Rail Transit Exhibition News South Korea's latest generation of high-speed train KTX-Blue Dragon began operation on May 1. It operates twice a day on weekdays on the Gyeongbu Line and Hunan Expressway Line, and four times a day on weekends on the Gyeongbu Line.Compared to the existing high-speed of Korean railways, KTX-Cheongryong has a higher top speed and superior acceleration, which will shorten the travel time of the Seoul-Busan limited-time train to 2 hours and 17 minutes, and the travel time of Yongsan-Gwangju Songjeong to 2 hours and 17 minutes. to 1 hour and 36 minutesTwo KTX-Qinglong trains are currently in service, and another 17 will be commissioned in 2027.
The new trains are currently running at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Once the construction of 4 tracks between Pyeongtaek and Osong is completed by 2028, they will be able to reach a top speed of 320 km/h.
The new high-speed train was built by Hyundai Rotem and is entirely based on domestic technology. Instead of the power cars of the KTX and KTX-Sancheon high-speed trains of Korea Railways, the equipment is installed on six of the eight carriages of KTX-Cheongyong.The KTX-Qinglong can accelerate to 300 km/h in 3 minutes and 32 seconds, while the KTX-Sancheon takes 5 minutes and 16 seconds. Korea Railways said the new train's superior acceleration and braking performance is particularly well-suited to the South Korean network, where distances between stations are shorter.The new trains are made of aluminium instead of steel, reducing weight and reducing the axle load from 17 to 15 tons, which is beneficial for track maintenance.Korea Railways sees the new design as a "stepping stone to the global high-speed rail market," where distributed traction currently dominates.The KTX-Qinglong train is 199.1m long and consists of 7 standard cars and 1 premium car, with a total of 46 seats. The total number of seats per train is 515, which is 35% more than the KTX-Eum or KTX-Sancheon trains and 26% more than the KTX-Sancheon II.The two KTX-Blue Dragon trains can operate in multiple trains to provide the highest capacity of a single high-speed service in South Korea.Korea Railways said the new train will be 3,150 mm wide, while the KTX-Blue Ryong will be 2,970 mm wide and will provide passengers with a "wider sense of space." The distance between the passenger's knees and the front seats is 126 mm, compared to 106 mm, providing more legroom.Each seat is window-aligned, and passenger amenities include 220V outlets, wireless chargers, and USB ports. The boarding steps are adjustable to accommodate the height of both high and low platforms.
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