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Maglev Train to Debut at Incheon in 2012
Korea's first commercial magnetic train line will be built at the Incheon International Airport complex by 2012, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Tuesday.
The magnetic levitation train, or Maglev, will run afloat on a 6.1-kilometer track that will link the airport and Yongyu business and tourism district, at a maximum speed of 110 kilometers per hour.
The construction will begin in 2009 and test runs will kick off in 2012, before the line is handed over to the city government for commercial operation. If the first-phase operation proves to be a success, the line will then be extended to a 37.4-kilometer lap around the reclaimed island, according to the blueprint drawn by Incheon city government.
``The construction of the magnetic levitation train line means that South Korea will develop eco-friendly, high-tech means of transportation with its own technology and own capital. We will also be able to export the technology,'' the ministry said in a statement.
Maglev trains use electromagnetic force to float a few inches above the ground. As there is no physical friction except air resistance, they can achieve high speeds without creating as much noise and vibration as traditional wheeled transportation does.
Currently, China's Shanghai and Japan's Aichi prefecture are operating commercial magnetic lines.
Shanghai Maglev runs at a maximum speed of 430 kilometers per hour on a 30-kilometer track between Pudong International Airport and Shanghai city center. Aichi operates a slower, urban-type Maglev that covers 8.9 kilometers at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
# The Korea Times [June 27, 2007]
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
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