Realizing Railway Safety Through Advanced and Scientific Methods Including AI-Based Control Systems

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Promotes Establishment of 4th Comprehensive Railway Safety Plan

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 29th that it is promoting the establishment of the "4th Comprehensive Railway Safety Plan (’23~’27)" (hereinafter referred to as the 4th Comprehensive Plan), which actively incorporates 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), amid the accelerated digital transformation across all sectors of society due to COVID-19.

This 4th Comprehensive Plan follows the previous 3rd Comprehensive Plan (’16~’22) and aims primarily to realize advanced and scientific railway safety management in the railway safety sector.

The Ministry plans to organically connect and configure the new AI- and big data-based railway control system, scheduled to be introduced with the establishment of the 2nd Railway Traffic Control Center (Osong, planned for ’27), the unmanned train system, and the railway signaling and communication system, to ensure safe use of limited tracks systemically not only during normal times but also in case of accidents or malfunctions.

Additionally, through a railway vehicle and facility history management system utilizing IoT and big data, the Ministry intends to manage the root causes of railway accidents and operational disruptions in advance, and to quickly identify causes when accidents or malfunctions occur to minimize damage.

Furthermore, to respond seamlessly to future railway environments such as the generalization of unmanned operation and the introduction of new transportation modes like trams, the Ministry will comprehensively review the railway safety management system. Currently, the Korea Railroad Research Institute and Busan are conducting a tram demonstration project (Oryukdo Line, targeted to open in December 2023), and several local governments including Seoul and Daejeon are planning to introduce trams.

In the process of promoting the 4th Comprehensive Plan, the Ministry will conduct policy research services including the operation of an expert advisory group to secure expertise and collect sufficient opinions. The research period is about 13 months from November this year to December next year, with a budget of up to 110 million KRW.

Upon completion of the policy research service, the final plan will be confirmed through consultation with related ministries and railway operators according to the amendment procedures under the Railway Safety Act, followed by deliberation by the "Railway Industry Committee," and will be officially announced in the government gazette.

Lim Jong-il, Director of Railway Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "During the opinion collection process for promoting the 4th Comprehensive Plan, we will faithfully gather opinions not only from railway operators but also from field workers to ensure that the comprehensive plan is effectively implemented on the ground."

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