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Final Newsletter of 2025 - N°84
🚄 Railway: South Korea’s EMU-370: Racing Toward One-Hour Nationwide Travel
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) announced the completion of core technology development for the next-generation high-speed train EMU-370, positioning South Korea to commercialize the world’s second-fastest high-speed railway system after 2031.
The EMU-370’s commercial operating speed of 370 km/h (design maximum 407 km/h) is surpassed only by China’s CR450, currently under test. By comparison, major high-speed rail systems in France, Germany, and Japan operate at around 320 km/h.
Image of the next-generation high-speed train ‘EMU-370’
The project was carried out as a national R&D initiative led by the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), with 22.5 billion KRW invested over four years since 2022. Six core technologies were secured, including a 560 kW high-efficiency high-speed motor, achieved through miniaturization, high-density integration, enhanced cooling, and improved insulation representing a 47.4% increase in output over the KTX-Cheongryong.
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Aerodynamic optimization reduced running resistance by more than 10%, while ride stability improvements—using optimized suspension systems with air springs and dampers—cut lateral vibration acceleration by over 30%. Structural optimization of extruded car-body materials for floors and side walls reduced interior noise by 2 dB. Airtight and sound-insulating technologies enabled localization of airtight gangway production, alongside the establishment of performance evaluation and safety verification standards covering car bodies, running systems, braking, propulsion, and signaling equipment.
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Vehicle production will begin next year, followed by test operations from early 2030, including on the Pyeongtaek–Osong section. Partial deployment is planned from early 2030, with full commercialization after 2031. Once operational, the EMU-370 is expected to reduce travel times between major cities nationwide to within one hour, effectively integrating the country into a single living sphere. The project also strengthens Korea’s competitiveness in the 350 km/h-class global high-speed rail export market, as countries such as Vietnam and Poland prepare similar networks.