A Study to Improve the Average Speed of Korean High Speed Railways

This study proposes measures to improve the average speed of Korean HSR and quantifies the effects of the proposed measures. Factors affecting the average speed of HSR were comprehensively identified and classified into seven categories. Among these, improvement measures were proposed with a focus on infrastructure enhancement factors. Three key infrastructure improvement measures were selected: (1) increasing curve passing speed, (2) upgrading ballast tracks to concrete tracks, and (3) converting low-level platforms to high-level platforms. The average speed improvement effects of these measures were then estimated. Regarding curve passing speed improvement, a comparison between domestic regulations and EN/TSI standards revealed room for improvement by increasing the domestic cant deficiency standard from 130 mm to 150 mm. Applying this improvement to a curve section near Seongnam, which currently has a speed limit of 168 km/h, would enable an increase in passing speed to 180 km/h. For the upgrade from ballast to concrete tracks, slow-down performance data from domestic HSR ballast track sections were analyzed. The results indicated that converting to concrete tracks would eliminate the need for maintenance-related slow-downs. Travel time savings from this upgrade were calculated using TPS analysis. The analysis showed that upgrading the first phase section of the Gyeongbu HSR to concrete tracks would reduce average travel time by approximately 3.67 minutes for Gyeongbu-axis HSR and approximately 2.97 minutes for Honam-axis HSR. Finally, converting low-level platforms to high-level platforms would reduce average boarding and alighting times by 46% across all domestic HSR stations. If this conversion is not completed by 2040, a natural increase of approximately 4% in boarding and alighting times is expected due to the rising proportion of elderly passengers. Additionally, high-level platforms are projected to improve boarding and alighting times by 2–4% due to increased numbers of passengers traveling with luggage.