Korail "Korean Railways Receive International 'Safety Certification'... Safety Management Achievements Recognized"

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL)'s safety management achievements have been highlighted once again through an international railway organization.

KORAIL announced on the 18th that it recently received safety certification from the International Union of Railways (UIC).

This is the second safety management achievement this year following the receipt of the 'Special Contribution Award in Railway Traffic Safety' from the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD).

UIC awarded the safety certification in recognition of KORAIL's systematic safety management, reduction in accidents caused by human error, and efforts to operate safe high-speed railways for 20 years.

Safety certificate received by Korail from the International Union of Railways. Provided by Korail

Previously, KORAIL reduced the number of accident disruptions by an average of 9.4% annually from 2015 to last year. Last year, the number of accident disruptions decreased by 15.8% compared to the previous year, reaching a record low of 0.03 cases per one million kilometers. This figure is lower than the average accident rate of 0.197 cases per 100 million kilometers in European countries with over 100 million kilometers traveled (as of 2021), enabling the evaluation that Korea has surpassed Europe and other advanced railway countries in the global railway safety index.

The reduction in accident disruptions is a result of KORAIL's continuous efforts to fundamentally improve the causes of accidents and strengthen the system for discovering and improving new disasters and latent risks such as COVID-19. Additionally, improvements in the safety management system, including the expanded use of digital technologies to minimize risk factors, are also considered to have positively influenced the decrease in accident disruptions.

Currently, Han Moon-hee, President of KORAIL, serves as the Chairperson of the UIC Asia-Pacific region, demonstrating leadership in the development of overseas railway industries.

Meanwhile, UIC, established in 1922 to set international standards for railway technology and facilitate information sharing among member countries, is the world's largest international railway organization, with 220 railway-related institutions from 83 countries currently participating as members.

OSJD is an international organization that establishes and oversees international standards for Eurasian railways, with 30 countries participating as full members. The main purpose of OSJD's activities is to enhance the efficiency of railway transportation linked to the Eurasian international railway network.