly a case for this line to be built, I'm actually not really convinced, for three reasons.

The first one is simply the cost. With many of Korea's railway project already well underway or completed, the 4th railway plan didn't really include many large brand new lines, rather focusing on new connections, realignment or track doubling, extensions, etc... So this would be one huge project, building a brand new line of a length of 199km, passing through rural areas, and notably through many tunnels, so the cost would be around KRW 4.5 trillion, nothing to sneeze at. And from my understanding this will be a true single-track, and I don't believe the current financing reflects track bed large enough for future expansion for double tracking. Needless to say that could be done, but I guess the price tag would be a bit higher. So that's a significant cost for a single tracked line. And of course, single tracks are not such a problem for short lines, but over 200km, that will mean that either service speed will be limited or that you'll need to have passing loops to ensure sufficient traffic. It will also not be a true high speed line, with top speed to be somewhere in the 200 to 250 range.

Then, you have the issue of demand. Of course, Gwangju and Daegu are major cities, but as mentioned, they are quite different, and there isn't so much economic links between the two. So I don't think the demand would be huge. Sure, building the line will be a way to better link these city and in the long run to increase demand, but that's not going so significant in the short term. More concerning is the fact that there will be almost no demand for rail service in the middle at all. Along the line, there is only one place classified as a city (Namwon, which is the 7th smallest city in Korea), and all the other stations will be located at even smaller and aging counties. There is not a single large urban area along the line, and I don't think that there are any industrial hubs or anything like that either. There aren't really any tourist spot either. I mean Jirisan Mountain wouldn't be too far off, but as a large mountain range, you'd need a car to reach it after you arrive at Hamyang Station. Likewise, Hapcheon Station would be the closest to the touristic Haeinsa Temple, but it will located at least 30km away from the temple, which is in the middle of the mountain. For these destinations, the only reasonable mode of transport are cars, because even bus service is not so good. So overall, I don't think that the demand will be high. Opportunities for through traffic onto other lines (from Gyeongju to Mokpo, from Daegu to Gyeongju and Pohang...) exist but are quite limited, and the only connection with another line will be the NambuNaeryuk Line, which won't be a game changer either.

Then there's what's for be the bigger issue, the service and its improvements upon alternatives on the existing network. With the demand (fairly low), layout (single track) and speed limit, it will mean that I guess that you won't really have trains depart much more frequently than every 2 hours or so. I guess they could have trains such as the KTE-Eum on the tine, but it's maybe too big a train and might be too fast for the line. So we might end up with a sort of ITX on the line (rolling stock might be different then, but I think that's a reasonable expectation). So the service quality and frequency wouldn't be exceptional. Trip duration is targeted to be 1h28 minutes, but they are always optimistic in this early phase, so we can expect something closer to 1h40~1h45. Not bad, but there are opportunities to do probably almost as well using other lines. On the Gyeongbu HSR, Daegu to Daejeon takes 40 minutes on fastest service. Gwangju to Iksan takes 27 minutes on the fastest service, so that around 1h10 so far. Then, you can use the section of the Honam Line already used by some KTX to connect Iksan to SeoDaejeon, and then onto Daejeon. There is no such service right now, but it could be implemented. Currently, from SeoDaejeon to Iksan it takes a bit under 1h, so slightly over from Daejeon. This means that already, you could have service between Gwangju and Daegu in slightly over 2 hours, with the existing infrastructure. And you could pick up more passengers along the tracks going through bigger cities like Iksan, Gumi, and of course Daejeon. Then, you have to take into account that the Honam line between Iksan and SeoDaejeon is already being in the process of being potentially upgraded. Once the upgrade is complete, between 10 and 15 minutes will be saved. By then it would only take less than 2 hours to reach Daegu from Gwangju, so no much of a difference from the Moonlight Inland Line. Costs of upgrading the Honam Line will be at less than KRW 1 trillion, and of course you would have the potential for better or more frequent service. I believe that it would be even possible to shorten trips by at least 5 minutes by onnecting the Honam HSR and regular HSR line at Nonsan (instead of north of Iksan), which could be done with the simple construction of a wye. Of course, the drawback would be the fact that this alternative wouldn't make it possible to bring rail to the small communities between Gwangju and Daegu, but I think it's okay. There's also another alternative to link the Jeolla and Gyeongsang region which is the Gyeongjeon Line. If you consider Gwangju to Busan, it currently takes a whoping 5h30 minutes. But this number will go down soon. The opening of the Bujeon (in Busan) Masan higher speed rail section will reduce travel time there to less than 40 minutes. From Masan to Suncheon, the line has already been mostly realigned and double tracked. The last section of tracks to be electrified will be completed within this year, allowing for KTX Eum service to Suncheon. Then, you have the last section of tracks between Suncheon and Gwangju, which will also be completely rebuilt as a higher speed rail line in the next few years. Once everything is complete, it will be possible to go from Gwangju to Busan in 2h24 minutes. And I guess you could from Gwangju, have some trains which go to Masan and then go North to Daegu in less than 3 hours. Of course, that's longer than the Moonlight Inland Line, but considering the reduced costs, more advanced level of planning and greater potential demand on this line, it's another alternative which will become more interesting as it reaches completion. So with this Southern and Northern alternative both available in a nearer future with more demand and lower costs, I'm not sure that the Moonlight Inland Line is really justified. Which is probably why the line has been proposed for so long but has failed to gain much traction so far due to the limited economic potential.

It could definitely end up being built though, especially due to its political significance.


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

kimahrikku1 said:


> *Opening of new track section between Nampo and Ganchi on the Janghang Line*
> 
> Following the opening of the new line between Gunsan and Iksan, in effect improving the Hanghang line between Ilksan and Daeya, a new section of rebuilt track opened this morning on the Janghang Line. This opening will be overshadowed by the opening of the launch of the new KTX-Eum on the Jungang Line, but is noteworthy nonetheless.
> 
> ...


