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Korail

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Not to be confused with Corail (train).
Korea Railroad Corporation
(Korail)
Company typeGovernment-owned corporation
IndustryMass transit
FoundedSeptember 1, 1963 as Korean National Railroad
January 1, 2005 split into Korail and KR
HeadquartersSoje-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
ProductsRailroad and subway transportation
Increase ₩ 1,555,448,441,886 2003[1]
Decrease ₩ -329,826,962,873 2003[1]
Websitewww.korail.com
Korea Railroad
Operation
Infrastructure companyKR
Statistics
Ridership969,145,101[2]
Passenger km31,415,965,207[2]
Freight10,553,675,728 ton km[2]
System length
Total3,294.6 kilometres (2,047.2 mi)
Double track1,403.5 kilometres (872.1 mi)
Electrified1,817.8 kilometres (1,129.5 mi)
High-speed240.4 kilometres (149.4 mi)
Track gauge
Main1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
High-speed1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification
AC 25,000V 60Hz1,798.6 kilometres (1,117.6 mi)
DC 1,500V19.2 kilometres (11.9 mi)
Features
No. stations638
Highest elevation855 metres (2,805 ft)
 at37°12′0″N 128°56′59.83″E / 37.20000°N 128.9499528°E / 37.20000; 128.9499528

Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: 韓國鐵道公社), promoted as Korail (코레일), is the national railroad operator in South Korea.

Korail operates passenger and freight trains throughout South Korea. The railroad's headquarters are located in Daejeon.

History

Main article: Rail transport in South Korea

What is now known as Korail was started as Railroad Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation with the establishment of South Korean government. On September 1, 1963, the bureau became an agency that was known as Korean National Railroad (KNR) in English. In 2003, KNR adopted the current "Korail" logo in blue, but the "Korail" name was adopted before 2003. On January 1, 2005, KNR was split into Korea Railroad Corporation, which succeeded railroad operation with the Korail logo and name, and Korea Rail Network Authority, which succeeded maintaining tracks.

Lines

Main article: Rail transport in South Korea

Korail operates all the long distance lines in South Korea as well as local lines. The Gyeongbu Line with its high-speed parallel line, running between the two largest cities, Seoul and Busan, is by far the most heavily travelled line. Other main lines include Honam Line and Jeolla Line, stretching into Jeolla region, the Janghang Line and the Jungang Line.

The South Korean government plans to invest $US 88 billion in the network from 2011 to 2020, with extensive double-tracking and electrification.[3]

The current list of railway lines with regular passenger service is as follows (urban and metropolitan lines excepted):

  • Gyeongbu Line 경부선 : Seoul-Busan. Fully electrified double track.
    • Gyeongbu High-speed Line 경부고속선 : Seoul-Busan (Seoul-Daejeon and Okcheon-Chilgok in first phase). Fully electrified double track.
  • Honam Line 호남선 : Daejeon-Mokpo. Fully electrified double track. Parallel high-speed line is planned.
    • Gwangju Line 광주선 : Gwangju Songjeong-Gwangju main station. Fully electrified single track branch line, for KTX and intercity services into central Gwangju.
  • Jeolla Line 전라선 : Iksan-Yeosu. Partly double track.
  • Janghang Line 장항선 : Cheonan-Iksan. This line formerly finished at Janghang station, but extended into Iksan when the link between Janghang and Gunsan completed in December 2008. Former Janghang and Gunsan lines consolidated into new Janghang Line.
  • Gyeongchun Line 경춘선 : Seoul-Chuncheon. Fully electrified line reopened in 2010.
  • Jungang Line 중앙선 : Seoul-Gyeongju. Partly electrified, partly double track.
  • Chungbuk Line 충북선 : Jochiwon-Jecheon. Fully electrified and double track. This line links Gyeongbu and Jungang main lines and therefore plays a great role in freight transport.
  • Yeongdong Line 영동선 : Yeongju-Gangneung. Partly electrified. The most mountainous route in Korea.
  • Taebaek Line 태백선 : Jecheon-Cheolam. Fully electrified, as a shortcut leading to Gangneung.
    • Jeongseon Line 정선선 : Jeungsan-Auraji. It's famous as a scenic route, but was originally built for coal mining.
  • Gyeongbuk Line 경북선 : Gimcheon-Yeongju.
  • Daegu Line 대구선 : Daegu-Yeongcheon.
  • Donghae Nambu Line 동해남부선 : Pohang-Busan.
  • Gyeongjeon Line 경전선 : Gwangju-Samnangjin. This line stretches along the southern coast and links Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions. Usually, this line is regarded as a set of branch lines, which feed local traffic into adjacent major lines.

