[Korea.net News, Science / Tech, January 2 2008] Korea to unveil new bullet train

Korea will be the fourth country to run a next-generation bullet train with domestic technology, following France, Germany and Japan.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation in Seoul announced the completion of express rail construction that began in 1996.

The dolphin-headed KTXⅡ can run up to 352 kilometers per hour and will be run on the Honam line from 2009.

KTX Ⅱ made its public debut at the Korea Railways Fair 2007 in Busan in May 2007. The model underwent its first test runs in 2002 after the start of the project in 1996. The KTXⅡ recorded a top speed of 352.4 kilometers per hour in 2004, and has had 200,000 kilometers of test runs without an accident.