Korean Train eXpress

(KTX)
(A Mass Transit Transport System of South Korea)
 Salient Features of KTX

History
The Seoul-Busan axis is Korea's main traffic corridor. In 1982, it represented
65.8% of South Korea's population, a number that grew to 73.3% by 1995, along
with 70% of freight traffic and 66% of passenger traffic. With both the Gyeongbu
Expressway and Korail's Gyeongbu Line congested as of the late 1970s, the
government saw the pressing need for another form of transportation. The first
proposals for a second Seoul-Busan railway line originated from a study prepared
between 1972 and 1974 by experts from France's SNCF and the Japan Railway
Technical Service on a request from the IBRD.

Korean Train eXpress (KTX) was proposed and construction started in 1992. KTX
services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the KTX lines radiate
with stops at Seoul Station, Yongsan station towards Busan and Gwangju. A new
line from Wonju to Gangneung was completed in December 2017 to serve the
2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
 Construction
KTX is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail . Construction
began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. Construction started
before the choice of the main technology supplier, thus alignment design was set
out to be compatible with all choices. Of the planned 411 km (255 mi) line, 152.73
km (94.90 mi) would be laid on bridges, and another 138.68 km (86.17 mi) in
tunnels. However, plans were changed repeatedly, in particular those for city
sections, following disputes with local governments, while construction work
suffered from early quality problems. Planned operating speed was also reduced
from 350 km/h (217 mph) to the 300 km/h (186 mph) maximum of high-speed
trains on the market. The technology was almost identical to that found on the
high-speed lines of France's TGV system. Track-related design specifications
included a design speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) and standard gauge.

It was Laid in 3 Phases :

 Phase 1: Seoul–Daegu and conventional line upgrades

 Phase 2: Daegu–Busan, extra stations, urban sections
 Phase 3: Further upgrades of connecting conventional lines (Upgrade of the
AREX, Chungbuk, Daegok–Sosa–Wonsi, Daegu, Donghae Bukbu etc)
 Actual Ridership
KTX was introduced on 1 April 2004. In the first 100 days, daily passenger
numbers averaged 70,250, generating an operational revenue of about 2.11
billion won per day, 54% of what was expected. The average daily number of KTX
users more than tripled from 72,000 in 2004 to 226,000 this year, it noted. In
2012, Korail operated 200 KTX trains per day carrying 53 million passengers.

Today, The number of KTX lines has increased from two in the first year to eight
now and the Seoul-Busan line is the busiest route with an average of 17,000
passengers a day. The total number of passengers on KTX high-speed trains is set
to exceed 1 billion this week after 19 years and five months of operation, KTX
operator the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) said Wednesday. It is Estimated that
The two lines serve an average of more than 100,000 users daily,

A ridership Record of KTX from 2004-2012

 Operational and
Maintenance Cost
A crucial decision in high-speed services is whether to build a dedicated new high-
speed line rather than upgrade the existing railway. The construction costs of new
lines can be very substantial. High-speed railway construction costs for a number
of KTX lines ranges from around €10 million/kilometre to €70 million/kilometre
(A$16 million to A$110 million). Key factors that drive up construction costs are
terrain and the availability of land, especially when there is high population
density in city centres to which a high-speed line needs to access. The varying
costs of line construction; the high cost of the KTX line was driven by
environmental amelioration work and the tunnelling costs to Souel. This
highlights the importance of land corridors in determining high-speed line
viability. Ongoing costs of maintenance and service provision are also substantial.
Exacting standards are required for line maintenance and the high-speed trains
themselves are relatively costly—a 9- carriage KTX train would cost in the order
of A$30 million–A$40 million. High-speed services are inherently costly.
 Routes
From Seoul Station the KTX lines radiate with stops at Seoul Station, Yongsan
station towards Busan and Gwangju. Most KTX trains leave from Seoul Station or
Yongsan Station and terminate in the cities of Busan, Gwangju, Mokpo, Yeosu,
Pohang, Gangneung and Jinju. Most major cities are served in between. . A new
line from Wonju to Gangneung was completed in December 2017 to serve the
2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

There are three types of KTX trains, KTX-I, KTX-Sancheon, and KTX-Eum. KTX-
Sancheon has better seats and power plugs for each seat. KTX-I trains have fewer
power plugs between the window. There is no extra fare for KTX-Sancheon. KTX-
Eum is the latest train, and runs only on the Jungang line to Wonju, Jecheon,
Yeongju, and Andong.
 Capacity
KTX operates several types of trains, including KTX-Sancheon, KTX-Eum, and KTX-I.
Each type may have different seating arrangements and capacities. On average, a
standard KTX train may have six to ten cars, while some longer-distance routes
might have more.

Thirty Four of the TGV- style KTX high speed train sets were built domestically in
Korea based on a technology transfer from SNCF while other 12 were built in
France. Each 388-m Train has 20 Carriages, including 2 motorcars, 2 Powered
Passenger Cars. Each Train ha 935 Seats, Including 127 in first Class(three seats
per row) and 808 in economy class(four seats per row). Operations safety is
assured by an onboard Computer system(OBCS), fire detector system, and
automatic sensors to detect any malfunction. The two lines serve an average of
more than 100,000 users daily.
 Capital Budget
The Government decided to invest in the construction of a new high-speed
railway connecting Seoul and Busan in 1992 along with the electrification of the
existing Homan line (Daejon-Mokpo) to expand the high-speed rail network. The
total cost of the projects was approximately US$17.6 billion. The Government
contributed 45 per cent of the cost for the KTX project (10 per cent in loans and
35 per cent in grants). The rest of the funding came from the Korea High Speed
Rail Construction Authority (KHRC) – 29 per cent from bonds, 24 per cent from
foreign loans and 2 per cent from private capital.
 Contribution in National
Economy
The KTX Gyeongbu (Seoul–Busan) high-speed rail line was commissioned in 1992
to service excess demand for transport along this corridor, which was home to
about two thirds of the country’s population and nearly three quarters of its gross
national product generation. The Korean Train eXpress, or KTX, has become a
competitive and reliable mode of medium- to long-distance intercity
transportation.Investment in the KTX, which constituted a major change in
government policy from the previous focus on road infrastructure, has helped
revitalize the railway industry and its competitiveness.

The 100 millionth rider was carried after 1116 days of operation on April 22,
2007, when cumulative income stood at 2.78 trillion won. In 2011, KTX trains
generated an operating profit of $426 million on revenues of $1.3 billion.
According to The Korea Transport Institute, the high speed train program is to
generate benefits worth 7.5 trillion won and reduce the Korean railway budget by
840 billion won by 2020. The operation of the KTX resulted in significant changes
in the transportation network of Korea, which changed the entire country from a
“one-day life zone” into a “half-day life zone”, that reduced the travel time within
Korea to less than 3 h

At present, the KTX is earning about Won2.1 billion each day, taking about 52%
of the nation’s total rail volume and 45% of the total rail operating income.
 Reference Links
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https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/09/113_358147.html

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Kyung Chul Lee, “Launch of Korean high-speed railway and efforts to innovate future Korean railway”
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8 Sunduck Suh and others, “Effects of Korean train express (KTX) operation on the national transport
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9 Nam-Geon Cho and Jin-Kyu Chung, “High speed rail construction of Korea and its impact”, KRIHS
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