Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has proven its world-class safety level in an international railway safety evaluation. It is analyzed that the expansion of digital-based advanced technologies across all operations in the rapidly changing railway environment has led to the strengthening of the safety management system.
On the 10th, KORAIL announced that it received a Grade 1 comprehensive safety indicator in the International Union of Railways (UIC) Safety Annual Report (2022). Considering that Germany and France were classified as Grade 2 in the report, it is possible to evaluate that Korea's railway safety level has surpassed that of advanced European railway countries. UIC is an international organization with 216 institutions from 83 countries worldwide.
The high-speed train 'KTX-Cheongryong,' introduced by Korail in May last year, is running on the tracks. This train is the latest high-speed train with a maximum speed of 320 km/h. Provided by Korea Railroad Corporation
Korea has also consistently maintained the top 1-2 positions in the railway accident rate analysis conducted by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) over the past five years, which evaluates the railway safety levels of 27 countries. For example, as of 2021, the average accident rate of European countries with train travel distances exceeding 100 million km was 0.197 per million km, but KORAIL's accident rate was only 0.03, indicating that Korea's railway accident rate is lower than Europe's according to global indicators.
The fact that the domestic railway safety level has improved year by year is also noteworthy. Last year, KORAIL reduced railway accidents and failures by 15.8% compared to the previous year, recording the lowest number of failures ever. Above all, over the past 10 years since 2015, the number of failures has decreased by an average of 9.4% annually, indicating continuous improvement in the safety environment of the railway sector.
This achievement is even more meaningful as it was attained amid the situation where domestic train operation speeds are gradually increasing and new lines are opening one after another. The greater the changes in the railway environment, the more important the supporting safety management system becomes. In Korea, the latest high-speed train 'KTX-Cheongryong' with a maximum speed of 320 km/h began operation in May last year, and 26 lines have been opened since 2020.
In response, KORAIL has continuously promoted the strengthening of railway safety based on digital technology. First, KORAIL established video surveillance centers monitoring trains and tracks at seven major nationwide lines and deployed 87 personnel at 16 major stations to monitor and respond in real time to unexpected situations occurring during train operations.
Additionally, KORAIL has newly built and is operating a 'Real-time Route Monitoring System' that allows intuitive confirmation of track conditions during train operation. This system is similar to vehicle guide lines that mark the road surface with colors to indicate vehicle routes; by pre-marking the tracks that railway vehicles will travel on, it helps both visually and electronically with track entry.
In particular, KORAIL is making efforts to establish a digital-based maintenance system. A representative example is the promotion of introducing the ‘On-board Inspection System for Commercial Trains,’ which supports real-time diagnosis and maintenance of various parts and facilities while trains carry passengers and run on tracks.
Moreover, KORAIL's strategy to maximize safety and efficiency in the railway environment involves applying condition-based maintenance technology on-site by collecting various maintenance data in real time through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, such as train speed, part abnormalities, rail temperature, and turnout operation status, and then performing vehicle maintenance based on this data.
A KORAIL official said, "Receiving a Grade 1 safety indicator in the UIC Safety Annual Report is proof that the safety of Korean railways has reached the world's highest level," adding, "KORAIL will continue to expand digital-based advanced technologies across all operations and strive to establish and maintain a safe railway environment that meets the expectations of the public."
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