Present Status and Development Strategies of Maglev in Korea

자기부상열차(磁氣浮上列車) 기술체계(技術體系)와 개발전략(開發戰略)

In recognition of the transportation problems of the present and to prepare for the ever increasing demands of the future, government decided to develop the magnetically levitated train domestically and started R&D program office in Korea Institute of Machinery and Metals(KIMM). This office since has established three step by step goals : first to develop a 40 passenger exhibition vehicle for Daejon EXPO'93, second to develop the low to mid-speed maglev system for urban public transportation by 1997 and finally the high speed inter-city maglev train by year 2001. The first two maglev systems will use attractive levitation-LIM driven technologies and these technologies are the ones currently being developed by this office and others. The maglev train system is a product of wide range of technologies from electro-technologies to civil engineering technologies. Some of the technologies are currently available but more have to be developed in the near future and these technologies are owned by or to be developed by various institutions within the science & technology community. The level of the technologies available at the present time are still very rudimentary and their basis are very narrow. Recently we have made a few successes in terms of levitation and propulsion but they are only with small scale modules and results are very qualitative at best. A great deal of development work has yet to be done to refine the technologies and to gain confidence. Full scale levitation/propulsion modules will be tested on the curved guideway within 6 months by this office and another institution. This paper reviews the current status of the maglev technologies in Korea and discuss the development strategies. The Korean maglev program is very ambitious and the schedule is even more so. A steady financial support and strong system engineering and integration are essential to the success of this program.