Hyundai Rotem announced on the 16th that the Korean train control system (KTCS-2), developed with domestic technology, has begun its first regular commercial operation.
The Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) started operating the Daegu-Gyeongbuk line (Gumi Station to Gyeongsan Station), the first metropolitan rail line outside the capital region, with KTCS-2 applied from the 14th.
KTCS-2 was developed in accordance with the domestic signaling system standardization and localization plan, a national research and development (R&D) project led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2012. Hyundai Rotem participated as a research institution alongside the Korea Railroad Research Institute, the National Railroad Authority, and KORAIL. In 2018, the research and development, performance verification, and product certification of KTCS-2 were completed. Until then, there was no localized railway signaling technology, and the system relied on imported signaling systems.
The Daegu-Gyeongbuk line, operating with KTCS-2, meets the European Union (EU) train control system (ETCS) standards, allowing compatibility with foreign signaling systems. A Hyundai Rotem official noted, “If KTCS-2 operates reliably on the domestic railway network, including high-speed lines, we can look forward to the overseas expansion of ‘K-rail signals’ following the first export of the ‘K-high-speed train’ in June.”