South Korea’s new 182.3km high-speed line from Osong to Gwangju entered public service on 2 April. The new line was inaugurated on 1 April by Korean president Park Geunhye. Osong lies on the existing Seoul-Busan high-speed route, which means that Seoul- Gwangju journey times decrease by 1h 6min from the 2h 39min taken on the original line. Completion of the new facility is in line with the government’s aim to have all the country’s major cities within half-a-day’s train travel. The Osong-Gwangju project, budgeted at $US 9.28 billion, was begun in 2009, funded entirely by the ministry of transport and infrastructure. Stations on the new line include Namgongju, Iksan, Jeongeup, Gwangju-Songjeong. Trainsets being used comprise 15 new 410-seat Honam KTX units from Hyundai Rotem. A further seven sets are still to be delivered. High-speed rail service has not only reduced the travel to anywhere in South Korea to less than 3 hours, causing a dramatic change in the people’s lifestyle, but also had a significant social, economic and cultural impact.

Source:  www.railwaysafrica.com - Photo by skinnylawyer from Los Angeles, California, USA