A Study on Alternatives for Activating a North Corridor of the Trans Asian Railway according to Railroad Trial Operation between South and North Korea - Focused on Activating the Connecting Alternative between TKR and China and Russia- Dong-hee Yoon (KORAIL, Daejeon, Korea); Su-myung Park (KORAIL, Daejeon, Korea) Abstract Finally, Musan-Bongdong section in Kyeong-Ui corridor opened on 11 DEC 2007, which is a historical event, because this connection means the restoration of 56 yrs’ disconnection since 1951 and also starting point to connect china, Mongolia, Russia for continental railway logistic infrastructure. This is also one of master plans about the northern line in TAR, carried out by UNESCAP, so this study will touch up each country’s railway status and the next tasks related with trans-continental railway such as North Korea, Russia, China. Also, this study reveals a mid-long term development strategy to improve the North Korea railroad for a continental rail link and international railroad transportation between China and Russia, and also check countermeasures to the domestic infrastructure for the activation of the continent railway and the north and south, investigates concretely how to establish TAR northern part routes as soon as possible. 1. Introduction 1.1 TAR historic review ○ TAR was suggested in 1960 by UNECAFE to investigate economical validation in terms of freight transportation, not passengers’ transportation and which included Singapore, Turkey, Pakistan, etc totally 14,000km ○ In the beginning of 1970’s, Asian countries extended the meaning of TAR by suggesting the investigation of detail feasibility via Turkey to Europe, a type of intermodal including harbor ○ April 1992, the project of Asian land transport infrastructure development was agreed and decided to execute positively on the 48th general assembly of UNESCAP ○ November 2006, TAR was agreed between secretaries of transportation from several countries in UNESCAP meeting - confirmed total 81,000KM TAR route - made a multi-national treaty between 28 countries inside Asia and bordering countries 1 2. Railway connection and operating status between south and north 2.1 status of railway connection 2.1.1 Kyeong-Ui Line : Munsan - Gaesung (27.3Km), Munsan-Doransan : 9.7Km Doransan – MDL : 2.3Km, MDL-Panmun : 5Km, Panmun-Gaesung : 10.3Km Figure 1 : DML area rail line 2.1.2 East sea line : Jejin- Gumkang Mt(25.5Km), Jejin-MDL : 7Km, MDL-Gamho : 4.1Km, Gamho–Mountain Gumkang : 14.4Km Figure 2 : South, North and trans-continental railway line map 2.2 Opening of S-N railway link 2.2.1 historic diary - 31 JULY 2000: agreed on re-connection of Kyeong-Ui line in the 1st south& north 2 ministerial talks - 18 SEP 2000: Ground breaking ceremony of rail & road connecting of Kyeong-Ui, East sea line - 13 APR 2004: contracted basic agreement on the train operation between south and north - 17 MAY 2007: executed trial run the connected route between south and north in Kyung-Ui, east sea line - 2~4 OCT 2007: agreed on the opening of freight train between Munsan and Bongdong(Panmoon)in south & north summit talk - 11 DEC 2007: operated freight train regularly between Musan and Bongdong(container) 2.2.2 Operating status - operated 70 times, 47TEU, 2.3m WON between Munsan and Bongdong(Panmoon) since started on 11 DEC 2007 (Based on 31th of MAR), ※ Construction material, wheat flour, powdered milk, shoes, clothing, etc total 279 tonnage based on 31 MAR 2008 - Most manufacturing companies moved in Gaesung industrial complex produce small amount, various kinds of product and transport their products by their own transportation, it will take long time to convert car transportation into railways one ※ thinking to make a railway connected logistic service system to transport small amount, various items - enlarge transportation items except for Gaesung industrial complex(regular transportation) to activate south & north railway transportation. ※ enlarge railway transportation items such as north Korea aids(rice, fertilizer) and north Korea product(sand, pebble, ore, etc.) through railway Figure 3: Operating section of freight train between the North-South KOR 3. TAR related northern countries’ railway status 3 3.1 Status of North Korea railway ○ railway transportation rate in North Korea based on ton-㎞ & passenger-㎞ is 92.8% for goods, 49.1% for passengers, so transportation of most industrial materials & agricultural products are carried by rail, whole railway distance in the late 1998 was 5,214km and 4,132km electrified, but most railway facilities are obsolete and 97% line is single ○ railway transportation rate in North Korea based on ton-㎞ & passenger-㎞ is 92.8% for goods, 49.1% for passengers, so transportation of most industrial materials & agricultural