More new trains for Seoul’s Line 2

Seoul’s Line 2 is set to have more of its subway cars replaced over the coming months as it completes Phase 2 of train upgrades.

Seoul Metro announced on November 7 that 100 new subway cars would replace many of the aging trains that currently operate, continuing its upgrade of the Line 2 fleet after already replacing 200 EMUs last year. Once in operation, Line 2, which is the country’s busiest subway line, will have replaced 65% of its 460 older subway cars.

60 of 100 cars have already been delivered to the city by Hyundai Rotem, and one set of 10 cars has already begun operating on the line as of October 22. The remaining 90 cars will go through safety checks and trial operations, with all sets expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2020.

The latest rolling stock has been further upgraded with improvements to safety, comfort, and environmental friendliness. In each car the number of CCTV cameras has been increased from two to four in order to eliminate blind spots, and there are now four air purifiers instead of two. In addition to this, regenerative braking optimization technology is being used to reduce brake noise, save electricity, improve precision stopping at stations, and lower the levels of fine-dust inside vehicles.

To carry out more efficient maintenance, smart real-time information systems have been installed to automatically alert engineers and controllers about breakdowns or malfunctions. Real-time data from vital equipment is saved too, so that preemptive maintenance can be carried out if required.

Seoul Metro also announced a new design for the exterior of its trains, with a curved design at the front of the trains aiming to provide “a visual sense of stability”. The interior and vertical poles have been marked with a green design to emphasize the line’s color.

Other changes that were introduced in the first phase of replacement trains remain the same. This included the number of seats being reduced from 7 to 6, emergency ladders, door status indicators, LED lights, and an increased number of information screens – with 6 in each car. Seoul Metro is currently working with the Korea Disabled People’s Development Institute (KODDI) to have the new rolling stock certified as barrier free.

The latest replacement trains are part of Seoul Metro’s 7 year plan to upgrade a total of 610 EMUs across lines 2 and 3. The third phase of the plan will begin in March 2020, with 46 EMUs to be delivered to Line 2 and 150 EMUs to be delivered to Line 3 by March 2022. Seoul Metro says that lines 4,5,7 and 8 will also have 1,304 of its subway cars replaced in the near future. A contract for the production of 336 EMUs to be used on lines 5 and 7 was already signed in May 2019, and a tender for 210 EMUs for Line 4 will be going out by the end of this year.

Another version of this article was published on The International Rail Journal.