The Korea Railroad Corporation, or Korail, the national railway operator, announced on June 8 that it signed an order with Hyundai Rotem for 30 EMU-250 high-speed electrical train cars, to be supplied by August 2020.

The new high speed trains will run along the Gyeongjeon Line (경전선, 慶全線), built for speeds of over 200 kph. The 300-kilometer Gyeongjeon Line stretches from Samnangjin Station in Miryang City, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, to Gwangju's Songjeong Station in Gwangju City.

The new EMU-250s, with a maximum speed of 250 kph, feature several upgrades from the KTX-Sancheon or KTX-II trains currently being used. Most noticeably, the EMU-250 has engines built into each railway car, which improves the train's acceleration and deceleration capabilities.

The EMU-250 was developed back in 2007. By March 2013, the train reached speeds of 421.4 kph, fourth-fastest in the world, and completed a test drive spanning 12,000 kilometers. Korail notes that it's thanks to the commercialization of the EMU-250 that Korean rolling stock companies are now able to compete on the international high-speed railway market.

Korail President Hong Soon Man said, "There's an opportunity for Korean companies to win a KRW 14.3 trillion contract for the Malaysia-Singapore railway, laying down 320 kilometers of high-speed track. Meanwhile, Turkey State Railways also has plans to build tracks between Ankara and Sivas, and between Ankara and Izmir. These projects, worth over KRW 3 trillion, will demand high-speed trains like the Korean EMU-250, creating a chance for us to expand globally."

By Wi Tack-whan, Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photo: Korail
whan23@korea.kr