*Janghang Line to be fully connected, through service to downtown Seoul with new connection between Seohae Line and Gyeongu HSR*

On the west side of the country, the high-speed rail infrastructure, centered around the Seohae Line, is starting to come to fruition. The first step was of course the opening of the subway section of the Seohae Line in 2018 (23km). The subway line will then be extended north to Daegok Station (20km), with trains then sharing tracks with the Gyeongui-Jungang Line for a further 7km to Ilsan Station. This extension will be completed in 2023 (with maybe a partial opening in 2022). But for regular train service, including KTX, it's the construction south of the completed section of the Seohae Line which is more important. From the current terminus at Wonsi, the line will be extended south to Songsan, which will be the final terminus of the subway section. Actually, the Wonsi-Songsan section is built as part of another line the Sinansan Line which starts at Yeouido and goes south to Songsan. But there will be track sharing with the Seohae Line. Construction of the Sinansan Line only started a couple of years ago, so the line is only expected to be completed in late 2024. South of Songsan (where the future Shinsegae theme park is planned), the line will then continue, as part of the actual Seohae Higher Speed Rail line. This section is built from Songsan to Hongseong, where it meets with the Janghang Line. It will then connect with the Jangang Line, which is already existing and goes along the country's west coast before connecting back with the rest of the network at Iksan. The Janghang Line was mostly a single-tracked, unelectrified line, but a lot of construction has been done over the past decade or so. There is one small section of tracks which needs to be realigned entirely (between Sinseong and Jupo), and a larger section between Sinseong and Daeya which is not yet electrified. These two projects are scheduled to start construction this year. But until now, the plan still included a section of tracks (between Ungcheon and Daeya) which was not planned to be double tracked. The government has now decided to also double track this section of almost 40km as well. This means that if all of these smaller projects are completed in time, the Janghang Line will be fully electrified, double-tracked and mostly realigned by 2026.

By then, the Seohae-Janghang Line will be completed and effectively run all the way from Iksan to Ilsan along the west coast of the country. One issue though, was the train service and the terminus of the line in the Seoul Capital Area. For long, the government had suggested that it would be possible to use the Seohae Line and go north to Songsan, then go straight to Yoeuido in downtown Seoul connecting to the Sinansan Line. What they omitted to say was that there was no plan to directly send regular trains along the line with a train station in Yeouido. The passengers will need to transfer at Songsan and then transfer and use regular Sinansan subway service to go to Yeouido, which would take a while. Now though, the government has confirmed new plans, which would see the Seohae line be connected to the Gyeongbu HSR around the city of Pyeongtaek (where they run almost parallel a couple of kilometers away). This will allow trains to start from Seoul Station and use the Gyeongbu HSR until Pyeongtaek, where they would then go onto the Seohae Line and the Janghang Line all the way to Iksan. This is great, and will make the line more viable, although it does raise a couple of questions. The first one is that if there is no subway service south of Songsan, and if most high speed trains will connect to the Gyeongbu HSR in Pyeongtaek, it will mean that there will be little to no service in the section currently under construction (around 30km) between Songsan and Pyeongtaek. Sure, they could run a few ITX trains here and there, but it's not unlikely to attract a lot of demand. An alternative would be to also have some high speed trains use the Seohae Line all the way up and have KTX service on the line in the western side of the Gyeonggi province (with maybe stops in places like Ansan, Bucheon, Gimpo Airport or Ilsan), but I'm not sure the infrastructure of this section built mostly for subway was built with KTX in mind. The second issue, is that initially, the plans for the Seohae / Janghang Line to have mostly KTX-Eum type of service, with trains which cannot exceed 250kph (that's also the speed limit of the line). But if they bring KTX-Eum service to the Gyeongbu HSR to then connect to the Seohae Line, it would potentially create a bottleneck. On the section between Pyeongtaek and Gwangmyeong, KTX run at around 300kph, which KTX-Eum would not be able to do. So either they would have to run regular KTX on the Seohae and Janghang Line (which would be a bit of an overkill, a bit like they did for the Gyeonggang KTX before they switched to KTX-Eum this summer), or they would have to adapt the KTX schedule to allow KTX-Eum to travel in gaps between other KTX, which might not be possible given the saturation of the line. Obviously, we're still quite a few years away (at least 5) from all this infrastructure to come alive, but it's an interesting development nonetheless.


















장항선, 개통 94년 만에 전 구간 ‘복선전철’…웅천∼대야 39.9km 사업확정


사실 앞에 겸손한 민영 종합 뉴스통신사 뉴스1




www.news1.kr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Day trip to Seoul! ️ #SouthKorea #exploreROK #Korea #travel #SeoulCity #Seoul #SeoulSouthKorea #city by Christopher Calubaquib, on Flickr


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## Swiftshot (Jan 5, 2021)

New line extension from Busan to Ulsan just opened, huge upgrade for the region and Korea.
While the Seoul metro network is highly developed, the rest of Korea is actually rather underdeveloped in regional rail with many very lagre cities having only few lines and no metro area connections.
This will now allow people from Busan and Ulsan to more easily commute between the cities.
What makes this unique is that Ulsan specifically has the highest GDP per capita in Korea and is the manufacturing hub of the country, this will greatly increase the job availability for people in Busan and make Ulsan an even more attractive hub.



*New rail network opens in Yeongnam*
*Travel from Ulsan to Busan by subway to take less than an hour*


"South Korea opened its first-ever hyper-regional light rail network outside the capital region, celebrating the opening of 142.2 kilometers of new subway lines in southeastern parts of the country.
The Tuesday opening was to have light rail trains make 100 trips per day from Ulsan to Busan, Cheong Wa Dae said.
The new network will allow people to travel from Taehwagang Station to Ilgwang Station in 37 minutes and to Bujeon Station in 76 minutes.
Until Tuesday, having a transregional network was a unique benefit for those living in and around Seoul.
In an address made for the event, Moon emphasized that the new subway line will greatly aid his government’s initiative on achieving balanced regional growth by granting greater ease of logistics and movements in southeastern parts of the country.
If connected as a single economic hub, North and South Gyeongsang provinces could reach 490 trillion won ($412 billion) in economic value with 10 million residents, Moon said, according to his office, adding that the new subway network is a first step in helping the region become a megacity.
The region is also preparing to open another set of subway tracks across its cities in 2023. South Gyeongsang Province is waiting to open a new airport in 2029 as scheduled, and Moon added that he would promote similar projects in other regions of South Korea to continue on with his government’s aim for balanced growth. "


