KTX Twice as Long Long Freight Train Test Run on Gyeongbu Line from Obong Station to Busan New Port Station

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Railroad Corporation announced on the 18th that they will conduct a test run of a 50-car long freight train, measuring 777 meters?about twice the length of a KTX train?on the Gyeongbu Line between Obong Station and Busan New Port Station. This train is scheduled to depart from Obong Station at 4:30 a.m. on the 19th, stop at Gimcheon Station and Dongdaegu Station, and then arrive at Busan New Port Station.

Recently, with rising domestic and international road transportation costs due to factors such as high oil prices, the importance of rail as an alternative means has gradually emerged. However, there have been concerns that the structural characteristics of railways and additional costs pose obstacles to the development of rail logistics.

In 2017, Korea Railroad Corporation conducted a test run of an 80-car long train measuring 1.2 km on the Busan New Port Station?Jinrye Station (21.3 km) section. However, since facilities capable of operating trains longer than 1 km were not in place, commercialization was not achieved.

Based on past cases, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Railroad Corporation decided to test a 50-car long train with higher transport capacity than current trains and suitable for Korea’s railway conditions under conditions most similar to actual commercial operations, keeping commercialization potential in mind.

After the test run, the Ministry plans to prepare support measures to back commercialization, including reviewing the expansion of passing sidings for long freight trains on the Gyeongbu Line.

Additionally, to secure price competitiveness compared to road transport, the Ministry intends to fully subsidize the difference between road and rail freight charges through consultations with budget authorities. They also plan to promote diversification of handled items through R&D, such as piggyback and reefer containers, to shift trunk logistics between the Seoul metropolitan area and Busan area to rail-centered transport.

Piggyback refers to a technology that transports containers and trucks loaded onto trains without container loading and unloading, while reefer containers are containers equipped with cooling devices to transport goods requiring refrigeration, such as fresh food.

Kang Hee-up, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We expect this test run to be a starting signal for sustainable development of rail logistics," adding, "The government will also make relentless efforts to strengthen the role of rail logistics for diversifying logistics networks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.