The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to enhance safety inspections for high-risk components of railway vehicles while reducing duplicate inspections for parts that have already been verified for safety.
On November 10, the ministry revealed its "Improvement Plan for the Type Approval System of Railway Vehicles," which aims to strengthen safety verification and simplify inspection procedures.
The type approval system, introduced in 2014, verifies whether the design of railway vehicles meets national safety and performance standards. It manages vehicle safety from design to production through type approval, manufacturer approval, and final inspections.
The improvement plan consists of four key areas: strengthening inspections of high-risk safety components, simplifying inspection procedures, supporting entry into overseas markets, and enhancing the reliability of manufacturing quality and inspections.
Major safety components will be classified into four levels based on their accident risk. Inspections will be intensified for components with high accident risk, while the burden of inspection will be reduced for those with lower risk by utilizing manufacturer test results.
The ministry plans to establish a risk grading system by the end of this year, with a pilot application in 2027, followed by a gradual revision of related technical standards starting in 2028.
Additionally, the safety verification of components vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, such as heatwaves and cold snaps, will be strengthened. When major components are replaced or designs are modified, the impact of these changes on the overall safety of the vehicle will also be assessed.
Inspection procedures will be improved to prevent the repetition of the same inspections during final checks for components that have already been verified for safety during the type approval process.
A digital approval system will be fully implemented next year, allowing manufacturers to monitor inspection progress in real-time. Starting in December, free pre-consultation services will be offered to new vehicle manufacturers and importers, providing guidance on required documents, inspection procedures, and estimated timelines.
In the first half of next year, the ministry will gradually provide guidelines on inspection durations based on vehicle types and inspection stages.
To support the export of railway vehicles, the ministry will expand the testing and certification framework. It aims to align domestic railway vehicle technical standards with the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) and ensure that domestic test results are recognized abroad.
To achieve this, the ministry will utilize the Osong Complete Vehicle Testing Center and comprehensive railway test tracks, expanding facilities and equipment necessary for conducting tests required for European certification domestically.
Quality inspections at railway vehicle manufacturing sites and oversight of inspection agencies will also be strengthened. On-site inspections will be conducted during the vehicle production period, and a third-party evaluation system for inspection work will be introduced starting next year.
Kim Tae-byeong, head of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "The safety of railway vehicles is directly linked to the lives of citizens, so we will strengthen the safety verification of high-risk components and quality management in the vehicle manufacturing process. We will reduce unnecessary duplicate inspections and expand domestic testing and certification infrastructure to enhance both railway safety and industrial competitiveness."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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