Article


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

via Google translate


> *Icheon-Bubal section of the Central Inland Line opens (Dec. 31st)*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2021/12/1216634/

Full-line running video


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

Swiftshot said:


> New line extension from Busan to Ulsan just opened, huge upgrade for the region and Korea.
> While the Seoul metro network is highly developed, the rest of Korea is actually rather underdeveloped in regional rail with many very lagre cities having only few lines and no metro area connections.
> This will now allow people from Busan and Ulsan to more easily commute between the cities.
> What makes this unique is that Ulsan specifically has the highest GDP per capita in Korea and is the manufacturing hub of the country, this will greatly increase the job availability for people in Busan and make Ulsan an even more attractive hub.
> ...


Thank you for the update, I figured I'd also post to give a bit more details about the project and its impact, and to prevent confusion between the improvement to the overall national rail system, and to the Busan Subway System.

*Opening of the new railroad realignment in South Eastern Korea (Donghae Line, Jungang Line, Daegu Line)*

First of all, as part of this project is the extension to the Donghae Line subway service, which I introduced on the Urban Transport thread: KOREA | Urban Transport Compilation

So, the Donghae Line subway service is only extended to Taehwagang (central Ulsan), with the total line from Bujeon to Taehwagang being 64km long, where the subway trains will offer service every 15 to 30 minutes. But, the realignment of tracks completed on December 28th is much wider, and will improve transit time on Mugunghwa trains, while paving the way for future KTX-Eum service.

Up until this opening, the tracks of the Daegu Line (Daegu to Yeongcheon), Jungang Line (Yeongcheon to Gyeongju), then Donghae Line (Gyeongju to Taehwagang and then to Bujeon) were basically completely separate from the high speed tracks East of Daegu. KTX used the Gyeongbu HSR between Daegu and Busan, with some trains going to the higher-speed rail going to Pohang. But the conventional lines and KTX lines didn't connect at all.

Now, this has been completely changed. On December 28th, the new Donghae Line, Jungang Line and Daegu Line were opened. This process has been somewhat gradual, with work on the Daegu Line already mostly completed by last year. So the 3 lines that I'm mentioning, which basically are one line running from Daegu to Bujeon more to the East of the Gyeongbu HSR line have been electrified, fully double tracked, and almost entirely realigned in a straighter way. The total track length is shorter than before, with the upgraded tracks also having higher speed. The top speed of the Daegu Line will be 200kph, that of the section of the Jungang Line East of of Yeongcheon will be up to 270kph, and of the Donghae Line East of Gyeongju will be at least 200kph (depending on sections).

But, the biggest change is the connection to the Gyeongbu HSR and the Donghae HSR (between Gyeongju and Pohang). As you can see below, the lines will now be connected near Gyeongju. The various stations in Gyeongju have now been merged at ShinGyeongju Station, which connects the Donghae Line with the Gyeongbu HSR Line. Tracks have been added to also allow trains coming South from the Gyeongbu HSR to go to Pohang on the Donghae higher-speed line (before, only possible for trains coming West from Daegu). And in addition, the end of the Jungang Line section between Yeongcheon and Gyeongju will connect with the Donghae higher-speed rail at the Moran Intersection, meaning that train coming from the Jungang Line will be able to connect to the Donghae HSR to go to Pohang (with a stop at SeoGyeongju Station), or to go South to ShinGyeongju Station and then use the southern portion of the Donghae Line to Bujeon.

This alignment will already significantly reduce travel time on Mugunghwa trains travelling in the area:
DongDaegu to Pohang: reduced from 1h50 minutes to 1h20 minutes (- 30 minutes)
ShinGyeongju to Yeongjeon: reduced from 40 minutes (to Gyeongju Station) to 23 minutes (- 17 minutes)
ShinGyeongju to Bujeon: reduced from 1h47 minutes (from Gyeongju Station) to 1h35 minutes (-12 minutes)
Pohang to Bujeon: reduced from 2h25 minutes (from Gyeongju Station) to 2h10 minutes (- 15 minutes)

These changes are significant, considering that they are achieved just by realigning the tracks. Mugunghwa trains have a top speed of less than 150kph, and make stops at many stations. The situation will change even more drastically in 2 years or so. By then, the sections of the Donghae Line and the Jungang Line north of Yeongcheon (Yeongcheon-Andong) and of Pohang (Yeongdeok-Samcheok) will be completed. This will mean that it will soon become possible to use the Jungang Line all the way from Seoul (Cheongnyangni Station) to ShinGyeongju, then to Bujeon using the Donghae Line. Likewise, the Donghae Line, once completed, will extend from Bujeon all the way to Gangneung (and then in the future to the North Korean border). On these lines, KTX-Eum service, with trains with a top speed of 250kph will begin. So travel time will be further reduced with the arrivals of these new trains, which are faster, and which also will stop at fewer stations.


































대구선·중앙선·동해선·동해남부선, 100년 만에 복선전철시대로


[안동=뉴시스] 류상현 기자 = 경북을 지나는 대구선, 중앙선, 동해선, 동해남부선이 100년 만에 복선전철 시대를 맞았다




newsis.com













비수도권 첫 광역전철…영남권 4개철도 오늘 개통


[서울=뉴시스] 이예슬 기자 = 부산과 울산, 경상북도를 연결하는 영남지역 4개 철도사업이 28일부터 정식 운행된다




newsis.com













동남권 4개 철도 개통… 3년 뒤엔 수도권과 2시간대


대구와 경북 영천·경주, 울산, 부산을 잇는 142km 길이의 동남권 4개 철도 노선이 운행을 시작했다. 2024년 개통되는 중앙선이나 동해선과 연계되면 이들 지역에서 수도권이나…



www.donga.com


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

aquaticko said:


> via Google translate
> 
> 중부내륙선 철도건설사업 이천~충주(54km)구간 우선개통
> 
> Full-line running video


Thank you for the update. I've also posted a slightly more detailed/accurate update on the High Speed Rail line section for more information (SOUTH KOREA | High Speed Rail)



kimahrikku1 said:


> *Opening of the Jungbunaeryuk Line high-speed rail with KTX-Eum Service*
> 
> On December 31st opened a new higher-speed rail line in Korea, the Jungbunaeryuk Line (literally the Middle Inland Line). This line will connect the city of Chungju with Bubal station in the outskirts of the city of Icheon, itself at the South-East periphery of the Seoul Capital Area.
> 
> ...


