Korea Train Express (KTX) is South Korea's high speed train system. Technologically, the train is heavily based on the French TGV system, and features top speeds of 300 km/h or more. On December 16, 2004, HSR350X had an experimental run at 352.4 kilometers per hour.
After 12 years of construction, the first sections of the system connecting Seoul to Busan via Daejeon and Daegu and Seoul to Mokpo opened on March 31, 2004. Using high-speed track for only a part of the distance, the new line cuts travel time between Seoul and Busan from 260 minutes to 160 minutes; a further improvement to 116 minutes is expected in 2010, when the train shifts to run fully on high-speed tracks.
Construction of the second phase linking Daegu and Gyeongju to Busan started in June 2002. A line to Gangneung is under consideration.
46 trains will be built in all: twelve in France by Alstom, the remaining in South Korea by local manufacturers. The tracks were built with the technical help of SNCF technicians.
KTX is plagued by an operating deficit. The construction cost grew from 5 trillion to 18 trillion Korean won (circa. 5 billion to 18 billion dollars) and the demand fell short of the initial expection of 70%. On January 14, 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hai Chan stated that KTX was a political failure.
See also
External link
