KORAIL transfers K-Rail digital technology to Azerbaijan

[Financial News] Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has once again demonstrated the advanced digital operating capabilities of Korean railways by winning an international railway technical assistance project commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
 KORAIL said on the 20th that, as part of the ADB technical assistance (TA) project to develop Azerbaijan’s railway digitalization capacity, it had invited six managers from Azerbaijan Railways to Korea for a five-day training program running through the 23rd.
 This is the first project KORAIL has won from the ADB. It is considered significant because the multilateral development banks (MDBs) have formally recognized the operational experience of Korean railways and international training capabilities that KORAIL has built up over the years.
 During the training, KORAIL will provide Azerbaijani railway officials with classroom instruction on advanced digital technologies, including condition-based maintenance (CBM) and safety management platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. Participants will also visit key facilities, including the Goyang KTX depot, the Railway Traffic Control Center and the IT Operations Center, to learn from multiple perspectives how digital expertise is applied in day-to-day operations.
 Since 2008, KORAIL has operated the International Railway Training Center, sharing Korean railway technology and advanced operational expertise with 58 countries around the world. The corporation plans to use this training as a springboard to diversify its international cooperation partners and broaden the foundations for exchanges that will support its expansion into the global railway market.
 Kim Gwang-mo, head of KORAIL’s Future Division, said, “We will continue to work closely with relevant organizations, including international organizations, to promote K-Rail’s advanced technology and excellence around the world.”
 Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is a key hub on the Mediterranean-Caspian logistics route linking Europe and Asia. In recent years, it has made railway network modernization and digital transformation national priorities. Digitalizing railway infrastructure is seen as key not only to improving route safety but also to maximizing logistics efficiency. If technical cooperation in the railway sector between Korea and Azerbaijan gets fully underway, beginning with this training, it is expected to pave the way for Korean railway IT companies and parts suppliers to enter the local market.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter