Gyeongwon Line (1911–1945)

The Gyeongwon Line was a railway line of the Chosen Government Railway in central Korea. It was the first east-west trunk line to be opened, connecting the capital Gyeongseong to the important east coast port of Wonsan. Following the partition of Korea, the line was divided between North and South Korea.

Gyeongwon Line
Overview
Native name경원선 (京元線)
TypeHeavy rail, Passenger/Freight
Regional rail, Commuter rail
StatusDivided (see article)
TerminiYongsan
Wonsan
Operation
OpenedStages between 1911–1914
OwnerChosen Government Railway
Technical
Line length223.7 km (139.0 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification3000 V DC Catenary (Bokgye–Gosan)
Route map
0.0 Yongsan
Sentetsu Gyeongbu Line
3.6 Seobinggo
10.4 Wangsimni
12.6 Cheongnyangni
Sentetsu Gyeonggyeong Line
Gyeongchun Railway Gyeongchun Line
18.2 Yeonchon
Gyeongchun Railway Gyeongchun Line
21.8 Changdong
31.3 Uijeongbu
43.8 Deokjeong
53.3 Dongducheon
65.4 Jeongok
74.0 Yeoncheon
84.5 Daegwangni
89.0 Sintalli
98.1 Cheorwon
103.1 Woljeongni
113.1 Gagok
119.9 Pyeonggang
123.7 Bokgye
134.6 I'mok
139.4 Geombullang
144.4 Seongsan
151.6 Sepo
159.3 Sambanghyeop
163.2 Sambang
177.6 Gosan
184.1 Yeongjiwon
192.2 Seokwonsa
201.6 Namsan
208.0 Anbyeon
212.9 Baehwa
219.6 Galma
223.7 Wonsan
Gyeongwon Line
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGyeongwonseon
McCune–ReischauerKyŏngwŏnsŏn

History

One of the earliest construction plans of the Railway Bureau of the Government General of Korea was for an east−west trunk line to connect Gyeongseong to the important port of Wonsan. The first section of this planned line was the 31.3 km (19.4 mi) segment from Yongsan to Uijeongbu, which was opened by the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) on 15 October 1911. Construction westbound from Wonsan began in 1912, and segments of the line were opened at various stages over the subsequent five years, until the final section, 12.2 km (7.6 mi) from Sepo to Gosan, was opened on 16 August 1914, completing the line from Gyeongseong to Wonsan.[1]

The line was built in the following segments:

DateSectionLength
15 October 1911Yongsan–Uijeongbu31.3 km (19.4 mi)
21 July 1912Uijeongbu–Yeoncheon42.7 km (26.5 mi)
21 October 1912Yeoncheon–Cheorwon24.1 km (15.0 mi)
10 July 1913Cheorwon–Pokkye25.6 km (15.9 mi)
21 August 1913Yongjiwon–Wonsan49.6 km (30.8 mi)
25 September 1913Pokkye–Geombullang15.7 km (9.8 mi)
21 October 1913Gosan–Ryongjiwon6.5 km (4.0 mi)
21 June 1914Geombullang–Sepo12.2 km (7.6 mi)
16 August 1914Sepo–Kosan26.0 km (16.2 mi)

The first railway electrification projects to be undertaken in Korea were implemented along the Gyeongwon Line. The first of these was the privately owned Geumgangsan Electric Railway, which was first opened in 1924 from Cheorwon to Gimhwa, and by 1931 had been extended all the way to Naegeumgang.[2]

Also in the 1930s, Sentetsu, together with the South Manchuria Railway, was developing plans to create an electrified railway all the way from Busan to Xinjing, capital of Manchukuo.[3] The first stage of this plan was the electrification of the Gyeongwon, Gyeonggyeong and Gyeongin lines,[3] and in March 1940, the Imperial Diet budgeted 3.6 million Yen for electrification equipment for this plan.[4] Electrification of the Pokkye−Gosan section of the Gyeongwon Line began in December 1940; it was completed and commissioned on 27 March 1944,[5] and commercial electric operations commenced on 1 April 1944.[6]

After the partition of Korea following the end of the Pacific War in 1945, the Gyeongwon Line was split along the 38th parallel between the stations of Hantangang and Choseongni.[7] The railways in both South and North were nationalised, and the newly established Korean National Railroad took over operation of the truncated Gyeongwon Line, from Seoul to Choseongni; in the North, the Korean State Railway merged its section of the Gyeongwon Line, Choseongni−Wonsan, with the Wonsan−Gowon section of the former Hamgyeong Line to create the Gangwon Line.[7]

The line was severely damaged during the Korean War. After the ceasefire and the subsequent establishment of the Military Demarcation Line, the division of the line changed, with the South gaining control of the line further northwards as far as Woljeongni. However, in the South the line was rebuilt only as far as Sintalli, resulting in an operation line from Yongsan and Sintalli with a length of 88.8 km (55.2 mi).[1]

For the post-war histories of the Northern and Southern sections of the line, see Kangwon Line for the Northern section, and Gyeongwon Line for the Southern section.

