THE Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Molit) has announced that test operations and final inspections are due to start imminently on the Dongtan - Suseo section of the new Great Train eXpress Line A (GTX-A) urban rail line in Seoul. This marks the final phase of preparations before this first section opens in March 2024.

Korea National Railway (KNR) completed the majority of construction on the 28km Dongtan - Suseo section last month, with work on ventilation shafts and station buildings currently in their final stages. The majority of this section of the line shares tracks with the Super Rapid Train (SRT) high-speed line between Dongtan and Seongnam.

The remaining 9km section will run in tunnel with work on this completed in late 2022. Trains will operate at up to 180km/h on the new line. Hyundai Rotem was awarded a Won 345.2bn ($US 260m) contract to supply trains in March 2020.

KNR is also responsible for building the 17.7km new-build section from Suseo to Samseong while the private SG Rail consortium, which is led by Shinhan Bank, is building the remaining 37.4km section from Samseong to Unjeong (Paju).

Molit says it has already carried out preliminary inspection of the initial section of the project, together with partner organisations including the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, KNR, Korail, SRT, and Seoul Metro. It says that advice from experts who also took part in the initial inspection will also be taken onboard to improve operations.

Scheduled test operations will take place over four months in phases starting with a pre-inspection in December, followed by an infrastructure verification test in January. Trial runs will be conducted in February and March, before the line officially opens towards the end of March.

The line was originally scheduled to open in 2023 but work has been held up by land acquisition disputes and major archaeological discoveries made along the route.

“As comprehensive test operations are a crucial final step in verifying safety prior to launching the GTX, all effort will be put behind carrying out these tests rigorously to ensure the line opens at the right time," says Mr Won Hee-ryong, Korea’s minister of land, infrastructure and transport.

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