By the end of next year, Korail (South Korea's national rail operator) should have the prototype of its next-generation, high-speed train up and running. MBD's Stephane Pottier explains the principles behind its design. In 2002, South Korea purchased from Alstom its first ever high-speed train, the KTX. Though customised via a modified front end, a handful of cosmetic interior alterations and appropriate colour changes, it remained essentially a French TGV. The KTX began running in 2004, but from the moment it did, Rotem, South Korea's leading rolling stock manufacturer, started work on a Korean-funded prototype with the intention of creating an entirely Korean-manufactured high-speed train.
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