South Korea develops next-generation high-speed trains

South Korea has developed a new generation of high-speed multi-function trains (HEMU-430X) and launched trials at Changwon Station, about 395km southeast of Seoul.

>>> High speed train near the ground

During the test, the HEMU-430X reached a maximum speed of 430 km / h, becoming the fourth fastest tramway in the world after the French tram (575km / h), China (486km / h) and Japan (443km). /hour).

The Korean government source said on May 17th that the HEMU-430X was designed with two locomotives and four multi-purpose passenger cars.

This type of tram uses the most up-to-date technology, allowing the passenger car to provide energy to the train, which can help speed up or slow down the trains faster than the old type of dependencies. Full on the machine.

New high-performance HEMU-430X high-speed train

This design allows multiple locomotives to operate at the same time. From now until 2015, the HEMU-430X will be commissioned and run around 100,000 km and will be officially put into use in 2016 or 2017.

With the new design, the HEMU-430X can reach speeds of 300 km / h in the first 233 seconds, a reduction of 120 seconds compared to the KTX and KTX-Sancheon high-speed trains currently in use in Korea.

According to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Korea, this new high-speed train can increase by 16% the number of seats per passenger carriage, and the car can be easily separated or connected. .

In addition, the HEMU-430X is said to be less noise and is 5% lighter than the Korean-made KTX-Sancheon.

With an average speed of about 370km / h, the HEMU-430X can help passengers reach any area within the Korean territory in just 90 minutes. This will simplify domestic travel and increase the use of public transport by the people of Korea.

According to the ministry, the government has invested 93.1 billion won - about $ 79.7 million) to develop the new generation of high-speed trains since 2007. This project has involved the Institute Korean Railway Research and Hyundai Rotem Co.

Since 2004, Korea has put into use the KTX high-speed train produced by France with a maximum speed of up to 300 km / h. In March 2010, the country developed its own KTX-Sancheon high-speed trains.