Director General Sohn Byeong-seok of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)(Photo:MOLIT)

The Honam High-speed Railway, to be opened to the public in early April, will reinvigorate regional economies and promote a balanced land development, said Director General Sohn Byeong-seok of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). 

The following are excerpts of an interview between NewsWorld and Dir. Gen. Sohn in which he spoke about the development of homegrown high-speed train technology, the nation’s exploration of foreign railroad markets and other ministry policies. 

Question: What’s the significance and expected benefits of the opening of the Honam High-speed Railway?

Answer: The soon-to-be opened Honam High-speed Railway will not only serve as a main line linking the Seoul metropolitan area and Jeolla provincial area, along with the existing Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) High-speed Railway, but it will also contribute to reinvigorating local economies and balanced land development by expanding beneficiary districts of Korea Train Express (KTX) services and greatly reducing travel times between districts. The travel time on the Yongsan-Songjeong, Gwangju high-speed line will be reduced by 66 minutes to one hour and 33 minutes. 

A research study on Honam High-speed Railway’s master plan conducted by Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement (KRIHS) in December 2005 showed that the line would have spill-over effects worth 24.9 trillion won and job inducing effects of 172,000 jobs at the time of launching construction, and it would have production inducing effects worth 77 billion won annually during the stage of operation. 

A survey on the benefits of the opening of the Honam High-speed Railway commissioned by Korea Railway Network Authority (KR) is being conducted during the period between Jan. 29 and March 29 to give a more precise analysis of social and economic effects it will have. 

Q: Will you tell us about the chronology of the construction of the Honam High-speed Railway?

A: A feasibility study was conducted in 1990 into the Honam High-speed Railway Project designed to promote balanced land development and reinvigorate economies of the Jeolla provincial area. But the project took another twist when external and internal eco-social environmental changes, affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, forced reconsideration. 

But thanks to its continuous efforts, the government finalized the master plan of the project in August 2006, and work on roadbed began after three years of basic and actual design. 

Work on such major structures as tracks, tunnels, and electric lines was completed last September, some six years after the project was launched. Verification tests on the structures were finished by the end of this past January, and a trial run of the upcoming high-speed railway is now under way.

The Honam High-speed Railway is to be opened to the public in the early April after completing preparations for opening the line in a flawless manner by the end of March.

Q: How many companies and construction crews have been put into the Honam High-speed Railway?

A: Some 750 companies, including designers and supervisors, were involved in 70 construction sections. Aggregate manpower in six fields, including roadbed, the tracks, architecture, and electricity, totals 5 million.

Q: Will you elaborate on the significance of the recent connecting of the Gyeongui (Yeongsan-Munsan) Line and Jungang (Yongsan-Yangpyeong) Line?

A: A project to double-track the Gyeongui Line was launched in 1999 to expedite the development of the northwestern part of the Seoul metropolitan area and offer convenient transportation services. The double-tracked line, completed and opened to public use on Dec. 27, 2014, cost 2.425 trillion won. 

The direct connection of the Gyeongui and Jungang lines at the Yongsan Station now allows for commuters traveling from Munsan, north of Seoul, to travel to Yongmun in Yangpyeong, east of the capital, without transferring. It could reduce the commute from Munsan to Yangpyeong by some 30 minutes, to a total time of two hours and 35 minutes. Previously it was three hours and five minutes. Yangpyeong is a center of recreation and leisure. The line thus dramatically improves mass transportation services between the eastern and western parts of the Seoul metropolitan area.  

It is significant that the full opening of the Gyeongui Line, which connects the Korean Peninsula and the Eurasian railroad network, which is directly linked to the Juangang Line, contributes to solidifying a foundation for Korea to rise to a transportation and logistics powerhouse of Northeast Asia. 

Q: Will you expound on plans to create the envisioned Great Train Express (GTX) and other metropolitan railway networks in the Seoul metropolitan area?

