Korail Localizes 15 Key Railway Vehicle Components Including KTX-Eum

Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) has succeeded in localizing 15 key components for railway vehicles, including those used in the KTX-Eum.

On the 19th, Korail announced that it held the "Final Performance Report Meeting of the Railway Vehicle Parts Development Project" at its Daejeon headquarters the previous day. The Railway Vehicle Parts Development Project is a national research and development initiative led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Since 2020, Korail has formed a dedicated organization and collaborated with more than 50 industry, academic, and research institutions to pursue the localization of parts, advancement of technology, and industry development.

The core of the project was to achieve technological independence by localizing 10 types of parts and to develop five high-performance, high-efficiency parts that will lead the future market.

On the 18th, attendees of the "Railroad Vehicle Parts Development Project Final Performance Report Meeting" held at the Korail Daejeon Headquarters are touring the exhibition booths set up on site. Provided by Korea Railroad Corporation

The localized parts include eight types directly related to the safety and performance of the KTX-Eum, such as brake discs and air springs, as well as two types for electric trains (electric door systems) and trams (articulated devices for lightweight low-floor trams). In addition, five parts were developed to secure a lead in the future railway market, including an integrated converter-type semiconductor transformer and an automatic coupling and decoupling system.

According to Korail, this project has raised the localization rate of KTX-Eum parts to 90% and enabled the stable supply of core components directly linked to vehicle safety and performance. Most notably, Korail emphasized that the technology gap with leading overseas railway nations has been reduced from 4.9 years to 2 years.

The performance report meeting brought together more than 150 participants, including Jeong Jeongrae, Acting President of Korail, Kim Jeonghee, President of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, and representatives from participating companies, to share the achievements of the project.

To help attendees better understand the key outcomes, Korail also operated on-site exhibition booths showcasing major achievements such as the main circuit breaker system for high-speed trains, the integrated converter-type semiconductor transformer, and the automatic coupling and decoupling system.

Jeong Jeongrae, Acting President of Korail, stated, "By successfully completing this project, Korail has enhanced the competitiveness of the domestic railway industry to a new level. Going forward, we will continue to strengthen win-win cooperation with domestic railway-related companies and establish a sustainable growth model to lead the advancement of 'K-Rail' technology."

Meanwhile, following the performance report meeting, Korail also held the inaugural ceremony of the "K-Rail Technology Forum," which brought together railway operators, research institutes, and related companies.

The forum will consist of an operating committee and subcommittees. The subcommittees will include an R&D division dedicated to discovering new development projects, and an achievement dissemination division focused on discussing institutional improvements and legislation.