Before long, magnetic levitation trains using a magnetic field to float above the rails will likely serve as another means of urban transportation, as subways do now. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on August 3 at Incheon International Airport where a rail station for the maglev trains will be built. How will the commercialization of the urban maglev train services influence the Korean economy? Here’s Kwon Seok-chang, head of the Metropolitan Railroad Division at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

The government will build a track for urban magnetic levitation trains on Yeongjong Island on a trial basis. 350 billion won will be spent on the construction of the 6.1-kilometer railway with six stations, scheduled for debut in the first half of 2013.

The construction of the maglev train railway is part of a government project launched in late 2006. The project’s feasibility tests, conducted four years ago, showed that magnetic levitation trains would generate production worth 2.5 trillion won and 800 billion won of added value. This year, the government begins construction on a 6.1-kilometer railway track linking Incheon International Airport and the Yongyoo-Mui leisure complex, stations and a train base, planning on full operation starting 2013. So, what exactly is an urban magnetic levitation train?

The new technology of the magnetic levitation propulsion system allows trains to suspend themselves above the rails with electromagnets, causing less noise and friction than conventional trains on steel wheels. We’ll develop the urban maglev trains into higher-speed trains eventually. The trains have less noise and vibration, so passengers will find them pleasant and comfortable to ride in.

The best feature of the maglev trains is that passengers are provided with a quiet, smooth and stable ride because the trains do not touch the rails. The noise inside the train does not exceed 65 decibels and the vibration is measured at 0.02 grams per cubic centimeter or less. Also, iron dust is reduced to a minimum level. From an economic point of view, adding a kilometer of the maglev train track can cost 40-50 billion won, a similar level as building other light rails, but the maintenance costs are 60-70 percent of those of light rails. Also, maglev trains do not use parts prone to wear and tear, such as wheels, and operators can reap big savings on maintenance and personnel expenses. That is why many countries around the world are stoking the development of maglev trains. The U.S., Malaysia and Indonesia are planning on introducing them as an urban means of transportation, and European countries, too, are greatly interested in them. Korea will become the second country in the world to offer urban (or low-and medium-speed) maglev transport, when full operations begin in 2013 as scheduled.

Currently, Japan offers a commercial service of urban maglev trains. Many are asking whether the Korean maglev trains use domestic technology. The answer is yes. We’re using home-grown technology on the whole. Surmising from the term “magnetic,” some are concerned that magnetic field may have a negative influence on people’s health. But we’ve already undertaken a stringent verification process. Those who happen to come to Incheon International Airport in the first half of 2013 will be able to use the maglev train free of charge.

Japan started operating maglev trains in 2005. Though somewhat belatedly, Korea completed the development of the world’s top class unmanned maglev train last year. If the nation successfully commercializes a maglev train service with home-grown technology, it will have boundless export potential. Riding on the keen global attention to maglev trains, Korea could export self-developed parts and facilities worth 3 trillion won and thus raise global recognition of its railway technology. At present, the government is constructing a maglev train rail on a trial basis. The low-and medium-speed maglev train isn’t faster than subways: it can run at a top speed of 110 kilometers per hour. But the government will develop a high-speed maglev train capable of running up to 550 kilometers per hour.

The maglev train we’re now developing can run at similar speeds as subways. The U.S. and China are accelerating research on maglev trains. China, in particular, has introduced a high-speed maglev train, but it is based on foreign technology. In contrast, after completing an urban maglev train developed solely by domestic technology, we’ll develop a high-speed maglev train in the next stage.

In 1998, when Korea was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis, the nation set a major milestone in its own railroad history by becoming the third country in the world to launch a prototype version of a magnetic levitation train, after Germany and Japan. Korea started researching “high-speed maglev trains” in 2005 and began constructing a track and other facilities for the maglev trains in 2010. Following suit of the Korea Train Express or KTX, the maglev train should grow into another key export item in the nation’s railway industry.