A:The government continues to push for the construction of metropolitan railroad networks to make commuting from and to downtown Seoul superfast and more convenient. It plans to  establish a master plan for the construction of the 36.4 km-long Ilsan-Samseong GTX Line by December this year. The 48.7-long Songdo-Cheongnyangni section and the Uijeongbu-Geumjeong GTX lines will be re-planned so that their feasibility can be enhanced. 

The ongoing railroad construction projects will be completed without a hitch. The 12.9 km-long Byeolnae (Amsa, Seoul to Namyangju) Line will be constructed during the period between 2015 and 2022 at a cost of 1.3 trillion won, while the 52.8 km-long Suin (Suwon-Incheon) Line is to be built during the period between 2004 and 2017 at a cost of 1.8 trillion won. 

Q: Will you explain Korea’s high-speed train technology and speed as well as the current status of exports?

A: The nation’s railway technology levels are rated to stand at some 80 percent of the world’s premier train technology power Germany. With the development and operation of Korea’s high-speed train KTX (Korea Train Express), Sancheon, Korea has accumulated high-speed train technology and operation expertise. 

HEMU-430 (High-Speed Electric Multiple Unit 430 km/h), developed under the support of the MOLIT, is Korea’s first homegrown distributed traction train. The Ministry is now providing support to the R&D for the commercialization of HEMU-430. The superfast train, designed for a maximum speed of 430km/h, has been test-run at a maximum speed of 370km/h. Korea is now capable of producing high-speed trains tailored to meet diverse speed needs. The nation has made the delivery of high-speed trains with a speed of more than 200km/h for the past five years, 76 percent of which are distributed traction-type. 

HEMU-430 achieved a maximum speed of 421.4km/h in March 2013, making Korea the fourth country in the world to develop a high-speed train following France’s 574km/h, China’s 487.3km/h, and Japan’s 443km/h. Korea also achieved a 100,000 km-long test-run this past January. 

The ministry is working on R&D, reflecting Korean and foreign high-speed train market conditions and consumers’ demands in order to enhance commercialization of homegrown high-speed trains. 

Q: Will you project the current status and prospects of the global railway industry?

A: The international railway market is valued at an estimated 221 trillion won. Out of the total, the train segment accounts for 60 percent. Korea now takes a 2 percent share in the global train market. 

By train maker, Chinese makers CNR and CSR each posted 15 trillion won in annual sales, followed by Canada’s Bombardier with 8 trillion won, France’s Alstom with 7 trillion own and Hyundai Rotem with 1.5 trillion won. 

By size, the Asian market is the largest with an estimated 63 trillion won. Asian, Middle Eastern and African markets are forecast to lead future growth. China has consolidated its two train makers, CNR and CSR to brace for the saturation of the Chinese market, and China’s export-priority policy is likely to deepen competition among nations. The Middle East/Africa markets have surged 10.3 percent, the highest growth rate in the world, followed by Asia’s 4 percent and the United States with 3.3 percent. 

The Korean railway industry needs to aggressively make inroads into foreign markets, going beyond the narrow domestic market. The MOLIT plans to provide an aggregate 81 billion own in financial support to railway SME superstars’ R&D activities for developing core parts and material technologies. We also strive to strengthen the competitiveness of the Korean railway industry by providing such institutional support as technology verification and commercialization. 

Q: Will you explain the current status and future plans of the Korean railway industry’s exploration of foreign markets?

A: Korea is seeking to make inroads into foreign railway markets by making the most of the nation’s successful construction and operation of the Gyeongbu and Honam High-speed Lines and the development of the homegrown high-speed train KTX-II technology. Korea is preparing a public tender for trains on the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed line. Korean and Vietnamese leaders signed an MOU on financial support worth $12 billion for the latter’s semi-high-speed railroad and metro projects last December. Malaysia is to place a $3 billion bid to build a 330-km-long high-speed network between Malaysia and Singapore in the fourth quarter of this year. 

The government is offering a wide range of support to help Korean companies enter foreign markets, including assistance in technology development, feasibility study and financial support and development of core manpower specializing in the railroad field. To this end, we plan to collaborate with KR, Korail, public entities and railway-related companies in market exploration and marketing activities.