SOUTH KOREA: The national network has expanded with the opening of two strategic links in recent weeks.
The final 145·1 km section of the upgraded Central main line and the handover of a 166·3 km missing link on the country’s eastern coast has enabled national operator Korail to launch a second route from Seoul to Busan while also introducing services from Daegu and Busan to Gangneung.
Second corridor to Busan
Korail introduced inter-city services on December 20 in the second corridor linking the capital with Busan. This followed a ceremony at Andong station the previous day marking completion of work to rebuild the main line between Dodam and Yeongcheon, a distance of 145 km.
The 328 km Central (Jungang) line now runs from Cheongnyangni station in Seoul to Gyeongju on the existing Gyeongbu high speed line that links Seoul to Busan. The route has been progressively double-tracked and electrified over recent years.
The 4·3tr won project to modernise the Dodam – Yeongcheon section covered electrification, double-tracking and shortening the alignment from 168·1 km to 145·1 km. The maximum line speed was raised to 250 km/h. A continuous cross-rib arch bridge has been constructed over the Nakdong river in Andong.
The Cheongnyangni – Deokso section of the corridor opened after rebuilding in 2010, the Jecheon – Dodam line was handed over in 2011, and the Wonju – Jecheon and Yeongcheon – Gyeongju sections opened in 2021.
‘The Central line, a new KTX line crossing the country, will invigorate the regional economy and support balanced national development’, said Korail President Han Moon-Hee at the ceremony in Andong.
Services
Trains run from Cheongnyangni in Seoul to Bujeon station in Busan via the Central line as far as Gyeongju. From there, the new services reach Busan via Taewaghang station in Ulsan rather than using the high speed line via Ulsan KTX station; this lies more than 10 km from the city centre.
Three express services run per day in each direction using Korail’s KTX-EUM high speed trainsets, built by Hyundai Rotem. These complete the 433 km journey in 3 h 56 min.
Two long-distance stopping services run between Cheongnyangni and Bujeon in each direction using Korail’s ITX-Maum trainsets built by Dawonsys. These complete the end-to-end journey in 5 h 40 min.
When a further upgrading of the signalling on the Andong – Yeongcheon section has been completed — due for the end of the year — the journey time from Seoul to Busan over the new route is expected to fall to 3 h 40 min, while stopping services are to be increased to nine daily in each direction.
East Coast connection
Meanwhile, Korail introduced revenue services from Busan and Daegu to Gangneung on the East Coast (Donghae) line on January 1. This follows the completion of 166·3 km of new alignment between Pohang and Samcheok at a cost of 3·4tr won. A further 441·3bn won has been spent on electrification of the 172·8 km Pohang – Sangcheok – Donghae line.
Four daily return services operated by ITX-Maum trainsets are now being provided between Bujeon and Gangneung, with an end-to-end journey time of 4 h 50 min. Four more daily services run between Dongdaegu station in Daegu and Gangneung. Korail plans to introduce KTX-EUM trainsets on the route by the end of 2025, allowing operation at up to 260 km/h.
- A feature article about the development of a medium high speed network in South Korea from the June 2022 issue of Railway Gazette International is available to subscribers.