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Groundbreaking for the Gangneung-Jejin Line (northern section of Donghae Line) and start of the construction of the Chuncheon-Sokcho Line*

Two lines are in the process of starting construction. The Gangneung-Jejin Line (northern section of Donghae Line), which held its groundbreaking ceremony yesterday but for which actual construction will not start before the latter part of this year; and the Chuncheon-Sokcho Line (also known as the East-West Higher Speed Line) which didn't have a groundbreaking ceremony but for which construction apparently started at the very end of December.

Usually, the start of main railroad lines is quite a gradual process, with groundbreaking, start of early construction and start of main works not always coinciding. But to make matters simple, let's assume both lines are starting construction at the same time, about right now.

These two important lines will drastically improve service to the North East of Korea, which has touristic potential, but remains isolated from the rest of the country because of the mountaineous terrain, fairly low population and situation near the DMZ and far from other economic centers. The situation was much more dire until a few years ago, but improvements have been made. On the East coast, the Donghae Highway extended North from Gangneung, first to South Yangyang in 2001, Hajodae in 2009, Yangyang in 2012 and finally Sokcho in 2016, while a new East-West highway between Chuncheon and Yangyang opened in 2017. And of course, the Gangneung Line from Seoul to Gangneung through Wonju opened ahead of the 2018 Olympics.


The first line is the *Gangneung-Jejin Line*, which is the Northern section of the Donghae Line. Right now, the Donghae Line runs from Bujeon (in Busan) to Yeongdeok in the South East (and was recently completely revamped as mentioned in the above post). From Yeongdeok to Samcheok, the line is under construction and will be completed in 2 years. From Samcheok to Gangneung, the line already exists (although technically as part of the Yeongdong and Samcheok Lines for now). But the line stops at Gangneung. So this new line extends the Donghae Line North from Gangneung to Jejin. From Jejin, the line does exist, from this part of South Korea (although past the Civilian Control Line), onto the North Korean rail network and was built in the 2000s during the Sunshine Policy era to allow South Koreans to board special trains at Jejin to go and visit North Korea. Once the Gangneung-Jejin section is complete, it will link Jejin with the rest of the network, so it will theoretically possible to go from Bujeon to North Korea using the Donghae Line, then into Russia and the rest of Eurasia. Of course, actual service will not extend past the DMZ unless there is a political breakthrough with the North.

The line will have a length of 112km, and will have the following stations between Gangeung and Jejin: Jumunjin, Yangyang, Sokcho, Ganseong. It will be a single-tracked electrified line, with top speed of around 250kph, and the line will see service of KTX-Eum trains. The service time from Jejin to Bujeon (Busan) is expected to be 3h30 minutes, and will be the longest in Korea, at least as the crow flies. Its cost will be KRW 2.74 Billion. Completion is scheduled for 2027.

Eventually, travel times between Jejin and Busan are also expected to be reduced as a result of improvements to the section between Ganngeung and Samcheok. This section was already existing and electrified, and therefore is already in use by KTX using the Gyeonggang Line. But while it's famous for passing right next to the sea, it's extremely tortuous. It's current length is 58km, and the speed is limited to 110kph, with some sections at only 70kph. The plans are to rebuild the line with a straighter path of 43km, and a speed of 200~250kph. Doing so would further cut travel time by around 20 minutes.



































The second line is the *Chuncheon-Sokcho Line*, also known as the East-West higher-speed line. It will be built between Chuncheon and Sokcho. Sokcho, we just mentioned it, will be on the northern section of the Donghae Line, so trains will be able to connect from the Chuncheon-Sokcho Line to the Donghae Line. At the West end of the line will be Chuncheon, which is currently the terminus of the Gyeongchun Line, which currently has both ITX-Cheongchun service (top speed of 180kph) and Seoul Metropolitan Subway service (Gyeongchun Line). The Gyeongchun Line of course then goes all the to Seoul to Mangu Station (and then even further west to Cheongnyangni or even Yongsan station, but by using tracks which are technically not part of the Gyeongchun Line). From Sangbong Station, a Subway trip to Chuncheon currently takes 1h20 minutes, while and ITX-Cheongchun trip takes 55 minutes. The Gyeonchun Line had previously been an unelectrified, single-tracked line, but it was completely rebuilt in 2010, double-tracked and electrified, making it straighter as well (and shorter by 6km).

This new line will basically service as an extension of the Gyeongchun Line. Starting from Chuncheon, it will pass through the stations of Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje and Baekdam before the terminus at Sokcho station. The length of the new line will be 94km. The vast majority of the line will be built underground. Also, one important consideration was the fact that the line will pass through the Seoraksan Mountain National Park, so the route (especially between Baekdam and Sokcho) selected to minimize the environmental impact on the mountain. It will be a single-tracked, electrified line with a top speed of 250kph. This should bring Sokcho to only 1h30 minutes from Seoul by KTX-Eum, which will be introduced on this line.

Something which might be worth keeping an eye on in the future is the capacity of the Gyeongchun Line. Right now, the line has subway service (1 train every 20 minutes or so), and ITX-Cheongchun service (a bit more than 1 train per hour). With the completion of the Chuncheon-Sokcho Line, this will also bring KTX service on the entire Seoul-Sokcho section, meaning KTX service at least once every two hours. Will this be done by keeping the same frequency of ITX-Cheongchun, or will ITX-Cheongchun service will be reduced or replaced by KTX? Also, there is the GTX C Line, which should also be completed by the end of the decade, and which will also share tracks with the Gyeongchun Line from Mangu to Maseok, so this could generate more stress on the line.
























