5 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. KORAIL EL8000: Subway06· CC BY 3.0
- 2. Korail 8000 Series Electric Locomotive - Flickr - skinnylawyer: skinnylawyer from Los Angeles, California, USA· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 3. Korail Class 8000 Sillim: Kabelleger / David Gubler ( http://www.bahnbilder.ch )· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. Korail Class 8000 Wonju - Sillim: Kabelleger / David Gubler ( http://www.bahnbilder.ch )· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Two Korail Class 8000 locomotives: Jean Silvestre· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Korail Class 8000 locomotive were a series of South Korean electric locomotives operated by Korail. This locomotive was introduced from 1972 to 1990, after electrification of several industrial lines. It was assigned both passenger and freight duty until the introduction of the 8200 series, which restricted the older locomotives to solely freight service.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 54 years ago, in 1972.
- Weighs about as much as 22 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 20.7 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 54 years (1972–2026).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1972–1990
- in service from
- 1972
- retired
- 2026
- status
- retired
- number built
- 94
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇫🇷 France
- builders
- Alstom, Doosan Group, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction
- designer
- Alstom
- operators
- Korea Railroad Corporation
- top speed
- 85 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 25 kV 60 Hz AC Catenary
- wheel arrangement
- Bo-Bo-Bo
- length
- 20.7 m
- weight
- 132 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q249990, Wikipedia: Korail Class 8000 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.