The EMU-320 is an upcoming South Korean high-speed

electrical multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

train manufactured by

Hyundai Rotem Hyundai Rotem (founded in 1977) is a South Korean company that manufactures rolling stock, defense products and plant equipment. It is a part of the Hyundai Motor Group. Its name was changed from Rotem to Hyundai Rotem in December 2007 to refl ...

and operated by

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed ...

and

SR Corporation SR Corporation (, formerly Suseo High Speed Rail Corporation), also known as Supreme Railways, is a South Korean rail operator that operates high-speed rail services. It manages three stations and its trains call at 17 stations. History * De ...

History

In September 2016, Korail held a contest for the public to decide the design of the new models. After the development of

HEMU-430X HEMU-430X (standing for High-Speed Electric Multiple Unit 430 km/h eXperimental) is a South Korean high-speed train intended for a maximum speed of . On March 31, 2013, it achieved 421.4 km/h in a test run, making South Korea the worl ...

, Hyundai-Rotem and Korail signed an agreement in December 2016 for supplying high speed trains that are

electric multiple units An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

, the first of its kind in South Korea in commercial service (the HEMU-430X is also an electric multiple unit, but it is not for service and mass production). The order was for two variants: 2 eight-car EMU-320 units (with an operating speed of 320 km/h) and 19 six-car EMU-260 units, to be delivered around 2020–2021. In 2017, a mockup of the chosen design was exhibited to the public to promote the sister train (EMU-260) and receive feedback. On March 28, 2022, it was reported that the EMU-320 consisting of 25 units for Korail and 19 units for

are now scheduled to be delivered from December 2023. Elements of the EMU-320 had to be re-designed due to serious concerns about excessive noise levels in the cab and passenger compartments, a key reason for its delay. Measures including improving the pantograph's shape and adding sound insulation to the ceiling and floor have been taken to reduce noise levels. Hyundai-Rotem is to pay 19 billion won in damages for the delay in delivery.

Design

Technology incorporated in these trains is dereived from the experimental

train previously tested by Korail. The EMU-320 will feature the same design as

KTX-Eum The KTX-Eum (, formerly known as EMU-260) or Korail Class 150000 is a South Korean High-speed rail, high-speed electrical multiple unit, electric multiple unit train manufactured by Hyundai Rotem and operated by Korail. The word 'eum' in Korean ...

trains , however the formation will consists of eight cars as suppose to six cars. Unlike

KTX Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...

trains, the EMU-320 uses

distributed traction In rail transport, distributed power (DP) is a generic term referring to the physical distribution—at intermediate points throughout the length of a train—of separate motive power groups. Such "groups" may be single units or multiple consist ...

with driving trailers at each end and six powered intermediate cars as opposed to traction heads configuration. The train can accelerate from 0 to 300 km/h (0 to 186 mph) in 230 seconds, in contrast to 316 seconds for the

KTX-Sancheon The KTX-Sancheon (formerly called the KTX-II) is a South Korean high-speed train built by Hyundai Rotem in the second half of the 2000s and operated by Korail since March 2009. With a top speed of , the KTX-Sancheon is the second commercial hi ...

Interior

Unlike KTX trains, the seats on EMU-320 features more leg room, wider armrests, USB ports, wireless charging pads, and entertainment display similar to the inflight entertainment system found on aircraft. In addition, every seat is aligned with a window.

References

{{High-speed rail High-speed trains of South Korea Rolling stock of South Korea Hyundai Rotem multiple units 25 kV AC multiple units

History

Design

Interior

See also

References