With KTX, it takes only 2 hours 40 minutes from Seoul to Busan, 2 hours 58 minutes from Seoul to Mokpo and 49 minutes from Seoul to Daejon. By contrast, prior to the launch of KTX, the travel time between Seoul and Busan was 4 hours 10 minutes. When planned new tracks are added, travel times will be shortened further. Considering the often nightmarish traffic jams on the nation's highways and byways, the impact of this new age in rail transportation can hardly be exaggerated. With KTX, passenger transportation capacity has surged. On the Kyongbu (Seoul- Busan) and Honam (Seoul-Mokpo) lines, the number of trains has grown 1.4 times thanks to KTX, and seating capacity has increased 2.3 times from 47,000 to 107,000. The number of daily train passengers is eventually expected to soar from 223,000 to 314,000, although the actual numbers in this initial stage have been short of expectations.

The spillover effects are anticipated to be enormous. With more passengers traveling via KTX, the conventional railway is now able to carry more freight. The subsequent reduction in traffic congestions serves to relieve Korean industries¡¯ heavy logistics burden. The decrease in logistics costs and travel time is expected to give local firms a competitive edge. Traffic congestion is estimated to have cost Korea about $20 billion in 2002, or 3.7% of GDP. There are environmental gains as well. Sharply reduced traffic congestion means a reduction in the emission of air pollution containments including carbon monoxide.

But more importantly, the bullet train will contribute to more balanced regional growth in Korea. Currently, Seoul and its surrounding area is too concentrated and crowded. The area accounts for only 12% of total land in Korea, but is home to 47% of the population. As a result, a lopsided and unbalanced development pattern has been established. The capital area now has 47% of total jobs, 62% of professional jobs, 47% of national economic output and 63% of R&D spending. While Seoul and its vicinity has become one of the most heavily concentrated metropolises in the world, provincial areas are becoming increasingly deserted. Seoul suffers from traffic congestion, air pollution, high crime rates and many of the other ailments of over-concentration, while the provinces face a shortage of labor. Regional colleges and businesses are declining, while those in Seoul are thriving and prospering. Land and house prices in Seoul are high and rising, while those in other areas have remained flat for decades. The sense of inequality among regions is one of the most serious social problems in Korea.

But with KTX, some of these problems can be alleviated significantly. Many people who now live in Seoul, for example, can move to southern areas served by the high-speed train. Daejon, for example, is 150 kilometers south of Seoul, too far from Seoul for people to commute between the two cities. But KTX has cut the travel time to less than 50 minutes, allowing people living in Daejon to commute to Seoul and vice versa. Eventually, Daejon can grow by itself, creating more jobs. That way, people in Daejon will not have to commute to Seoul anymore. They can enjoy more open areas in Daejon, where land and house prices are much cheaper than in Seoul. Analysts expect a more balanced regional growth and development as a result of KTX. ¡°The simultaneous opening will contribute to balanced regional development,¡± says Korean National Railroad Administrator Kim Se Ho. ¡°It will also play a major role in opening the age of regionalization in Korea.¡±

Of course, KTX could cause quite the opposite to occur. Daejon residents, for example, might be lured to Seoul for shopping or medical services now that KTX is available. That would hurt businesses in Daejon and help those in Seoul, furthering Korea¡¯s existing regional disparities. But experts believe that would be only limited and temporary. Another ambitious government plan to relocate the country¡¯s administrative capital from Seoul to an undecided area near Daejon will contribute to the growth of that region. With more efforts by the central and regional governments to develop the area, people who now live in the capital area will be motivated to move to the south, it is believed.

Korea¡¯s bullet train, though, had a rough start. In May 1989, the government decided to construct the highspeed railway, because the existing Kyongbu corridor linking Seoul to the southeastern port of Busan, the nation¡¯s logistic backbone, was too slow and overcrowded. The old tracks were built almost a century ago and could not accommodate ever-rising demand for cargo and passenger transport. Of course, there was a debate at that time because the bullet train project was seen as too costly. Some opponents argued a second highway between Seoul and Busan would be more plausible, given that railway is becoming a thing of the past. But the government was able to convince the public that the benefits of KTX would outweigh any disadvantages.

After the project was decided, France, Germany and Japan vied to provide bullet trains to the new railroad. After heated open competition, Korea selected TGV of France as the winner. A test track between Cheonan and Daejeon in central Korea was dedicated in 1992. But it took another 12 years for Korea to build the first part of the high-speed railroad between Seoul and Daegu after several delays. For the remaining section between Daegu and Busan, the old track was electrified to carry bullet trains. France supplied 12 train sets and helped Korean companies build another 34 sets locally. (Each set contains two engines and ten carriages.) Total costs for both tracks and trains were roughly $10 billion, much higher than original estimations. New track for the second and final part between Daegu and Busan will be completed by 2008 for another $5 billion. KTX is used mainly for travel between major cities. Existing trains have been redeployed to serve as a linkage between high-speed and normal train stations. Tickets on KTX are about 0.7 times that of airline fares and 1.35 times that of the old express train, Saemaul. Discounts are offered for non-peak hour and low-season travel, and for passengers booking tickets in advance. According to a study, highspeed rail is expected to absorb 40% of express bus passengers and 60% of airline passengers. The effect is already being felt, as airlines are now closing regional flights that have lost customers to KTX. Even small regional airports are on the brink of closure because of the decline in numbers of passengers.

Safety has been a top priority in high-speed railway service. The staterun Korean National Railroad says it has established various safety devices such as a high-tech train control system. In preparation for emergencies, contingency plans have been mapped out. It has successfully operated testruns 90 times a day on Kyongbu and Honam lines prior to KTX¡¯s launch to ensure safe and smooth operations. It took 36 years to construct the doubletrack railway for the Honam line from Daejon to Mokpo. This time around, it took only three years to electrify the line. As a result, the Honam line was able to provide KTX service at the same time as the Kyongbu line began its KTX operation.

The next task of Korean National Railroad is to go abroad to export its newly acquired bullet train technology. It plans to compete in the world market by commercializing its technologies in rolling stock, signaling and rail structure. Also, it will construct the Honam high-speed railway, while finishing up the final portion of the Kyongbu high-speed railway. An important future step would be to link Korea¡¯s vast railroad network with that of North Korea. ¡°In an aim to boost reconciliation and economic cooperation between South and North Korea, we will implement the Trans-Korea Railway project as planned,¡± Kim says. With this, Korea hopes to achieve the dream of ¡°Steel Silk Road¡± connecting the trans-Korean peninsula railway with the trans-China and trans-Siberia railways.

South Korea, which has long been isolated like a virtual island, will eventually be connected by rail to the vast landmass of mainland Asia and even Europe. ¡°We will use this opening as an opportunity to better prepare the Korean railway for the 21st century,¡± declares Kim. ¡°We will make continuous efforts to become a major player in the coming ¡®railroad renaissance.¡±¡¯ In a way, this renaissance has already begun dawned with the launch of KTX between Seoul and Busan.

The writer, Benjamin Lee is a journalist based in Seoul.