The South Korean government and Space Florida are launching discussions that could put Space Coast technicians to work in the high-speed rail industry.
Soon-Man Hong, deputy minister of South Korea's Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs, is meeting in Tallahassee today and Wednesday with the state aerospace industry board.
The timing is not coincidental. President Barack Obama recently announced the abandonment of the nation's manned space flight because of its cost. The dismantling of NASA's Constellation program is expected to result in the direct loss of 7,000 jobs held by highly-trained space program engineers.
"I think you should see a relationship come out of this; I think there's a strong possibility of that," said Katherine Beck, a managing member of Global Rail Consortium.
In January, Florida received a promise of $1.25 billion, half of what it requested, toward a high-speed rail line linking Tampa to Orlando. The line is only the first phase in a proposed project that could also link Miami to Orlando to Tampa, although the $1.25 billion would not fully fund even the Tampa-Orlando leg.
GRC, comprised of European, American and Korean rail companies, is the facilitator of the upcoming conversation with the Korean government, Beck said. GRC was a top bidder in 2003 for Florida's proposed high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando.
Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida, said he didn't know what the specifics of the discussions would be. The talks are in the earliest stage. DiBello said he only briefly introduced himself to representatives of the Korean government, but he hoped the meetings would result in employment of the Space Coast's highly skilled technicians.
"We hope to pursue it as an opportunity," he said.
Beck said an agreement with the Korean government could open the door to Florida becoming a key player in high-speed rail development. The United States has little high-speed knowledge, she said, and a partnership with the Koreans would give the state a competitive edge that builds on the reservoir of knowledge offered by aerospace technicians.
The deputy minister is interested in tapping into the technical expertise of Space Coast engineers for research and development, according to Beck. The government could lend its bullet train model, communications and signalization to the work. The partnership might include a government-to-government transfer of technology, she added.
"What you have in NASA are technicians trained in technology and technology that is not common in the American market," she said.
Beck said the South Korean government is also interested in setting up a research office at Kennedy Space Center.
South Korea opened its state-owned high-speed rail program in 2004. Based on the French high-speed rail system, the Korea Train eXpress (KTX) can travel 217 mph and incorporates an electrified, overhead rail that allows it to connect to the French line.
Beck said some in Florida might be against having a foreign firm involved in the rail project, but it's inevitable, as the U.S.'s domestic high-speed rail technology is lacking.
"All of these teams (working on high-speed rail) will have foreign influence, because that's where the experience will come from," she said.
South Korea has benefited greatly from its relationship to the U.S., Beck said.
"They look at this as an opportunity to repay a favor," she said.
But, South Korea is not the only company with an interest in Florida's high-speed rail future. Recent media reports out of Japan state the Central Japan Railway Company, also known as JR Tokai, is interested, too.
