On a roll: Korea’s high-speed train tech reaches the global market
Date Jul 09, 2024
The KTX has been in service for 20 years. (Photo courtesy of Korail)
After launching its first high-speed railway 20 years ago by importing French TGV trains, Korea has now become an exporter of high-speed rail technology. On June 14, the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) signed a business agreement with Uzbekistan Railways (UTY) to export KTX maintenance technology. With this agreement comes international recognition of the technology and know-how that has enabled the KTX to operate stably for the past 20 years.
In September of last year, Korail announced that it had formed “Railway One Team Korea” together with high-speed rail vehicle manufacturer Hyundai Rotem and had successfully won a 270 billion won “power-distributed high-speed rail vehicle supply and maintenance project” order by UTY.
Korail President & CEO Han Moon Hee (left) and UTY President Zufar Narzullaev pose for a commemorative photo after signing an MOU. (Photo courtesy of Korail)
Railway One Team Korea will deliver six KTX-Eum, Korean high-speed trains modified for Uzbekistan’s railway environment. It will then provide maintenance and technology transfers for 42 months. This agreement is particularly significant as it marks the first step in Railway One Team Korea’s successful overseas expansion – achieved through offering the maintenance technology of KTX operator Korail, rather than by simply exporting high-speed rail vehicles.
A rendering of the high-speed rail vehicle to be manufactured by Hyundai Rotem for UTY (Image courtesy of Hyundai Rotem)
Korail employees repairing trains (Photo courtesy of Korail)
Meanwhile, the project with Uzbekistan has expanded the scope of Korail’s overseas business and opened up future chances to participate in the construction of high-speed train-related undertakings. From the perspective of the Korean rail industry as a whole, the first export order for the KTX-Eum (87 percent of whose parts are produced in Korea) is expected to help domestic parts suppliers enter the overseas market. In addition, by having established a track record of exporting Korean high-speed trains overseas, Korail now has a bridgehead for future overseas expansions.
“Through this project, which will be the first step in exporting high-speed rail technology, we will lay the foundation for the global expansion of Korea’s railway industry,” said Korail President & CEO Han Moon Hee.
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