products are carried by rail, whole railway distance based on 1998 is 5,214km and 4,132km electrified, but most railway facilities are outmoded and 97% line is single ○ comparing south and north, whole railway distance, south 3,392km, 5,214km for north, north Korea’s distance is 1.53 times longer than south’s, and electrification also north 4,132km, 1,596.7km for south Korea, north is 2.58 times longer than south, if we see freight rolling stock, north owns 1.33 times larger than south, but passenger’s rolling stock, south Korea has 2.2 times larger than north’s Table 1: major index to compare south and north railway South Korea North Korea classification (based on 2005) (based on 1998) Whole railway distance(㎞) 3,392 5,214 standard(㎞) 3,392 100.0% 4,557 87.4% gauge wide(㎞) - - 134 2.6% Infra narrow(㎞) - - 523 10.0% structure Double track (㎞) 1,355 39.9% 156 3.0% automatic signal section(㎞) 1,779.8 52.4% 60 1.2% electrification(㎞) 1,596.7 47.0% 4,132 79.2% Volume of Freight Million ton 41.6 6.1% 47.1 - railway transportation Million ton-㎞ 10,108 - 9,137 - 4 transportation Million 951 8.1% 38 - Passenger passengers transportation Million 31,004 20.2% 2,535 - passengers-㎞ Transportation freight 6.1% - 92.8% - rate passenger 20.2% - 49.1% - Powered car 3,012 15.5% 1,130 5.3% Owning passenger’s car 2,112 10.9% 967 4.6% rolling stock freight’s car 14,286 73.6% 19,123 90.1% ○ the border station of North Korea has totally 4 routes, TCR route via Sinuiju～Dandong, TMR route via Namyang～Domun, Manpo～Gypan, TSR route via Dooman river～Hasan. International train from Pyongyang to Beijing operates regularly 4 times shuttle per week and another international train operates Pyongyang～Sinuiju～Moscow, Pyongyang～Dooman river～Moscow once respectively ○ Rolling stock in North Korea - North Korea has 3 kinds of locomotive, namely, diesel, electric, steam Diesel locomotive Electric locomotive Steam locomotive Figure 4: three kinds of North Korea’s locomotives - In case of freight cars, covered car, open car, tank car, flat car, sand car, ore car, coal car, ventilated car, warming car, freezing car. 5 Open car Crew car Tank car Figure 5: 3 kinds of North Korea’s goods trains - passenger car : separated as follows : seated car(high level, general passenger car), sleeping car(high level, general sleeping car, service car(restaurant car, snack car), facility car (warming car, generating car, hygiene car), advertisement car (advertizing car, movie car, publication car), cart post (cart car, post car, baggage post car) Restaurant car Sleeping car High level passenger car Figure 6: 3 kinds of North Korea’s passenger trains - North Korea rolling stock adopts wheel tread brake with the cast iron brake shoe and there is no problem to use interchangeablely south and north, because north’s brake pressure 6km/㎠ and south’s main air pipe (9km/㎠), brake pipe (6km/㎠) Figure 7: North Korea’s train couplers 6 3.2 Status of Chinese railway 3.2.1 General status ○ Chinese railway has been played main role in Chinese transportation since Chinese first railway was built in 1876, transportation sharing rate had been lowered by 2000 due to the development of other transportation modes, but from 2003, rail transportation rate goes higher with the railway sharp development plan announced by government. ○ according to the 2004 data, whole railway distance is 74,400km, passenger-km 1.11 billion, freight transportation 2.49 billion ton and employees 2.28 million ○ Chinese railway has totally 567,134 cars, freight car 510,327, passenger car 40,487, locomotive 16,320 3.2.2 Status of TCR ○ Trans-continental railway in china consists of TCR, TMR, TMGR, but mainly TCR is used, and main operation route reaches to Europe via Leynwen habor, Ulumuchi, Kazakhstan druzbar. ○ TCR once can transport 40 ton, 80TEU, TCR has some advantage such as short distance compared with TSR, but fare is higher than TSR, and when cross the border, required to transfer goods due to the difference of gauge, and there is no system to trace goods, therefore, if such weak points are improved, TCR will become a main route in the near future. ○ the amount of container transportation using TCR during 2007 was over 60,000TEU, and this figures means improving 19% compared with 2006’s, especially, regular container train started service from Leynwen river to Moscow in October, 2007 with the efforts of related countries, which means that TCR will play a role as a real land-bridge in Eurasia. 3.2.3 Strategy to develop an international railway transportation routes ○ TCR is closely related with great western development project and also connected with Yeonhae economic zone & Jang river economic zone, so this area will be developed as a economic axle connecting to the Eurasia continent ○ Northern east area