동해선의 마지막 단절구간 착공...북한철도 개량,연결은 난제 | 중앙일보


5일 강원도 고성군 제진역에서 문재인 대통령, 이인영 통일부 장관, 노형욱 국토교통부 장관 등이 참석한 가운데 강릉~제진 구간 철도건설사업의 착…




www.joongang.co.kr













남북철도 동해선 다시 잇는다…강릉∼제진 구간 착공 | 아주경제


한국전쟁으로 운행이 중단됐던 동해선 강릉~제진 구간이 55년 만에 다시 연결된다.국토교통부는 5일 동해선 강릉~제진 철도건설사업의 착공식을 제진역에서 개최했다고 밝혔다.제진역은 2002년 남북 간 합의를 통해 2007년 북한의 감호역과 연결된 곳이다. 이번에 착공된 강...




www.ajunews.com













철도 없던 동해선 강릉~제진 구간 착공…강원도가 더 가까워진다


(사진제공=국토교통부) 동해선 중 유일하게 철도가 놓이지 않은 강릉~제진 구간 철도건설사업이 5일 착공했다. 2027년 말 개통하면 철도 소외지역이었




www.etoday.co.kr













강릉-제진 철도 착공…부산 출발 대륙철도망 꿈 잇는다


남과 북을 연결하는 동해축 철도 노선도. 국토교통부 제공 부산에서 출발해 동해선을 따라 북한을 지나 시베리아 횡단철도 등 대륙철도망...




www.busan.com













[김희준의 교통돋보기]강릉~제진구간 '착공'…동해선 이어 대륙철도 '꿈' 이룰까


사실 앞에 겸손한 민영 종합 뉴스통신사 뉴스1




www.news1.kr













동해선 마지막 단절구간 '강릉~제진' 잇는다…남북철도 연결 의지(종합)


[서울=뉴시스] 강세훈 기자 = 동해선 중 유일하게 철도가 끊어져 있는 강릉~제진 구간 철도건설사업이 첫 삽을 뜬다




newsis.com













춘천~속초 동서고속화철도, 이르면 내년 2월 ‘첫 삽’


환경 피해와 문화재 훼손 우려 등으로 두 차례 발목이 잡혔던 ‘춘천~속초 동서고속화철도(총 93.74㎞)’ 건설이 이르면 내년 2월 첫 삽을 뜬다. 1987년 대선 공약으로 제시되며 강원도민과 춘천시민의 숙원사업으로 떠오른 이후 35년이 걸린 셈이다.▶27일부터 동절기 공사중지 기간··· 끝나면 공사 착수30일 건설업계에 따르면 강원도와 국가철도공단 관계자들은 지난 24일 동서고속화철도 착공계약을 체결했다. 이에 따라 춘천 도심 통과구간과 인제 미시령 지하화 구간부터 공사를 시작한다.하지만 지자체와 국가철도공단 등 관계기관은 현장




www.mstoday.co.kr


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## [email protected] (Jul 25, 2010)




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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Opening of the SeoDaegu High-speed Rail Station*

The new SeoDaegu Station is opening today. The new station is opening today in the West of Daegu (Seo literally means West), on the Gyeongbu HSR line between Seoul and Busan. Right now, all KTX and SRT trains stop at DongDaegu (East Daegu) station, while there is also a centrally located Daegu station with no high-speed rail service but which is used for Mugunghwa and ITX service.

So this new station is opening to provide better access to the west part of Daegu. Right now, this area is mostly industrial, but there are plans to redevelop it.

The station will have 36/38 trains per day call there: 26 KTX (28 during weekends) and 10 SRT (no regular rail service), and 6,000 passengers are expected to use it daily. Right now, the benefit of this station will actually be very limited. First of all, all trains which stop at SeoDaegu will also stop at DongDaegu, which represents 15% of the total amount of trains on the line which will call at both stations. Moreso, trains stopping at SeoDaegu will have to use a slightly slower portion of tracks. Before 2015, all trains passing through Daegu had to use the tracks of the conventional Gyeongbu line in the urban sections of Daegu. A bypass opened in 2015, starting roughly 10km North-West of SeoDaegu, with high-speed tracks built separately, and mostly underground. The bypass then merges back into the conventional track section, but only a couple of hundred meters each of SeoDaegu station (it goes underground of the station). So trains stopping at SeoDaegu will have to use the conventional section instead of the bypass. All in all, in will mean that trains calling at SeoDaegu will take around 8 minutes more than before.

So why this new station? I already quickly mentioned the future redevelopments surrounding the station. Another reason will be to centralize some nearby bus terminals into a major bus terminal near SeoDaegu Station. But the big reason is that today marks only the first of 6 steps in the development of the station itself and its rail service:

