Laurent Beaudoin, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, accompanied by Raymond T. Betler, President of Bombardier Transportation, Total Transit Systems, and senior Canadian Government representatives from Korea and Canada. Minister Byung-Jik Choo, Ministry of Construction and Transportation, presided at the afternoon celebration, joined by Jeong-Moon Lee, Mayor of Yongin City, and other Korean public officials.

In July 2004, the City of Yongin awarded the Yongin LRT Consortium, of which Bombardier Transportation is the lead member, a 35-year Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) concession contract for a fully automated 18.5-kilometre rapid transit system. The Yong-In LRT Consortium comprises Bombardier and Korean civil works contractors Daelim Industrial Company, Hanil Engineering and Construction Company, and Korea Development Corporation, as well as Korean electrical and mechanical system contractors Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company, and Iljin Electric Company.

"We are very proud to be part of Yongin City's vision to introduce the first driverless transit system to South Korea, "said Laurent Beaudoin at the ceremony.

The mostly elevated system will feature the Bombardier CityFlo 650 automatic train control technology. The new line will serve 15 stations, linking the Seoul Metropolitan subway, via Yongin City, and will terminate in the Everland area, one of the world's largest amusement parks.

Source: ITS International