Above: The Korean high speed train.
|
Above: The Korean high speed train. |
Several years ago, Korea High Speed Rail Construction Authority (KHRC), which is in charge of the super train project, concluded a $2.1-billion contract with GEC-Alsthom of France to buy a total of 46 sets of TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse) trains, rolling stock, signal systems and other equipment by the end of 2001 for the Seoul-Pusan high-speed line.
Seoul has decided to construct two stations underground _ in Taejon and Taegu _ which will require state-of-the-art technology as well as additional investment. Taking all these factors into account, construction costs for the Seoul-Pusan high-speed rail project will likely be recovered in 25 years after operation begins. The distance between Seoul and Pusan is about the same distance as the Paris-Lyon section, going 412 km-long high-speed rail linking Seoul to the southern port city of Pusan It was originally scheduled for completion in 2002.
The trains will be 18cars long, the same as the eurostar (currently longest TGV)
Delays are likely for a minimum of two years and more likely four years or more mainly because of the existence of old mines in an area through which a long tunnel was to be built. The railway system will now have to be rerouted to bypass the area which has been declared unsuitable. It is unbelievable that about 10 percent of the projected Sangni tunnel had to be dug in Hwasong County, Kyonggi-do, before the experts could come to this conclusion.
The revision, the second major one the project has undergone, is expected to bring the entire project cost from the original 10.7 trillion won to as high as 15 billion won. Where the administration will find the money is not yet known.
[ Back to High Speed Trains | Discussion Area | Search This Site | Oliver Keating | keating.ml.org ]