Korea Rail Network Authority "Field Test of 'Train Control System' with Automatic Operation Capability"

The Korea Rail Network Authority is commencing performance verification of the next-generation train control system (hereinafter KTCS-3).

On the 21st, the Rail Network Authority announced that it has recently completed the construction of trackside infrastructure capable of simultaneously testing the ground equipment (installed on the track to control train intervals · RBC) and onboard equipment (installed on the vehicle to manage automatic train operation and braking · KVC) for KTCS-3 performance verification, and will begin on-site testing using actual trains.

Previously, from 2018 to 2020, the Rail Network Authority developed the ground and onboard equipment as a national research and development (R&D) project, and completed the establishment of a laboratory for integrated testing starting in 2022. From this year until the end of 2024, full-scale performance verification will be pursued.

The KTCS-3 performance verification will proceed in sequence: confirming suitability for field application through simulation tests using integrated test facilities and verification of integrated test results by a European accredited testing institution, followed by on-site testing with actual trains.

KTCS-3 was developed based on a moving block system that does not use track circuits (maintaining train intervals based not on block length but on the braking characteristics of the following train), which allows for minimizing signaling equipment, resulting in significant economic benefits such as reduced construction and maintenance costs.

Above all, the Rail Network Authority expects KTCS-3 to contribute to preventing human errors and ensuring punctuality, as it includes automatic operation functions not present in the existing conventional and high-speed rail national networks.

Kim Han-young, Director of the Rail Network Authority, stated, “KTCS-3, together with KTCS-2, will establish itself as a representative K-rail signaling system brand for Korea in the future,” and added, “The Rail Network Authority will continue to lead railway signaling system technology and strive to capture the global railway market.”

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