The above two lines were country's main lines before division, but after division, only local trains have been in service. Now these two lines are almost regarded as metro lines, with Tonggeun (Commuter) services in some sections.

Subway lines

In addition to conventional long-distance passenger and freight services, Korail also operates the following commuter only lines connected to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway:

Also, the following portions of the conventional lines listed below are linked with sections of Seoul Subway Line 1 and Jungang Line, and carry both subway and regular trains:

Korail covers a total of 104 metro stations with its 150 commuter trains. The operation intervals are from 1.7 to 8 minutes during rush hours and 3.6 to 15 minutes during non-rush hours. An average of 2,177,000 people use Korail's commuter lines every day.

Train Classes

The highest level of Korail trains is KTX (Korea Train Express). KTX trains run along Gyeongbu Line and Honam Line. Saemaul-ho (새마을호), which borrowed its name from New Community Movement, provides the fastest and most comfortable service in selected conventional rail lines. Mugunghwa-ho (무궁화호), the most popular grade, is the slowest in Korail service order. Almost every rail line has one or more regular Mugunghwa-ho schedule. Commuter(통근열차) is low-cost metropolitan area commuting grade, operated with diesel multiple units (DMU).

In early June 2009, Korail introduced the brand-new Nuriro-ho (누리로) service, operating between Seoul and Sinchang. Nooriro is almost identical to Mugunghwa with the same trip cost, but over a relatively shorter distance; therefore it initially is positioned between inter-city Mugunghwa and local commuter train of Seoul subway system. Korail also introduced 8 newly built electric multiple unit sets based on Hitachi A-train to be used for Nuriro service. (ko:TEC)

Major Stations

  • Seoul/Gyeonggi : Seoul, Yongsan, Gwangmyeong, Noryangjin, Yeongdeungpo, Guro, Suwon, Incheon, Cheongnyangni, Uijeongbu, Deokso, Bupyeong, Dongducheonjungang
  • Gangwon : Chuncheon, Wonju, Donghae, Gangneung
  • Chungcheong : Cheonan, Cheonan-Asan, Jochiwon, Sintanjin, Daejeon, Seodaejeon, Janghang, Jecheon, Cheongju, Chungju
  • Jeolla : Iksan, Songjeongni, Gwangju, Mokpo, Gunsan, Jeonju, Suncheon, Yeosu
  • Gyeongsang : Gimcheon, Daegu, Dongdaegu, Samnangjin, Busanjin, Busan, Andong, Yongju, Gyeongju, Pohang, Ulsan, Changwon, Gimhae, Jinhae, Masan, Jinju

Labour relations

Most of the railroad's employees are members of the Korean Railroad Workers' Union, which is frequently at odds with Korail management. Strikes, such as the South Korean railroad strike of 2006, are not uncommon.

Subsidiaries

  • Korail Airport Railroad, which operates A'REX.
  • Korail Networks, for ticketing management and Korail frequent riders program.
  • Korail Tour Service, for KTX/Saemaul-ho train crew and travel service.
  • Korail Retail, for advertisement management and running "Storyway" convenience store.

Locomotives and rolling stock on KORAIL lines

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "2003 Profit & Loss Statement". Korail. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
  2. ^ a b c National Statistics Portal, not available in English. Retrieved 15-2-2010
  3. ^ "Korea plans $US 88 billion ten-year investment - International Railway Journal". 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2010-12-18. . {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 47 (help)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Korea Railroad.
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