PRESIDENT Park Geun-hye of Korea along with 1200 invited guests and members of the public attended a ceremony at Songjeong station in Gwangju on April 1 to mark the opening of the new 182.3km high-speed line from Osong to Gwangju. New KTX Honam services from Seoul to Mokpo will begin using the line on April 2.
KOREA's national passenger operator Korail has placed a Won 154.4bn ($US 138m) order with Hyundai Rotem for 22 EMUs for commuter services. The trains will be deployed on the Donghae Nambu line in southeast Korea and the new Seongnam - Yeoju Line, work on which is due to be completed by the end of 2015.
HYUNDAI Information Technology has awarded Siemens a €20m contract to supply automation and signalling equipment for the 23km Sosa - Wonsi mixed traffic line which is currently under construction in Seoul.
Ten years after the launch of KTX, Korea's high-speed rail network continues to grow and the country's railway industry is working on the development of the next generation of high-speed trains. Dr Gil-hyun Kang, senior vice-president of Hyundai Rotem, charts the evolution of KTX.
To cope with increasing demand for rail transport in Korea, Korean Rail Network Authority is engaging in a programme of new railway construction and improvements to existing infrastructure that will enhance services provided by national operator Korail and its new private subsidiary Suseo High Speed Railway Corporation. Kevin Smith profiles the projects.
Despite the Korean War ending in 1953, peace has never actually been declared between North and South Korea which remain separated by the world's most heavily-guarded border. However, Korail president and CEO Dr Choi Yeon-Hye believes the railway connections between the two countries could provide the basis for a peaceful reunification, as Kevin Smith discovered during a visit to Seoul.
SUSEO High Speed Railway Corporation (SHSRC) has awarded Hyundai-Rotem a contract worth Won 342.2bn ($US 302m) to supply 10 high-speed trains, which are being ordered for the extension of the high-speed network to Suseo and Mokpo in 2017.
SEOUL Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) has issued an invitation to tender for a contract to carry out detailed design for the 7.7km eastern extension of metro Line 5 from Sangildong to Hanam.
KOREA's national rail operator, Korail, has issued a call for tender for 15 10-car high-speed trains for operation on the new Wongang line which opens in 2017 and will link Wonju, southeast of Seoul, with the east coast city of Gangneung.
Korail's new rail tourism initiative is transforming the performance of poorly-patronised regional railways and being hailed as a shining example of president Park Geun-hye's plan to transform Korea into a "creative economy" based more on service industries and innovation, as David Briginshaw discovers.