Korean delegates from Great Train eXpress visit Railway Centre

The Korean Great Train eXpress (GTX) project team visited the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham on 12 February 2015, to learn about the Centre’s world-class railway research and its educational programmes.

The Great Train eXpress (GTX) railway project is building a new transportation network that will connect the Korean capital region. GTX heralds a metropolitan transportation revolution in that it combines high-speed transport with low-carbon emissions. GTX trains can travel at a speed of up to 200 km/h per hour; three times the speed of the Seoul subway trains. The system is expected to be used by 1.42m people per day once it begins operation in 2020.

The GTX team, including group leader Professor Keechoo Choi, Director of the National Centre of Sustainable Urban Transportation at Ajou University, alongside academics from Ajou and Myungji University, South Korea, visited the city of Birmingham to learn more about the UK’s advanced transport systems and its sustainable urban policies.

Robert Hopkin, Executive Director of the Rail Alliance, met with the GTX team and academics and PhD students from BCRRE to explore local transportation systems in Birmingham and the connectivity at the hubs, that is, Birmingham New Street Station, Moor Street Station, Solihull Station and its outskirts.

Professor Felix Schmid, the Director of Education at BCRRE, welcomed the delegates to the University of Birmingham, following their visit to the city centre. The team were keen to discover BCRRE’s integrated research into all aspects of railway technology and operation and the ways in which the researchers are providing solutions to grand system-wide challenges. Professor Schmid then led a tour of the laboratories and discussed the Centre’s research themes and current collaborative projects with industry.

The visit will help the GTX team in establishing an effective and efficient intermodal service linked to their network in the Seoul area and will serve as a platform for future international collaborations with the Railway Centre.

Notes:

• The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education has over 130 academics, researchers and professional support staff. The Centre delivers world class research and thought leadership within railways, and offers an expanding portfolio of high-quality education programmes. Close relationships with the rail industry mean that research and teaching draws in real-world situations.
• The Great Train eXpress (GTX) railway project is a new transport network that will connect areas of the Korean capital region. GTX is a metropolitan transportation revolution that combines low-carbon emissions with high-speed transport. The system is expected to begin service in September 2016.