Ms. October needs to visit her nephew's wedding 3000 kilometers away from where she lives. She packs a huge suitcase, then heads out the door seven hours before the train departure in aspiration to find an available ticket at the train station. As soon as she arrives at the train station, she stands in line for an hour to purchase a one-way ticket. Then she waits five hours sitting on her suitcase on the ground until the diesel train arrives at the platform. She finds a window without bars, pushes her suitcase in, and grabs a seat in a general compartment section. Here, her travel companions are the engine of the train in the front, the driver and his assistant next to the engine, and strangers in the back. The autumn sky is clearer and higher than ever before, and the cosmos flowers on the sides of the rail track gently wave at Ms. October. As the train engine finally starts roaring in front of her eyes, possible situations invade her mind one by one, "What if this train crashes with another What if a fire breaks out What if the train rides off the track"

Shalom to you all

Ms. October, welcome to the Cutting Edge Special Report of the Korea IT Times. This will select and introduce the top cutting-edge technology from different industries in this cover story.  The first cutting-edge technology to open up the curtain must be something that is not commonly heard of, a technology that is not wrapped up by the world of ubiquitous or intelligent that can easily be either imagined or found in our daily lives, yet be a thing that can bring a revolution to an industry and bring the safety in people's lives simply by delivering the message.

What is about to be introduced will bring shalom to the railway industry and the passengers who ride trains. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace and harmony, and because of a 21-year-old company with the name Shalom, Korean railway is at peace today.

Since 1986, Shalom Engineering Co. Ltd., has raised Korean railway's safety control system to a global standard through the localization of Automatic Train Stops (ATS), a Train Driving Simulator (TDS), and a Train Radio Protecting System (TRPS).

From Made Overseas to Made in Korea

Twenty years ago was the time when the Korean railway industry was built with nearly 100 percent imported components. "At this time, the need of localizing railway components was the most critical assignment of the country. I thought that creating everything new was just inefficient. My research at this time was mainly focused on reform as the keyword. How good is the newest high-tech railway part if it does not fit or work with the current body of the train" said President Kim Bong-taek.

Adapting, applying, or importing itself did not bring the Korean railway system up to the level where it is today. In 1988, close to the date of Seoul Olympics, KORAIL launched the project CTC Package IV on a public tender. This project was promoted to reduce the traveling time from Seoul to Pusan from five hours to four hours. Here, the Automatic Train Stop System (ATSS) played a critical role to back up this plan in terms of security. ATSS stops trains automatically when the train driver has made a mistake or if there is a problem with the train itself.

When the international tender began, only two companies participated: Mitsubishi and Shalom Engineering. KORAIL at this point has already been using Mitsubishi's products in numerous areas of trains, so Shalom Engineering's participation in the public bidding was a challenge.

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

February 2003 marked a disastrous subway accident in Daegu. "If only the Train Radio Protecting System (TRPS) was installed in the train," Shalom staff began. "Had they been installed earlier, then casualties would have been reduced to a minimum. This system sends information wirelessly to trains within 2 km of it and has the ability to stop them. According to the record in 2006, this protective system has been installed in more than 1,330 trains and prevented accidents.

Shalom has also developed devices to inspect hard-to-reach rooftop components and pantographs. When trains cross a video camera area, certain components are caught and transferred to the central computer to be analyzed and stored in real-time. These devices, the Integrated Train Inspecting System (ITIS), enable daily monitoring. The ITIS has been installed in Suwon's Byeongjeom and Incheon's Yongyu trains.

Another important part of the safe running of the railway is the conductor's skill. Shalom has created the first Train Driving Simulator in Korea. With Shalom's computer graphics, simulation is complete with sights and sounds to heighten reality and improve instruction.  Analysis of conductors is also possible, allowing perfection in training. Not only this, but problems such as breakdowns, collisions, derailment, and fires may be simulated, giving conductors mock experience in preparation of real-life emergencies. This education system is being implemented in Incheon Rairoad Construction, Daejeon Railroad Construction, and Seoul Metro.

Key to Success: Adapt for Domestic Use

What made Shalom Engineering the winner at last was the size of the ATSS. While Shalom's ATSS fit the train perfectly in size, Mitsubishi's ATSS was too big for Korean trains. Because Shalom had no reference at this point and the company and its products both did not yet have any recognition from anyone so far, it was a matter of trust for KORAIL.  KORAIL decided to give Shalom Engineering a try since it required extra time, money, and effort to ask Mitsubishi to reduce its ATSS size for a better fit.

With six employees, Shalom Engineering established the company officially with the success of the ATSS Project. "Without the tough choice of the judges who decided to give us an opportunity to prove our idea and technology, it would have taken us longer to get here," President Kim recalled.

Accomplishments of Two Decades

Shalom localized numerous components including wheel detectors, Train Radio Protecting Systems (TRPS), End-of-Train Supervisors (EOTS), and Train Driving Simulators (TDS). Those are only a few of the products that Shalom developed.

Over the past 20 years, Shalom has not only gained possession of 180 intellectual property rights, but it also received the top leading mobile service provider KT and EM's accreditation.  Many awards given to Shalom represent Shalom as the master of Korean Railway Safety. Shalom was the first company in Korea to be awarded with ISO 9001 Accreditation. The Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Prime Minister, and President of the Development of Korean Railway all awarded Shalom Engineering for guarding the safety of the Korean railway system.

Country's Top Railway Safety System

In 1999, Shalom Engineering signed the contract to work in partnership with Siemens, Germany. During the past 10 years, Shalom has steadily exchanged technological skills with Shenyang Railway signal Factory, Beijing Jiaotong University, China Railway Signal & Communication Corporation (CRSC), and China National Railway Signal & Communication Corporation Research & Design Institute (CRSCD). Also in August 2006, Shalom set up a lawyer in Beijing to strengthen ties in the world of global corporations.

"We would like to reach out to the company that is seeking for the railway safety system in an affordable price and efficiency in time.  In order to make the system cost less and time saving, the system must be customized to the character of the currently operating railway. We didn't seek technological collaboration with the developing countries only to copy them exactly as much as possible. Localization must follow fitting procedure. We learned, reformed, and improvised the cutting-edge technology to make it suitable for Korean railway environment," President Kim Bong-taek continued, "With our long experience in customization; we would like to reach out to the world outside that is looking for a simple solution to upgrade their railway system."

Korean train companies transport about close to a million passengers per year. With the single-minded effort of the leader Kim Bong-taek and the long-term personnel who dedicated their lives with the pride of being a part of the family, Shalom today became an expert provider of total solutions in railroad vehicles, signals, operation, inspection, training, and road traffic.

Shalom opens its arms to the global market with cutting-edge railway total solutions that secure the safety of a million passengers in Korea per year. Who else needs Shalom, or peace, in their railway system