Korail to introduce EMU-320 from 2032 — 49 trainsets capable of 320 km/h
South Korea is set to enter a new era of high-speed rail with the introduction of a next-generation train capable of reaching 320 kilometers per hour.
Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) announced Wednesday that its next-generation high-speed train introduction project had cleared the final preliminary feasibility review conducted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance for public institution projects.
The project was initiated to replace 46 KTX-1 trainsets expected to reach the end of their service life in 2033 and to ensure a stable operating environment for high-speed rail services.
The feasibility review confirmed the project scope at 49 trainsets of the EMU-320, a distributed-power high-speed train with 16 cars per set, totaling 784 cars. The total project cost is estimated at around 5 trillion won ($3.28 billion), factoring in projected inflation. On top of replacing the 46 KTX-1 trainsets, the project includes additional vehicles to expand seating capacity and provide reserve trains for emergency situations.
The next-generation KTX will offer up to 1,000 seats per trainset and has been designed with passenger safety and convenience as priorities. As a distributed-power train — with traction motors spread across individual cars rather than concentrated in a locomotive — it will be faster than the existing 300 km/h KTX-1 and better suited to South Korea's geography, where stations are relatively close together, thanks to superior acceleration and braking performance.
Korail plans to enhance safety through a condition-based maintenance system and an advanced derailment detection device, while improving energy efficiency by adopting streamlined aerodynamic design, an intelligent energy-saving automatic train control system and high-efficiency permanent magnet synchronous motors.
"The next-generation KTX is a core national infrastructure investment project aimed at resetting the standard for high-speed rail in South Korea," Korail President Kim Tae-seung said. "We will work closely with the government and relevant agencies to introduce the next-generation KTX on schedule and deliver safe, convenient high-speed rail services that passengers can truly feel the difference in."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
