Honam high-speed railway

Origins of the project The most progressed plans for a second high-speed line were for the Honam high-speed railway, a connection from Seoul to Mokpo in southwest Korea, accelerating the service on the existing route that was eventually established in KTX's first phase. The first feasibility study in 2003 came to the conclusion that the construction of a full line is not justified by demand, and proposed a two-stage construction. The first stage, to be realised by 2015, would involve a connection from a second Seoul terminus in the southeast part of the city to the Gyeongbu HSR, and a branch from the Gyeongbu HSR to Iksan, paralleling the existing Honam Line. However, in December the same year, in the light of low approval in the affected provinces, the government reversed its stance and agreed to complete the project to Gwangju by 2015. In plans made official in August 2006 in spite of a benefit–cost ratio below 1, the budget for the first stage (from the new Osong station on the Gyeongbu HSR to Gwangju) was set at 8,569.5 billion won. The Osong-Iksan section of the first phase is also intended for use as high-speed test track for rolling stock development, to be fitted with special catenary and instrumented track. The project is financed to 50% by direct government funds and 50% loans. The ground-breaking ceremony was held at Gwangju·Songjeong Station in the attendance of President Lee Myung-bak on December 4, 2009, when total project costs were estimated at 11.3 trillion won (US$9.8 billion). As of September 2010, progress was 9.6% of the project budget then estimated at 10,490.1 billion won for the first phase, while the estimate for the entire line stood at 12,101.7 billion won. The entire line from Osong to Mokpo includes a total of of viaducts (48.35%) and of tunnels (21.26%). ==Stations==

Trains will stop at seven stations along the line: ==Services==

Honam KTX When Honam KTX services started on April 1, 2004, the shortest rail travel time between the capital and Mokpo was reduced from 4 hours 32 minutes to 2 hours 58 minutes. between Seoul and Gwangju, the time reduced from 3 hours 53 minutes to 2 hours 38 minutes. from where the travel distance to Mokpo Station is . In addition, some services are extended beyond Yongsan, passing Seoul Station and continuing for along the Gyeongui Line to terminate at Haengsin station, next to which KTX trains have a depot. The service uses the Gyeongbu HSR until Daejeon, and the upgraded Honam Line from there. The service calls at the following stations: The frequency of Honam HSR services was increased in steps from the initial 34 daily runs in 2004, Actual first-year numbers were about a half of the original estimate, but rose significantly in the second and third year. Modal share After its first year of operation, on relations with significant distances along the conventional Honam Line, the Honam KTX service gained market share mostly at the expense of conventional trains, while the total share of rail was stagnant on some relations. Strong gains at the expense of air transport and private cars were seen between Yongsan and Honam KTX service endpoints Mokpo and Gwangju, too. Korail also planned to run some through KTX services to Incheon International Airport on the AREX line from 2012. The travel time between Incheon International Airport and Gwangju is 3 hours. From 2014, the Honam KTX service was to transferred to the Honam High Speed Railway between Osong on the Gyeongbu HSR and Gwangju·Songjeong. By 2017, the service would transfer to the new line on the remaining section to Mokpo, too. ==See also==