17 Gwangju Metro Line 2 trainsets to begin trial runs next year ... Opening targeted for December 2028

【Financial News | South Jeolla-Gwangju: Hwang Tae-jong, Staff Writer】 Seventeen trainsets (34 cars) for Gwangju Metro Line 2 will be delivered in stages starting on the 14th and begin full-scale trial runs next year. A trainset is a complete train made by linking several cars together to carry passengers in actual service; each Gwangju Metro Line 2 trainset consists of two cars.
 South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Special City) aims to complete integrated tests with electrical, signaling and communications facilities smoothly during the trial runs and open the line as scheduled in December 2028. 
 According to Gwangju Special City on the 14th, the Phase 1 fleet for Gwangju Metro Line 2 comprises 17 trainsets (34 cars). Manufacturing began in April last year at the Ochang plant in North Chungcheong Province and was completed in August this year. Running and performance tests for the lead trainset—the first trainset to be introduced in a railway fleet—began in September at the Gyeongsan test track in North Gyeongsang Province. The tests will continue through November, after which the trainset will be delivered. The remaining mass-production trainsets (sets 2–17) will be delivered in stages from the Ochang plant to the depot starting that day.
 Park Geum-hwa, head of Gwangju Special City’s Urban Railway Construction Headquarters, described the delivery of the Phase 1 Line 2 trainsets to the depot as “the starting signal for full-scale trial runs ahead of the opening of Gwangju Metro Line 2.”
 Gwangju Special City plans to conduct integrated tests of the trainsets with facilities in areas including electrical systems, signaling and communications to verify that the systems operate properly and work together. On the depot test track, the city will also test the running performance and safety of the trains, with the lead trainset covering 2,500 km and each mass-production trainset covering 1,000 km.
 In particular, the city plans to hold an event at the depot this year to unveil the trains so residents can see the Line 2 trainsets in person.
 After completing tests at the depot, the trains will begin mainline trial runs next year, traveling along a roughly 17-km section. They will undergo comprehensive checks of their compatibility with various railway facilities, including electrical systems, signaling, communications and tracks, as well as their running safety.
 Park Geum-hwa, head of the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters and a Gwangju Special City official, said, “Starting next year, we will carry out in stages the verification procedures required for the opening, including mainline trial runs and comprehensive railway test operations, and transparently disclose major construction milestones and preparations for the opening.” Park added, “We will complete the Phase 1 opening in December 2028 without a hitch.”
 Meanwhile, the project to manufacture and purchase the Gwangju Metro Line 2 trains and inspection equipment is worth a total of 91.766 billion won. Woojin Industrial Systems will manufacture and supply 33 trainsets and 88 types of inspection equipment. The trainsets will be produced in two phases, with 17 sets in Phase 1 and 16 in Phase 2, under the supervision of Korea Railroad Vehicle Engineering.

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