- On-site Recycling of Waste Generated from Railway Infrastructure -CHUNCHEON, South Korea – May 14 – The Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) (President: Sagong Myung) conducted a field demonstration on May 13 (Wed.) at a concrete sleeper storage site near Gimyujeong Station in Chuncheon for railway industry officials and other stakeholders, showcasing the “End-of-Life Concrete Sleeper Recycling System,” which crushes, separates, and sorts waste concrete into recyclable materials such as reinforcing steel and aggregates.This field demonstration was conducted to verify the performance of the mobile recycling system developed to process end-of-life concrete sleepers generated from railway infrastructure on-site. The test involved transporting the system to a railway site, connecting it to an excavator, immediately crushing the waste concrete sleepers, and separating recyclable materials.In addition, KRRI presented a prototype “sound-absorbing block” produced using recovered aggregates with minimal additional processing, demonstrating its applicability to transportation infrastructure facilities and buildings.Aggregates recovered from end-of-life concrete sleepers generally contain impurities, making recycling for various applications difficult. However, KRRI developed a technology that recycles recovered aggregates into sound-absorbing blocks without additional processing beyond particle-size sorting.The sound-absorbing blocks were manufactured by combining recovered aggregates with a minimal amount of binder. Prototypes intended for application in transportation facilities and buildings were presented to attendees at the demonstration site. In the second half of the year, pilot installation in actual environments such as railway stations is planned to verify sound absorption performance and applicability.The “End-of-Life Concrete Sleeper Recycling System,” which enables on-site processing of waste concrete sleepers, was developed by KRRI through the Ministry of Science and ICT basic research project supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) (Chairman: Kim Young-sik), titled “Development of Waste Reduction and Recycling Technologies for Railway Facilities (2022–2024).”This demonstration directly tested the system’s performance at an actual railway site with the cooperation of the Korea National Railway, as part of the follow-up project titled “Development of a Digital Ecosystem for Environmental Information Across the Entire Railway Lifecycle and Carbon Reduction Element Technologies (2026–2028).”Lee Jae-young, head of the Transportation Environmental Research Department at KRRI, stated, “Our goal is to reduce carbon emissions through resource circulation by recycling the continuously growing volume of waste concrete sleepers generated from railway infrastructure, utilizing the Waste Concrete Sleeper Recycling System and sound-absorbing blocks.”President Sagong Myung of KRRI emphasized, “This technology development is part of K-Climate Tech for railways, expanding railway carbon neutrality from an energy-centered approach to resource circulation,” adding, “We will continue to strengthen R&D on carbon reduction technologies based on resource circulation to achieve carbon neutrality in railways by 2050.”※ Reference: Field Demonstration Photos of the End-of-Life Concrete Sleeper Recycling System※ Test Video (KRRI YouTube, June, 2025):   https://youtu.be/3iql0Nn2Jfo?si=mrJUTUV9cfn6MD82Press ContactsSunghyun BaekKorea Railroad Research Institutebaeksh@krri.re.kr+82 31 460 5162

- KRRI Demonstrates the “Rail-Rops” Automated Rail Inspection System in Bangkok, Thailand -BANGKOK, Thailand – May 11 – The Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) (President: Sagong Myung) exhibited “RAILOBSE,” an automated rail wear inspection system for railway track maintenance automation, at the Asia Pacific Rail 2026 exhibition held in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 6–7, and conducted a field demonstration on the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) track operated by Siemens Mobility.“RAILOBSE” is an automated mobile measurement system that automatically monitors rail wear conditions while moving along railway tracks and detects surface defects using AI-based technology.The RAILOBSE system automates inspections that were previously conducted manually by workers directly on the track, enhancing the efficiency of routine track inspections and contributing to accident prevention.The demonstration was attended by KRRI, Siemens Mobility, LOBSE Co., Ltd., and track maintenance experts.Asia Pacific Rail 2026, held at BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre) in Bangkok, Thailand, is Asia’s largest railway industry exhibition. KRRI participated in the exhibition to showcase its technologies to railway industry stakeholders across Asia and to promote global market expansion, digitalization, automation, and operational efficiency in the railway sector.Through the exhibition, KRRI recently received a letter of intent for technology purchase from Siemens Mobility, which operates Bangkok’s urban railway system, and completed a field demonstration for key Siemens Mobility officials on the BTS urban railway line in Thailand. Commercialization is currently underway.“Rail wear and defect management,” performed by “RAILOBSE,” is an essential maintenance management task for railway operators. This field demonstration was conducted to reflect diverse opinions from overseas operational sites. If overseas railway operators decide to adopt the system in the future, KRRI plans to establish customized systems reflecting local requirements.This technology was developed as a major project of KRRI under the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) (Chairman: Kim Young-sik), and KRRI completed technology transfer to LOBSE Co., Ltd. this year. Commercialization is currently being pursued for domestic and overseas demand organizations, including Siemens Mobility.※ Relevant Research ProjectProject title: International Joint Research on AI-Based Wheel-Rail Wear Management and Low-Noise Technology DevelopmentResearch period: January 1, 2025 ~ December 31, 2027Research organization (project lead): The Korea Railroad Research Institute (Jung Woo-tae, principal researcher)Jung Woo-tae, principal researcher at KRRI and project lead of the project, stated, “RAILOBSE is an automated system based on a compact mobile platform that replaces manual routine inspections previously carried out by on-site track workers,” adding, “We plan to continue research by linking it with track inspection history management systems and AI-based detection technologies.”President Sagong Myung of KRRI said, “RAILOBSE is a representative research achievement for the global expansion of accident prevention technologies through improved maintenance efficiency of railway rails,” adding, “We will continue to devote our efforts to the global expansion of railway maintenance, safety, and prevention technologies.”※Reference: RAILOBSE Configuration and Field Demonstration PhotosPress ContactsSunghyun BaekKorea Railroad Research Institutebaeksh@krri.re.kr+82 31 460 5162