"Front Curve Section Ahead. Drive Safely..."...Introduction of Navigation System in Seoul Subway

Seoul Metro to Establish World's First 'Train Location Information-Based Navigation' System by End of Next Year
Enables Real-Time Safety Operation, Location, and Situation Information Guidance to Drivers via Video, Voice, and Text
Plan to Develop Nationwide Urban Railway Agencies Benchmarking for Train Navigation Standardization

S-NAVI (Seoulmetro-Navigation) screen (example)

Seoul Metro (President Baek Ho) announced that it plans to establish the world's first train navigation system based on train location information (hereinafter referred to as S-NAVI) for urban railway operators by December next year.

‘Train navigation’ is a system that, unlike the typical route guidance function of automobile navigation, supports safe operation by providing train location information, safety operation information, and situation information to train drivers operating within the sections run by the corporation.

S-NAVI will be installed on all trains from lines 1 to 8, with older trains designed with an external type and newer trains with an internal type.

Like automobile navigation, S-NAVI includes various functions for the safe operation of drivers. In particular, it is expected to contribute to safe train operation by preventing drowsy driving of crew members through audiovisual guidance methods such as video and voice, as well as text, enabling accurate recognition of information and reducing human errors.

Since drivers operate trains alone for long hours and there is a concern about drowsy driving, anti-drowsiness gum, acupressure sticks, etc., have been provided, and standing operation has been encouraged.

Once the system is introduced, before the train enters the station, the driver will be able to preemptively understand platform conditions such as the gap between the train and the platform, safety footboard information, and platform screen door (PSD) malfunctions.

It also provides information such as warnings in accident-prone and curved sections, speed limit zones, and when trains approach within a certain distance of each other. Through this, it prevents major accidents such as train derailments, collisions, and serious civic disasters, allowing citizens to use the subway more safely.

The corporation plans to link the train navigation system with situation control systems such as the text messaging system (SMS) when establishing the Seoul subway integrated control center, providing more diverse safety operation information, and will also prepare measures to standardize the train navigation system so that it can be introduced by urban railway operators nationwide.

Baek Ho, President of Seoul Metro, said, “With the establishment of the train navigation system (S-NAVI), we plan to create a safe urban railway environment that prioritizes citizen safety,” and added, “The corporation will continuously innovate technology to lead a new paradigm in safe train operation.”

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