Phase 1: Opening today of the station, with some KTX/SRT service, as explained above
Phase 2: In July 2024 will open the Daegu Metropolitan Railroad, which is a new service of commuter rail (but part of the Subway Infrastructure), which will use the conventional Gyeongbu Line to offer high frequency service between Daegu and the nearby cities. The service will be similar to the Donghae Line commuter service between Bujeon and Taehwagang, or some of the Korail subway lines in the Seoul area. The line will start at Gumi, with stops at Sagok, Buksam, Waegwan, Waegwan Industrial Complex, SeoDaegu, Wondae, Daegu, DongDaegu, and Gyeongsan. It will have a total length of 62km, with 9 trains offering service, with frequency of around 1 train every 20 minutes. There are further extensions to the line in planning. The line is using existing tracks, but construction has begun a few years ago to crease stations, passing loops and signaling for this new service.
Phase 3: Daegu Industrial Line. This line has been approved, and should start construction next year. When it opens in 2028, it will have a service similar to the Daegu Metropolitan Railroad, with commuter-like service of rather short trains every 15~20 minutes. The line will have a length of 53km, start in SeoDaegu and go to the industrial areas of the South West of Daegu. There will be 9 stops overall, including Keimyung University Station (Line 2), Seolhwa-Myeonggok (Line 1), with the terminus at Daegu National Industrial Park Station
Phase 4: Now we get to the lines which are still under planning, and not completely approved. The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Line will somewhat mirror the Daegu Industrial Line, but to the North-West. It will start at SeoDaegu Station, and go North, to a terminus at Uiseong where it will connect with the existing Jungang Line. There will also be intermediate stations at DongGumi, and especially at the new Daegu International Airport, to be built in Gunwi County and planned for completion in 2028, around 45km North of Daegu. So this railroad would be a vital link to the airport. The type of service is still unclear, but most likely it will be similar to GTX in Seoul, so super-rapid commuter trains, with a top speed of almost 180kph. For frequency, I guess they're also targeting up to 2 or 3 trains per hour.
Phase 5: Daegu Circular Line. Again a line which is still under planning. Also sometimes known as Line 4, it will most likely be a tram line in central Daegu, with a length of around 30 km and connecting all the existing lines. The line will be entirely East of SeoDaegu station. However, there are plans to also build a branch connecting with the line, from SeoDaegu to 1.5km to the East, where it would join with the main Circular Line. The design of this line is not completed yet.
Phase 6: Even earlier in planning stages, and which might not get built at all, is the Moonlight Naeryuk Line, which is a single-tracked main line connecting SeoDaegu with Gwangju in the South West of the country. The two large cities are not directly linked by railroad, and this long line of 200km or so would do just that. Most likely, the track would mainly have ITX-Saemaeul service, or maybe KTX-Eum. But it's way to early to say.

So there you have it. Today's opening is just a first phase, which might actually be more of an annoyance for many as it will increase overall traffic time. But in the long run, SeoDaegu is expected to become a bigger hub, with up to 6 types of service using the line.
















































경부 고속철 서대구역 오늘 개통


경부 고속철 서대구역 오늘 개통




www.chosun.com













경부선 고속철도 서대구역 31일 정식운영 시작


주말 기준 KTX 28회, SRT열차 10회 정차<br/>대구산업선과 대구권광역철도 연계 예정



economist.co.kr













5개 철도 잇는 서대구역, 호남권 교통 허브 '우뚝'


대구 서·남부권 숙원사업이었던 서대구역이 31일 정식 개통된다. 1965년 도시계획시설(역 광장)로 지정된 이후 57년 만이다. 서대구역에는 주말 기준으로 KTX 28회(상행 14회·하행 14회), 수서 고속철(SRT) 10회(상행 5회·하행 5회) 등 고속열차가 하루 38회 정차한다. 서대구역 개통으로 대구시는 고속열차가 2개소에 정차하는 광역시가 됐다. △2개 역 모두 정차…서울 제외한 최초 사례. 서대구역(서구 이현동)은 고속철도 이용객의 증가로 이미 포화상태인 동대구역의 기능을 분산하고 대구 서·남부권 지역주민의 고속철도 접




www.kyongbuk.co.kr


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## OnRail123 (10 mo ago)

The Seo Daegu Station looks like a very nice commuter stop. The only strange thing is that the superstructure is at one end of the platform instead of being in the middle of the platform. Is there a particular reason for that?


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

OnRail123 said:


> The Seo Daegu Station looks like a very nice commuter stop. The only strange thing is that the superstructure is at one end of the platform instead of being in the middle of the platform. Is there a particular reason for that?


I don't know for sure, but my guess is that West of the station, if you go to the West (to Seoul) the line starts curving to the right after a couple of hundred meters, so it was probably easier to set the platforms to the east on a straight path rather than in or just before a turn.


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Dawonsys completes production of first new batch of EMU 150 (ITX-Saemaeul)*

I think that we mentioned on this thread a couple of years ago that Woojin had been awarded a contract for the manufacture of new EMU 150 trains. For legal reasons, that tender was cancelled and the contract was eventually awarded to Dawonsys in 2019. Now, the first train has been completed and Dawonsys held a public ceremony to communicate about the new trains, which should enter service quite soon after they are tested.

These trains are officially known as the Korea Class 220000 (and another batch will be 230000). They will complement the Korea Class 210000 which are the red ITX-Saemaeul trains, which entered service in 2014. Up until now, ITX-Saemaeul had remained somewhat of a minor service in Korea. In the 1970s and 1980s, Korea mostly focused on subways, then turned its attention to shiny new KTX Lines in the 1990s and 2000s. But, Korea's network was still quite weak when it comes to conventional intercity lines and non-high speed services. The network of conventional lines is actually quite limited (Gyeongjeon, Gyeongbuk, Donghae, Chungbuk, Taebaek, Yeongdong, Gyeongchun, Janghang, Gyeongjeon, Jungang), as well as a couple of lines which share tracks with or have been doubled up by HSR (Gyeongbu, Honam, Jeolla). Up until recently, many of these lines had been single-tracked and unelectrified (and not built very straight). The main service was of course the Mugunghwa class, with old cars and pulled by diesel engines, which wasn't so eco-friendly either. Trains tend to be slow (rarely go over 130 kph), with poor acceleration and braking performance.

But since the last 15 years or so, a lot of attention has been put on improving the existing conventional lines (realignment, double-tracking, electrification). The main examples being of course the Gyeongchun Line (which already have the ITX-Cheongchun service), Janghang Line (to be completed upgraded by 2025), Donghae Line (already well upgraded and last section to be completed in 2 years), Gyeongjeon Line (all upgrades completed by this year, except for the Gwangju-Suncheon section which will take more time), Jungang Line (all upgrades to be completed by 2024).

So the first ITX-Saemaeul enter service in 2014, to replace the old Saemaeul as the 2nd tier of the 3-tier (KTX, ITX, Mugunghwa) system. But only a small number of trains entered service (24 trains for 144 cars in total), on some limited routes. Which is also understandable because many of the lines were still unelectrified or had speed limits which limited the added speed granted by ITX.

But now, Dawonsys will supply a first batch of 150 cars (including 4-train cars and 6-train cars), more than doubling the current stock, as part of the Korea Class 220000, and most should enter service next year, some as early as the end of this year. Dawonsys was also awarded the Korea Class 230000 batch, for 158 cars, which will be built right afterwards and should enter service within 3~5 years. So in the next 5 years, the rail landscape will have changed drastically, with the new EMU 150 planned to join the ITX-Saemaeul fleet and basically becoming the 3rd tier of service, after the KTX tier and the KTX-Eum tier, while the Mugunghwa Class will be progressively retired.

