Hyundai Rotem bags W119.2b train order for GTX Line A

Hyundai Rotem, a locomotive and rolling stock unit of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, said Monday it has won an order worth 119.2 billion won ($98.2 million) from the Korea Rail Network Authority to deliver 40 train cars for Great Train Express Line A.

GTX Line A is one of the three high-speed train lines designed to shorten the time for commuting from the outskirts of the capital area to central Seoul.

With the deal, Hyundai Rotem will be supplying all 160 train cars for the service as it had signed a deal worth 345 billion won in March to deliver 120 train cars for the line.

The second batch of 40 cars will be deployed on an 83.1-kilometer-long route comprised of 10 stations between Unjeong of Paju in northwest Gyeonggi Province and Dongtan, southeast of the province.

Eight train cars make one train, which can carry a total of 1,090 passengers at the maximum speed of 180 kilometers per hour. 

GTX Line A is slated to open for public use in 2023. It is expected to shorten the travel time by 70 to 80 percent, taking 20 minutes to travel between Paju and Seoul Station, 16 minutes between Goyang and Seoul Station and 22 minutes between Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province, and Samseong.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)