KORAIL calls for recall of KTX-II train

DAEJEON, May 11 (Yonhap) -- The state-run bullet train operator Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) said Wednesday that it called for Hyundai Rotem Co., a South Korean train maker, to recall one of its 19 locally-made high-speed trains.
Korea Train Express (KTX)-II, or "KTX-Sancheon" was the first high-speed train built by Hyundai Rotem and can run at a speed of up to 300 kilometers per hour.
KORAIL has been operating the 19 KTX-II trains since March 2010, but they have broken down a total of 41 times so far, according to the transportation ministry.
South Korea introduced the bullet train service in April 2004 with KTX using trains built by the French company Alstom.
According to KORAIL, two severe cracks in the structures holding the motor decelerators in the underbody of No. 2 KTX-Sancheon were found during a routine inspection last week. A motor decelerator is a key part that weighs 0.5 tons and regulates the power of motor block, which is equivalent to the train's engine.
"The detachment of motor decelerators to the railways will lead to the derailment of the high-speed trains," a railway expert said.
Hyundai Rotem said that it started repairing the No. 2 KTX-Sancheon, but that no faults were found in other 18 trains.
Hyundai Rotem is currently bidding to supply rolling stock for Brazil's Rio-Sao Paulo project and the U.S. state of California's project.
ksnam@yna.co.kr