As with the first batch of ITX-Saemaeul, the design speed is 165 kph with an operational speed of 150 kph, with better acceleration and braking, and a smoother ride. It will also have better amenities for passengers, such as more legroom, information screens, improved restrooms and charging ports. It will enter service on most of the conventional lines that I mentioned above, and should be a stark improvement compared to the current Mugunghwa, both in terms of speed and comfort.
































코레일 EMU-150 간선형 전동차 출고…견인력·효율성 '우수'


[서울=뉴시스] 홍찬선 기자 = 다원시스는 31일 정읍 공장에서 ‘코레일 EMU-150 간선형 전동차 출고 기념식’을 개최했다고 밝혔다




newsis.com













[기업탐방]준고속 전동차 'EMU-150' 생산…무궁화호 빈자리 달린다


무궁화호는 지난 1977년부터 우리나라 곳곳의 철길을 누볐다. 사람 나이로는 45살의 중년에 해당한다. 도입 당시만 해도 우등객차로 분류됐던 무궁화호는 세월이 흐르며 고속철도인 KTX와 전동열차인 ITX에 자리를 내주며 운행 중인 국내 여객열차 중 최하위 등급으로 내려갔다. 사용 기간도 오래돼 노후화로 차례대로 퇴역 절차를 밟고 있다. 노후화된 무궁화호와 새마을호는 전동화 열차인 '




view.asiae.co.kr


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

^^Beat me to it! Always exciting to see a new face on Korea's ralways!


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## Miguel UltraNB05 (Nov 19, 2021)

ruready1000 said:


> *Trains on Hyundai-Rotem Factory Yard*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This EMU is operating here in Salvador (actually)

Sounds:




Outside vision:




Interior vision:


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

*Honam Line realignment passes KDI's feasibility study*

Some news regarding the Honam Line, as plans to realign the line have passed the KDI's feasibility study, which is the most important milestone to get a project approved because it ensures that the project will be financed by the central government.

It's a relatively minor project, but should nonetheless significantly improve travel times in the area. This project is more specifically about the section of the Honam Line between SeoDaejeon and Nonsan. Right now, the line is mostly used by some KTX which use the conventional tracks instead of dedicated Honam HSR, as well as Mugunghwa trains. The purpose of the line being to offer services to community not on the main KTX tracks, as well as directly connect Gwangju and Daejeon, which are not connected by high-speed lines because the Gyeongbu HSR and Honam HSR meet further North in Osong. The existing tracks are electrified and double-tracked, but are extremely twisty, as you can see below. There are 45km of tracks, and it takes 33 minutes to reach Nonsan from SeoDaejeon, with an intermediate stop at Gyeryong. Now, the 2 most twisty sections will be replaced by more straight and fast sections. This will reduce the length of the tracks by 10.6km, and reduce travel times from 33 to 20 minutes, with new track alignments allowing for greater speed of up to 230 kph in some sections. A couple of alternative routes were considered which would have cut down travel times by an additional 2 minutes or so, but they would have been more costly, and would have required relocating Nonsan and Gyeryong stations to less central locations.

So overall, this project, which is due to start construction in 2025 for a completion in 2030, will cost over KRW 700 Bn, and help reduce travel times on the line by 13 minutes.


























_[START OF RANT]Also, if I may go on a quick rant... which I already made a few months ago on this post (SOUTH KOREA | Railways).

What I'd really like if for this section to be used to bring direct KTX service between Gwangju and Daegu. Right now, the 2 provincial capitals of the rival provinces are not directly connected, with the only way to go from Daegu to Gwangju being to use the KTX and transfer trains all the way North at Osong to go back South. It takes at the very least 2h10 (but that's with optimal transfer times, so actually closer to 2h30, and that would be expensive because KTX fares depend on number of kilometers of tracks used). And while there is currently no direct service, it could be possible in the future to use the southern Gyeongjeon Line to connect Daegu with Gwangju (but that would take even longer). Right now, there is a plan to build the Moonlight Inland Line, which would be a straight line between Daegu and Gwangju. But at roughly 200km long, it would only be single tracked, not built to extremely fast standards, and not pass through any populated area, at all (the largest "city" would be Namwon). So that's around 4 billion USD to build the Moonlight Inland Line, which would have very limited demand.
Instead of that, they could use the existing lines, using the Gyeongbu HSR Line from Daegu to Daejeon, then the short Daejeon Line connecting Daejeon and SeoDaejeon, then the improved Honam Line until Nonsan, then finally the Honam HSR from roughly Nonsan to Gwangju. This would require 2 things. The first one is to put back the Daejeon Line in service. The 5.7km line was discontinued in 2015 after the opening of the HSR. Apparently Korail already plans to eventually reopen it. The line is single tracked, and there were issues with 2 big at-grade crossing, but one was solved with the creation of a tunnel for the road. They are also rebuilding the rail bridge over the Daejeon stream. Maybe a bit more work could be needed to do some more grade separation, with a road tunnel or elevated tracks for 1 km or 2, but overall, not complicated nor costly. The second one is to physically connect the Honam conventional and HSR lines, which intersect but not actually connect just West of Nonsan. With this connection, it would allow trains coming from Nonsan to directly go onto the Honam HSR line straight to Iksan and then Gwangju, because for now trains have to keep using the Honam conventional line until Iksan, which takes I believe about 12 additional minutes. It would just require building one connection here, which is quite similar to what is being done for the Incheon KTX project right now.
With that plan, it would, according to my calculations, take the following time between GwangjuSongjeong and DongDaegu: DongDaegu-Daejeon (40 minutes) / Daejeon-SeoDaejeon (5 minutes) / SeoDaejeon-Nonsan (20 minutes) / Nonsan - Nonsan junction (6 minutes) / Nonsan junction - Iksan (9 minutes) / Iksan - GwangjuSongjeong (30 minutes).
That's a total of 110 minutes, let's say 115 minutes for good measure. It easily beats the Osong transfer method by at least 15 minutes, and of course is direct. It's probably faster than the Moonlight Inland Line, and passes through many more busy areas, so with much more demand. And even for the important Daejeon-Gwangju section, it would reduce travel time from around 2 hours to less than 70 minutes. And of course, it would cost maybe 1/10th of what the Moonlight Inland Line costs (one junction near Nonsan, maybe a bit more to do some grade separation on the Daejeon Line.

