The KTX High-speed Train Runs in Seoul

The high-speed rail network in South Korea is called Korea Train Express, and it is run by Korail. In 1992, work on the high-speed railway connecting Seoul and Busan got underway. On April 1, 2004, KTX services were made available.

Currently, trains may travel at a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph), even though the infrastructure is built to support 350 km/h (217 mph). The initial rolling stock, which was partially constructed in Korea, was based on Alstom's TGV Réseau. The HSR-350x, a domestically created high-speed train that in testing reached 352.4 km/h (219.0 mph), gave rise to the KTX Sancheon, a second type of high-speed train now operated by Korail. After Japan, France, and China, South Korea became the fourth country in the world to construct a high-speed train running on conventional track capable of reaching speeds beyond 420 km/h in 2013 with the HEMU-430X, the next-generation KTX train.