LS Cable & System became the first Korean company to localize a system that supplies power to electric railways in narrow underground sections and tunnels, officials said Monday.

The rigid bar catenary system, a bar-type structure made of aluminum alloy, can be attached to tunnel walls and ceilings without any special accessory and can also be installed in narrow spaces.

It was first applied to the Gwacheon Line and the Bundang Line in the 1990s but Korea, lacking the necessary technology, has been reliant on imports for the past 25 years.

The new product manufactured by LS Cable & System, being compatible with previously imported systems, may substitute imported parts and thus reduce installation costs by up to 30 percent in the future, officials said.

The newly-developed system also acquired the rail facility performance certification from the Korea Rail Network Authority.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)