Incheon Airport Maglev

The Incheon Airport Maglev was a maglev line in South Korea that opened on 3 February 2016 and closed on 1 September 2023. It was the world's second commercially operating unmanned urban maglev line after Japan's Linimo. The trains were lighter, cutting construction costs in half. The majority of construction was completed by November 2012.

The maglev linked Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 to Long Term Parking, Incheon Airport Administration Complex, Paradise City entertainment precinct, and Yongyu station and Leisure Complex while crossing Yeongjong Island. The line is not part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway System. It was free of charge for all riders. It initially operated between 09:00 and 18:00. Hours had been extended to between 07:30 and 20:00. Departures were every 15 minutes from all stations. It offered a transfer to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 station of AREX.

This maglev line specifically utilized electromagnetic suspension (EMS) and linear induction motor (LIM) propulsion. The train was one of the first commercial maglev trains since the 1980s. Two more stages were planned of and . Once completed it would have become a circular line. These lines made up a core project that the Korea Rail Network Authority managed.

Stations

All stations are located in Jung District, Incheon.

History

Origins

The maglev train, nicknamed ECOBEE, was co-developed by the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (known as the KIMM, which is part of the Korea University of Science and Technology) and Hyundai Rotem. It is long, with six stations and an operating speed (the design maximum speed is ).

This train was part of South Korea's Urban Maglev Program (UMP) which started in December 2006. This program reached out to prominent companies and organizations for rail development, like KIMM and Hyundai. The UMP represents Korea's push for R&D in maglev systems in order to engender a magnetic levitation transportation system to replace Korea's current urban transportation means. This train system is the result of a development project started in 1989 within the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM).

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport contributed 59% of the funds, around , with Incheon Airport Corporation spending amounting to 25%, and Incheon City paying which comes to 6%. Additionally, was spent on research. This totals over of taxpayer money spent on the short lived project. Service started on 3 February 2016.

Response to the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID pandemic the line was reduced to operate during rush hours only, departing Airport Terminal 1 Station every 15 minutes from 07:30 to 09:00 and 18:00–19:00. The reduced service was still operating in May 2022 but was expected to return to full-time service shortly after.

Closure

At its height in 2019, the Incheon Maglev saw just 4,000 passengers each day. This is only 11% of expected usage levels. During the coronavirus pandemic, this number reduced by over 90% to just 300 daily passengers on average.

The line was temporarily closed from 14 July 2022 due to maintenance and repair of the carriages not being completed on time (required every 3 years) as per the Railroad Safety Act.

At the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee meeting on 22 August 2022, Rep. Heo Jong-sik of Dong-gu, Incheon called for a "plan to reduce operating costs", as annual maintenance fees hit .

On 17 October 2022, the National Assembly Transportation Committee held an inspection of the Incheon International Airport Corporation. It was revealed that Incheon Maglev required of investment over the next 10 years, more than the cost of its initial construction.

On 16 June 2023, the Construction and Transportation Committee of Incheon City Council approved plans to convert the track from Maglev to orbital tram tracks. The City Council argued that maintenance costs could be reduced by up to 35% due to the difficulty and high cost in purchasing parts for Maglev trains.

Changes and potential reopening

A proposal to cut costs was passed at the Incheon City Planning Committee on 26 July 2023. The new plan would reduce the operating time from 13 hours to 6 hours and decrease the number of trains from 103 to 25. It was projected that these changes would cut down annual operating costs from to .

On 3 January 2024, Incheon International Airport Corporation announced that operations are expected to resume from March 2024. By May 2024, the Maglev had not reopened, though there were plans to reopen it by the end of the year. Due to disagreements with the Jung District office, the Maglev was still closed in 2025.

Rolling stock

Hyundai Rotem both developed and manufactured the rolling stock for the line. The 4 trains consist of 2 carriages, namely A and B. Each carriage is long, wide and high, they weigh and have a starting acceleration and service brake of .

References

External links

About Maglev Train (English)

Maglev promotional brochure
(Korean)

Future Rail Database
(Korean) "인천공항 자기부상열차"

"Maglev Test," ''Korea JoongAng Daily''
(English) "Maglev Test"

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Driverless Maglev
Railway lines opened in 2016

Incheon International Airport
Rail transport in Incheon
Rapid transit in South Korea
2016 establishments in South Korea