Yet, I've not really seen serious proposals for combining these projects together... Am I missing something? Is it because of some properties of the Daejeon Line which makes it completely unsuitable? I don't think it is? Is it because it would be opposed by the Chungbuk Province as it would reduce the importance of Osong station? I don't think that it's because of track capacity, I don't see any big track alignment issue either (maybe the level junction just north of Daejeon station?)[END OF RANT]_



https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20220824191229











'KTX 타고 논산훈련소까지'… 호남선 고속화 사업 예타 통과


노후화된 호남선 고속철도(KTX) 가수원역-논산역 구간이 재정비되고 서대전역이 종점인 용산발 KTX도 논산훈련소가 있는 신연무대역까지 연장 운행할 수 있게 됐다.국토교통부는 호남선(가수원-논산) 철도 고속화 사업이 기재부 예비타당성조사를 통과했다고 24일 밝혔다.호남선 고속화 사업은 대전 가수원에서 충남 계룡을 거쳐 논산역까지 총 29.2㎞ 구간의 선형을 개량해 철도 운행 안전성을 높이고 고속화하는 사업으로, 사업비 7192억 원이 투입된다.국토부는 지난 2016년 제3차 국가철도망계획에 신규사업으로 반영된 이후 사업계획을 구체화해




www.daejonilbo.com


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

I'd think, as you say at the end of your "rant" (really quite modest by those standards ), I think the objections from Chungbuk would be a substantial part of the explanation. After all, the complaints from the province for lack of KTX service were one of the reasons the Honam HSR ever started there in the first place. It's never made any sense; Daejeon is the much more obvious, natural junction between the Gyeongbu/Honam KTX, and even now, the area around Osong station is relatively undeveloped. _(Cue mini-rant from me that _I've_ said before--why on Earth did they not at least put Sejong around Osong station? Then they're talking about maybe building a short line to Sejong? What a waste.)_

We all know, too, that major infrastructure developments in any country are political footballs. Especially given Korea's larger socioeconomic situation and the popularity of infrastructure development in East Asian political economy, a rail line through two depopulating rural regions (Honam and Yeongnam) that are often politically-opposed could provide great PR to whichever party finishes the project.


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## kimahrikku1 (Dec 24, 2012)

aquaticko said:


> I'd think, as you say at the end of your "rant" (really quite modest by those standards ), I think the objections from Chungbuk would be a substantial part of the explanation. After all, the complaints from the province for lack of KTX service were one of the reasons the Honam HSR ever started there in the first place. It's never made any sense; Daejeon is the much more obvious, natural junction between the Gyeongbu/Honam KTX, and even now, the area around Osong station is relatively undeveloped. _(Cue mini-rant from me that _I've_ said before--why on Earth did they not at least put Sejong around Osong station? Then they're talking about maybe building a short line to Sejong? What a waste.)_
> 
> We all know, too, that major infrastructure developments in any country are political footballs. Especially given Korea's larger socioeconomic situation and the popularity of infrastructure development in East Asian political economy, a rail line through two depopulating rural regions (Honam and Yeongnam) that are often politically-opposed could provide great PR to whichever party finishes the project.


That might really well be the case. As for the existence of Osong Station and the location of the Honam HSR - Gyeongbu HSR junction, I can actually understand it. Back then, I believe Cheongju was actually bigger than Cheonan, and building the Gyeongbu HSR line through Cheonan instead of Cheongju would have left Chungbuk totally in the dust, and the only main province with the KTX access at all (I'm excluding Gangneung, because its location, economics and demographics is completely different). The line wouldn't even been much longer, it would have probably been just a bit more expensive because the terrain is a bit more hilly on that side. And then for the Honam HSR they likewise had to choose where to put the junction, South of Cheonan, or of Osong, or of Daejeon. Cheonan is faster but would have created opposition from both Daejeon and Chungbuk, and also have been more expensive. Daejeon made more sense for the natural demand, but would have also taken a bit more time to reach the Honam area. Then there's of course the question of the exact location of Osong Station. Should it have been closer to downtown Cheongju (more demand / longer travel time)? Should it instead have been closer to Sejong (or should have Sejong been built where Osong Station is located, which was actually the plan at some point). These are very complex questions. I'm still quite convinced that splitting the line South of Daejeon would have made the most sense, but then it would have faced huge opposition from Chungbuk, and maybe years and millions of dollars of delay. So they decided to sacrifice a bit of rail network efficiency for political peace and less regional infighing... which I can understand. An unfortunate compromise for travelers, but one which is understandable.

That being said, for my rant about this project of upgrading the Honam line and running KTX between Gwangju, Seodaejeon and then Daegu, I don't think that there is much to lose for Osong. People who wanted to go from Gwangju to Daegu usually didn't take trains at all, instead driving or taking the bus. And if they do take the train to transfer at Osong, it doesn't really bring any real economic benefit to Osong or the region (apart from money from the vending machines from people waiting for their KTX transferring platforms at Osong station, haha). Introducing the service that I propose would really only require adding new trains on the Gwangju-Daejeon-Daegu section, which I believe is not saturated. I don't really see how it could affect the demand of trains at Osong otherwise, or lead to a decrease of train service in Osong. I guess that symbolically, it could reduce Osong in its role as a rail transport node, but effectively, it wouldn't have any influence on traffic or service at Osong. And Osong is lucky enough... they have the tracks, the station, the junction, they'll soon have the Pyeongtaek-Osong separate tracks which will strengthen Osong compared to Cheonan, with more potential projects there, so I think it's okay to disregard Osong and Chungbuk for once.


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