Incheon Airport Maglev
Overview
Native name인천공항 자기부상철도
（仁川空港 磁氣浮上鐵道）
Incheon Gonghang
Jagi Busang Cheoldo
StatusPermanently Closed
Termini
Stations6
Service
TypeMaglev
Operator(s)Incheon Transit Corporation, Incheon International Airport Corporation
Rolling stock4 × 2-car Hyundai Rotem Ecobee
History
Opened3 February 2016 (2016-02-03)[1]
Technical
Line length6.1 km (3.8 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,850 mm (6 ft 27⁄32 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC third rail linear motor
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)
SignallingATC/ATO
Highest elevation24.5 m (80 ft)
Route map

 Incheon International Airport Terminal 1
Long Term Parking
 Administration Complex
 Paradise City
Water Park
 Yongyu
Depot
Incheon Airport Maglev
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationIncheongonghang jagibusangcheoldo
McCune–ReischauerInch'ŏnkonghang chagipusangch'ŏldo

The Incheon Airport Maglev[2] was a maglev line in South Korea that opened on 3 February 2016 and closed on 1 September 2023.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

This maglev line specifically utilized electromagnetic suspension (EMS) and linear induction motor (LIM) propulsion.[7] The train was one of the first commercial maglev trains since the 1980s. Two more stages were planned of 9.7 km (6.0 mi) and 37.4 km (23.2 mi). Once completed it would have become a circular line.[8][9][10] These lines make up a core project that the Korea Rail Network Authority managed.[7]

During the COVID pandemic the line was reduced to operate during the am & pm Rush Hours only - departing Airport Terminal 1 Station every 15 minutes from 07:30 to 09:00 and 18:00-1900. The reduced service was still operating in May 2022 but was expected to return to full-time service shortly after.

Incheon Airport Maglev COVID-19 reduced service - May 2022
COVID-19 reduced service - May 2022


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)[11] as per the Railroad Safety Act. According to signs posted at stations in February 2023, service would not resume until July 31, 2024, resulting in a closure of over two years. In September 2023 it was announced that the public service would be permanently ceased.

Stations

Maglev Station Platform in Incheon Airport
Incheon Airport Maglev Station Train Arrival Screen

All stations are located in Jung District, Incheon.

Station number Station name Transfer Distance (km)
Romanized Hangul Hanja Station Total
M01 Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 인천공항1터미널 仁川空港1터미널 0
M02 Long Term Parking 장기주차장 長期駐車場 0.4
M03 Administration Complex 합동청사 合同廳舍 0.5 0.9
M04 Paradise City 파라다이스시티 파라다이스시티 0.4 1.3
M05 Water Park 워터파크 워터파크 3 4.3
M06 Yongyu 용유 龍遊 1.2 5.5

History

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.[12][13] It is 6.1 kilometres (3.8 mi) long, with six stations and a 80 km/h (50 mph) operating speed (the design maximum speed is 110 km/h (68 mph)).[14]

This train was part of Korea's Urban Maglev Program (UMP) which started in December 2006. This program reached out to prominent companies and organizations in the railway concentrations previously mentioned. 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 program was expected to be the equivalent of US$450 million. Contributions were made from Incheon International Airport Corp. and the city of Incheon. This train system is the result of a development project started in 1989 within the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM).[7]

Rolling stock

Hyundai Rotem manufactured the rolling stock for this line and is the entity that managed its development. The 4 trains consist of 2 carriages, namely A and B. Each carriage is 6 metres (19 ft 8 in) long, 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) wide and 3.45 metres (11 ft 4 in) high, they weigh 19 tonnes (19 long tons; 21 short tons) and have a starting acceleration and service brake of 1.1 m/s2 (3.6 ft/s2).

Past research

Maglev Station in Yongyu

Train systems such as the Incheon Airport Maglev use air brakes and electric brakes. However, magnetic levitation trains use regenerative braking and plugging braking as opposed to normal trains using regenerative braking and air braking. Regenerative braking is used when the speed of the motor exceeds the synchronous speed. When this happens, the motor changes current flow so that the motor brakes. After this happens, the excess power is converted to power for the motor. Plugging braking is used when the supply terminals are switched, but it is criticized as a wasteful practice, because in order to switch the terminals, an external resistor needs to be implemented as a stopper for the current flow. As a result, a lot of power is squandered.

With the Urban Transit Maglev (now referred to as the "Incheon Airport Maglev") in South Korea as a test model, a study was conducted on exploring the relationship between the variation of slip frequency and energy efficiency of regenerative braking. The slip frequency decreases the limit for the regenerative extinction point. After testing, researchers noticed that this decrease of the frequency led to a decrease in the conversion time of the phase current back into the system. This decreased the required energy to brake, thus accumulating more regenerated power.

References

  1. ↑ "도시형 자기부상철도 3일 개통…세계 두번째". 매일경제. 2 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Incheon maglev rail under construction – INSIDE JoongAng Daily". 3 August 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "About maglev train". Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "오늘 인천공항~용유동 자기부상열차 개통". 기호일보 - 아침을 여는 신문 (in Korean). 2 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "KBS WORLD". Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  6. ↑ "인천공항 자기부상철도 3일 개통…무료로 운행한다". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). 2 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Park, D. Y.; Shin, B. C.; Han, H. (1 November 2009). "Korea's Urban Maglev Program". Proceedings of the IEEE. 97 (11): 1886–1891. doi:10.1109/JPROC.2009.2030247. ISSN 0018-9219. S2CID 20955600.
  8. ↑ Song, C. H.; Park, K.S.; Kim, C. K. (10–13 October 2011). Review on Incheon International Airport & Urban MagLev Interface. The 21st International Conference on Magnetically Levitated Systems and Linear Drives. Daejeon, Korea. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2018. Phase 2 expansion line is planned to link coastal area and cover 9.7km with 5 train stations up to the international business complex II of IIA and Phase 3 or the last phase expansion line is designed to be a ring-type alignment circumnavigating Yeongjong Island around IIA, covering 37.4km with 16 train stations.
  9. ↑ Han, Woojin. "영종자기부상열차 2단계". 미래철도DB (in Korean). Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  10. ↑ Medimorec, Nikola (28 January 2012). "Maglev at Incheon International Airport to be completed this year". Kojects. Retrieved 10 July 2018. Two more stages of construction are planned for the line; stage two is a 9.7km extension that continues from Yongyoo Station, past the planned Marine World and up to Dragon City. Though this stage was originally scheduled to be completed in time for the Asian Games, setbacks in the development of neighboring projects are still causing delays. The final stage will be significantly longer, a 37.4km extension that continues around the outer rim of the island and loop back to the airport.
  11. ↑ "Ready for repairs". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "Maglev Train to Debut at Incheon in 2012". 26 June 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  13. ↑ "Magnetic levitation train to operate in July". 14 May 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "Railway Gazette: Airport maglev demonstration line". Retrieved 26 September 2010.
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