High-speed trains coming to the U.K.

The British rail system is an impressive feat of engineering that covers more than 16,000 kilometers of tracks.

While it is not the largest system in the world, it is the oldest, with the world`s first locomotive hauled public railways opening in 1825.

Today, the United Kingdom is looking to add to its system to accommodate true high-speed trains.

"It is a medium term, substantial program," said Clifford Bebb, head of trade for the U.K.`s Trade and Investment office at the British Embassy.

"Initially, there will be one line between London and Scotland, stopping on route to the Midlands and in the north of England," he said. "It`s a very significant line with the rest of the network to catch up later on."

The British rail authorities will look at companies from several countries that produce high-speed trains including Korea, France and Germany to build their new network.

Luckily for the Korean train builders Bebb said that no special favors would be given to other European Union member states.



"We are very open, we want the best expertise, there are no differences between all the companies and Korean companies will not find any barriers," he told The Korea Herald.

The United Kingdom, through adopting this open and engaging policy has managed to attract more foreign investment than any country except for the United States.

"So we are very good at convincing foreign companies that we are open," he said. "The proof is that these companies do come."

After 12 years of construction, Korea`s high-speed system opened in April 2004, connecting Seoul with Busan on the east side of the peninsula and Seoul with Gwangju and Mokpo on the west side.

Operated by Korail, the train`s technology is largely based on the French TGV system, and has a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

Trains traveling between Seoul and Busan went from 4 hours and 10 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes travel time.

But there are new players and new technologies since Korail unveiled their dream line.

One of them is the magnetic levitation system or maglift.

"There are a number of countries that had a hand in the development of this system," he said, including the United Kingdom.

The train can be experienced while traveling from the airport in Shanghai to the city`s central corridor in just 7 minutes.

At its fastest point, the maglift train in Shanghai records speeds of 434 kilometers an hour.

On the research and development side, Korea and the United Kingdom have signed a few important partnerships for the future.

The Korea Railroad Research Institute inked a partnership, its first overseas investment ever, with Sheffield University.

Under the partnership, "a laboratory will be established by KRRI in Sheffield very soon and an expert in Korea will go to do some work in that lab," Bebb explained.

Also, last year`s get-together between the British and Korean railway authorities in Birmingham produced a general collaboration agreement between Woosong University and Birmingham University.

"The technologies we have now, whether in Korea or anywhere else, are not going to be the technologies in the railway systems 10 years from now.

"So we are working on the next generation in collaboration with Korea and we are hoping there will be more scope for more R&D collaboration," he said.

The United Kingdom does not build physical structures outside of the British Isles so much these days. Instead they are leaders in design and the supervision of the construction of buildings and structures.

A good example of this is in the building of the new 12.3 kilometer cable stayed Incheon Bridge, also called the Incheon Long Bridge.

The bridge that connects Incheon International Airport and the international business district of New Songdo City is partly financed and managed by U.K.-based AMEC.

(yoav@heraldm.com)



By Yoav Cerralbo