Ricardo Rail selected for GTX high-speed rail network

South Korea’s SG Rail has chosen Ricardo Rail to provide system engineering support services for Line A of the Great Train eXpress (GTX) project.

SG Rail is a special purpose company created for the financing, design and construction of the GTX-A railway.

The GTX-A will provide high-speed commuter rail network to the residents of Seoul and the neighbouring regions. SG Rail has scheduled it to open in 2024.

Ricardo will offer system engineering and Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) services covering civil works, track, railway systems and rolling stock.

The contract covers oversight of integration management and offering specialist support on reliability, availability. It also includes maintainability and safety, noise and vibration, electromagnetic compatibility and interface management.

The team will assess the safety of the engineering and maintenance systems according to the international standards.

GTX consists of three separate lines; GTX A, GTX B and GTX C. The construction of the GTXA commenced in 2017.

GTX-A will connect Unjeong in the north of the capital city to Gyeonggi Province’s Dongtan in the south.

The rail line has ten proposed rail stations which includes the Seoul Station interchange station. The trains on the rail route will run at speeds of 180kmph and cover the entire distance in 40 minutes.

Ricardo Rail Korea business manager Seok-Kyun Shin said: “Our experts will put in place the exemplary management procedures that will help support this major investment in Seoul’s transport infrastructure.

“With the technical knowledge and assurance processes we have developed in the UK and elsewhere readily available to our team in Seoul, we can help anticipate the engineering challenges ahead for Line A and be ready to support plans for its interfaces with Lines B and C.”