In South Korea
L E A F L E T N ° 1 M A Y 2 0 0 8
The Country
♦ Area: 99, 678 Sq. Km
♦ Population: 49 million inh.
With the Korean TGV, French
♦ Capital: Seoul
railwaymen and women contrib-
uted, for the first time, to a major ♦ Density: 492 inh. / Sq. Km
project outside of Europe.
♦ 89, 775 km of roads out of
Through their professionalism, which 1,889 km are motorways
they have earned the Korean
client’s confidence. That is why
the collaboration started in 1999
with SNCF International contin-
ues today.
The Railways
I have had the pride to see SNCF
staff working in Korea before
The Infrastructure owner is the Korean Railway Network Authority (KRNA)
having the privilege to host 400
previously named KHRC.
managers and engineers of
Korail, coming to France to be The Railway Operator is the Korean National Railroad (KORAIL) previously KNR.
trained in our schools. The Korean Railway Research Institute (KRRI) is a subsidiary company of Korail
specialised in Research and Development.
The signature, last November, of
a Memorandum of Understand-
ing for the maintenance of the
KTX in the workshop of Busan Korail’s management strategy:
carries a lot of hope of further
♦ Reinforcing competitiveness of rail transports.
good trade repercussions at a
♦ General maximizing of customer satisfaction.
time when new High-Speed lines
are going to be built in Korea.
♦ Extending the role of rail transport.
Management targets client satisfaction and the development of rail transport.
Jean-Pierre Loubinoux
Chairman of
The character :
SNCF INTERNATIONAL
« Chipochipo » has been designed to promote the im-
age of Korean Railways. The hat on its head symbol-
izes speed in this era of High-Speed transport and its
outstretched arms illustrate the welcoming attitude of
Korail’s staff towards customers .
The Railways
♦ 1899: opening of the first line between Noryangjin and Jemulpo
♦ 1905: opening of the Seoul-Busan line
♦ 1914: the Daejon-Mokpo line is opened
♦ 1948: creation of the Ministry of Transportation
♦ 1963: creation of the Korean National Railroad
♦ 1973: first studies for a High-Speed train
♦ 1994: signature of a contract with Alstom
♦ 30th March 2004: inauguration of the KTX
♦ 1st April 2004: commercial launching of the KTX
3,539 km of rail roads,
224 km at High-Speed The Korean Train eXpress (KTX)
The first stage of KTX’s network is the corridor between Seoul and Busan
with a High Speed line of 224 km between Gwang Myeong and Daegu. The
KTX also runs on conventional lines between Daegu and Busan and between
Daejon and Mokpo.
The second stage of the project will be building the High-Speed Line between
Daegu and Busan.
Korea joins the club of Other extensions are also under study and could lead to creating a Korean
High-Speed countries High Speed network of about 1,000 km.
The KTX is a modified French TGV
type« Réseau » :
♦ 2 power-units and 18 carriages View of the High-Speed line from the
KTX driver’s cabin
amounting to a length of about 400 m.
♦ 935 seats, 127 in first class.
♦ On-board video.
The corridor Seoul-Busan
♦ Snacks and drinks can be bought from
concentrates 71 % of the
vending machines or from a trolley.
inhabitants , 75% of GDP,
65 % of passenger traffic
KTX is the longest monobloc train of
and 70 % of freight traffic. the TGV family.
3
SNCF International’s involvement in Korea
1999
Assistance in electrifying the Daegu-Busan and Daejon-Mokpo lines
This contract consisted in advising the client on the electrification process for the portion
of track between Daegu and Busan. It not just consisted in electrifying the tracks, but also
on linking the existing conventional rails to the High Speed line, making their way of
functioning compatible and assuring that the KTX got the electrical power suitable in
order to operate.
Client : KNR
The High-Speed line cuts
across a hilly topography,
2000
necessitating, when completed,
Supervision of the homologation tests and factory acceptance of the KTX
building 75 tunnels, totalling
trainsets
190 km in length.
SNCF International has been in charge of helping the client to check and sign for the 46
KTX trainsets before test running each of them. KHRC wanted to obtain the viewpoint of a
consultant who was “neutral” with respect to the manufacturer.
Client : KHRC
The first phase of the
2001 KTX project
amounted to a total
Training in High-Speed operations Management in France cost of 19 billion US
SNCF International has trained some 400 senior managers, engineers and executives of the dollars
Korean Railways. For example, around fifty training sessions of 15 days have been organ-
ised, either at SNCF-specific training schools nor directly on the various sites. A broad
range of topics have been covered, including: signalling, catenaries, tracks, rolling stock
maintenance, train driving, organisation of shifts, safety management and passengers in-
formation systems.
Client : KNR
2003 - 2005
Supervision of maintenance, training and operation assistance on the
High Speed line
The maintenance workshop in
Experts have been dispatched to the field in the 4 different districts of the line in order to su- Goyan. There is another one in
pervise the track maintenance. The infrastructure and civil work manager, located in Daejon,
Busan.
was also assisted by a permanent consultant.
Client : KNR
Currently
Consultancy and assistance on the KTX’s maintenance
SNCF experts are sent regularly to Korea in order to assist the client in maintaining its
High Speed infrastructure.
Client : KRRI
Excellent Group synergies
The project of implementing High Speed in Korea is a very SNCF is a striking showcase for the French railway
good example of the cooperation and complementarities manufacturers. Those particularly involved in this
within the various SNCF subsidiary companies.
project were:
Systra :
♦ Alstom.
This subsidiary has been involved in civil engineering,
track engineering, supervision of track laying, management ♦ Corys-Tess for the driving simulator.
of the tests on the pre-production trains and assistance to
technology transfer. ♦ CSEE Transport for the cabin signalling.
Arep : ♦ Vossloh for the rail fastenings.
Winner of an international competition involving around 30
teams, AREP has conducted the studies for the station of ♦ Cegelec for the catenary.
Gwang Myeong, crossed by 8 tracks and equipped with 400
meter long platforms.
There are 7 stations on the Seoul-
Busan line and among them 3 new
stations:
♦ Seoul Centre
♦ Gwang Myeong
♦ Chonan
Seoul Station Gwang Myeong Station
Some of the projects currently being negotiated by SNCF International:
♦ Supervision of the maintenance of the High Speed track.
Photos credits : SNCF International—Korail—Com’on -Written and Designed by SNCF International
♦ Assistance on the KTX’s heavy maintenance.
Marc PROVOOST
Director of Asian Markets
10, avenue Ledru Rollin
75579 Paris Cedex 12
France
November 2007:
Signature of a
Memorandum of
Phone : + 33 1 53 25 63 61 Understanding in
Fax : + 33 1 53 25 73 14 Seoul
Email : marc.provoost@sncf.fr
WWW.sncf-international.com