Route
Stations as of 1945
DistanceStation name
Total; km S2S; km Transcribed, Korean Transcribed, Japanese Hunminjeongeum Hanja/Kanji Opening date
Original owner		 Connections
0.0 0.0 Yongsan Ryūzan 용산 龍山 15 October 1911 Sentetsu Gyeongbu Line
Sentetsu Yongsan Line
3.6 3.6 Seobinggo Seihyōko 서빙고 西氷庫 1 October 1917
7.7 4.1 Sucheolli Suitetsuri 수천리 水鐵里 15 October 1911 Closed 1944
10.4 2.7 Wangsimni Ōjūri 왕십리 往十里 15 October 1911
12.6 2.2 Cheongnyangni Seiryūri 청량리 淸凉里 15 October 1911 Sentetsu Gyeonggyeong Line
18.2 5.6 Yeonchon Genson 연촌 硯村 25 July 1939 Gyeongchun Railway Gyeongchun Line
21.8 3.6 Changdong Sōdō 창동 倉洞 15 October 1911
31.3 9.5 Uijeongbu Giseifu 의정부 議政府 15 October 1911
43.5 12.2 Deokjeong Tokutei 덕정 德亭 15 October 1911
53.3 9.8 Dongducheon Tōtōsen 동두천 東豆川 25 July 1912
65.4 12.1 Jeongok Zenkoku 전곡 全谷 25 July 1912
74.0 8.6 Yeoncheon Rensen 연천 漣川 5 October 1914
84.5 10.5 Daegwangni Daikōri 대광리 大光里 21 October 1912
88.8 4.3 Sintalli Shintanri 신탄리 新炭里 10 July 1913
98.1 9.3 Cheorwon Tetsugen 철원 鉄原 21 October 1912 Geumgangsan Electric Railway
103.1 5.0 Woljeongni Gesseiri 월정리 月井里 10 July 1913
113.1 10.0 Gagok Kaikoku 가곡 佳谷 10 July 1913
119.9 6.8 Pyeonggang Heikō 평강 平康 10 July 1913
123.7 3.8 Bokgye Fukukei 복계 福溪 10 July 1913
134.6 10.9 I'mok Rimoku 이목 梨木 25 September 1913
139.4 4.8 Geombullang Kenfutsurō 검불랑 劍拂浪 25 September 1913
144.4 5.0 Seongsan Jōsan 성산 城山 21 June 1914
151.6 7.2 Sepo Senho 세포 洗浦 21 June 1914
159.3 7.7 Sambanghyeop Sanbōgyō 삼방협 三防峽 16 August 1914
163.2 3.9 Sambang Sanbō 삼방 三防 16 August 1914
177.6 14.4 Gosan Kōzan 고산 高山 21 October 1913
184.1 6.5 Yeongjiwon Ryōchien 용지원 龍池院 21 August 1913
192.2 8.1 Seokwansa Shakuōji 석왕사 釋王寺 21 August 1913
201.6 9.4 Namsan Nansan 남산 南山 21 August 1913
208.0 6.4 Anbyeon Anhen 안변 安邊 21 August 1913 Sentetsu Donghae Bukbu Line
212.9 4.9 Baehwa Haika 배화 培花 21 August 1913
219.6 6.7 Galma Katsuba 갈마 葛麻 21 August 1913
223.7 4.1 Wonsan Genzan 원산 元山 21 August 1913 Sentetsu Hamgyeong Line
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References
  1. "경영원칙 > 경영공시 > 영업현황 > 영업거리현황". Korail. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  2. 金剛山電気鉄道について (in Japanese)
  3. http://ktymtskz.my.coocan.jp/denki/matuda.htm
  4. "『デロイを探せ！（その43-1） 三菱電機技報（1942年1月号）におけるデロイ』".
  5. "『デロイを探せ！（その8）デロイ就役の経緯（年表）』".
  6. "『デロイを探せ！（その36） 戦後直後の韓国側における電化計画』".
  7. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
  • Japanese Government Railways (1937), 鉄道停車場一覧. 昭和12年10月1日現在(The List of the Stations as of 1 October 1937), Kawaguchi Printing Company, Tokyo, pp 495–496
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