SOUTH KOREA: Test running has started on a 28 km section of Line A on the Great Train Express commuter rail network in Seoul.
The first test run starting at Suseo station on September 21 was attended by Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport. The trials will cover inspection of facilities, testing the running lines and electrical equipment, implementing safe driving techniques and checking the interaction between trains and the lineside equipment.
According to current regulations, the first of the 20 eight-car trainsets, supplied by Hyundai Rotem, is required to complete 10 000 km of fault-free operation before the start of revenue services, but the operator plans to complete 30 000 km. The first EMU has been under testing since April on the Osong test track and on the Bubal – Chungju section of the Central Inland Line.
Line A of the network is scheduled to open in stages starting with the Suseo – Dongtan section in early next year. It will be 82 km long with 11 stations linking Unjeong in the northwestern town of Paju with Dongtan in the southeast of the Seoul conurbation. The alignment will be entirely underground, up to 40 m below ground level at the deepest points.
GTX trains will operate at up to 180 km/h, offering end-to-end commercial speeds of around 100 km/h. Hyundai Rotem unveiled the first trainset at its Changwon plant in December.
‘No matter how important timely opening is, nothing is more important than safety, so safety will be the top priority during the commissioning process’, the minister said. ‘Today I tested the GTX-A vehicle, and I found it quiet and running comfortably, while it reached Dongtan from Suseo in 20 min only, which is very impressive.’
