SOUTH KOREA: Quasi-independent high speed operator Supreme Railways has unveiled the first of 14 eight-car EMU-320 high speed trainsets being supplied by Hyundai Rotem.
The ceremony was held at the manufacturer’s Changwon facility last month where the trainset is to undergo testing and commissioning runs starting next year. Deliveries to the operator are scheduled to start from the end of 2026.
Hyundai Rotem is building 17 EMU-320 trainsets for national operator Korail and 14 similar sets to SR under contracts signed in March and April 2023. SR’s 1·09tr won contract includes 15 years of maintenance.
The EMU-320 trainset for SR has 503 seats and distributed traction equipment, rather than the power car and trailer arrangement that SR’s current fleet of 120000 and 130000 Series high speed trains use. These were also built by Hyundai Rotem.
The EMU-320 fleet is to be used to add capacity on SR’s Super Rapid Train services linking Suseo station in Seoul with Busan and Mokpo, and on routes between the capital and Jinju, Yeosu, and Pohang where SR has been running since September 2023.
When all 14 extra trainsets are in service, the number of daily seats offered by SR is expected to increase from the current 52 000 to 77 000, which should help to address the company’s capacity shortage. Completion of the 46·9 km second alignment between Pyeongtaek and Osong, which is scheduled for 2028, would allow for a further service uplift.
‘We will improve the quality of finished vehicles through rigorous performance testing and meticulous pre-delivery inspections and introduce the next-generation SRT services in a timely manner’, commented Lee Jong-guk, CEO of SR.
- Read our feature article about the EMU-320 high speed trainset supplied for national operator Korail in the September 2023 issue of Railway Gazette International.
