The middle connector of the electric vehicle of the Dawonsys system on the West Sea Line is broken!

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Railroad Corporation, an electric vehicle manufactured by Dawonsys system on the West Sea Line broke an "intermediate connector" (connecting part between carriages) during driving. The relevant departments are dealing with defects in the same type of vehicle and deciding to completely replace the intermediate connector of the 10-train formation, and the final replacement plan is not the Korean domestic product that was originally expected by the outside world, but the connector product manufactured by CRRC。 The competent authorities said that the choice was based on compatibility with the body of the accident vehicle, disposal timeliness and safety as the top priority.

It has happened more than once in a year for the same model

The report pointed out that the accident occurred on October 22 last year. On the same day, the Xihae Line electric vehicle manufactured by Dayuan System was damaged on the way from the Siheung Vehicle Base to Ansan Station. Since the train was an outbound commissioning train and did not carry passengers, there were no casualties.

However, the Korea Railroad Trade Union said that this is not the first time that the model has had similar problems. Previously, on June 30 last year, the intermediate connector was also damaged in the same type of vehicle.

After the accident, the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), the commissioned operator of the West Sea Line, took a number of safety measures, including: adjusting the operation of trains of the same type, limiting the speed (running at low speeds), installing safety ropes on the lower part of the train, and arranging guidance personnel to restrict passengers from moving through the carriages.

The cause of the breakage was identified as fatigue damage

Intermediate connectors are railway products stipulated in the Railway Safety Law, and must obtain both product type approval and manufacturer certification (manufacturer recognition) in accordance with the law 。

According to industry sources, usually the connector is made of cast steel, while the problem product is made of iron; Different line environments and working conditions are very different, or there is insufficient verification.

At the "Expert Consultation Meeting on Defects in Components of the West Sea Line" held on December 4 last year, the Korea Railroad Corporation officially issued a conclusion stating that the intermediate connector system suffered fatigue damage under sharp impacts such as acceleration and decelerationAnd it broke.

Based on the results of expert consultation, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the vehicle owner and the National Railway Corporation, the project contractor, decided to replace the defective 10 trains of Dayuan System electric vehicles using the same intermediate connector.

Finally, it was changed to CRRC SRI products

At first, the industry generally thought that ready-made products made in Korea with mature performance and a rich supply track record would be used as replacements. The advantage of this solution is that the relevant products are type- and manufacturer-approved and can be quickly replaced without additional validation.

However, during the evaluation process, it was determined that the connector mounting part of the Dawonsys West Sea Line vehicle was not fully compatible and required modifications such as bracketing. Industry insiders said that the installation itself is not a big problem, but it needs to be adjusted to a certain extent.

The final replacement was an intermediate connector produced by SRI, a subsidiary of CRRC. According to reports, the product has been supplied to KORAIL and is used in a total of 490 cars such as Seoul Subway Line 1 and Ilsan Line, and no defect cases have been reported so far.

The industry's views on "switching to Chinese components" are divided

There are different opinions in the industry about choosing Chinese-made connectors. However, some industry insiders who deal in Chinese-made railway components said that CRRC SRI products are of good quality, competitive price, and can achieve rapid customized production and supply according to the shape of the connector parts of Xihai Line vehicles.

Follow-up arrangements: TS will be responsible for type approval, and it is expected to be delivered from the end of March

It is reported that the type certification of CRRC SRI connectors will no longer be the responsibility of the Korea Railroad Research Institute, but will be undertaken by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS). Related supplies are expected to start at the end of March, and the Korea National Railroad Corporation said it is moving forward, with the goal of "ensuring the resumption of normal commercial operations in the first half of this year."

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