Sohaeri Line

The Sŏhaeri Line or Ryongjŏng Line is a closed non-electrified 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge railway line of the Korean State Railway in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, running from Ch'ŏlgwang at the junction of the Ŭnnyul and Sŏhae Kammun lines to Ryongjŏng.[1]

Sŏhaeri Line
Overview
Other name(s)	Ryongjŏng Line
Native name	서해리선 (西海里線) 룡정선 (龍井線)
Type	Regional rail, Freight rail
Status	Closed
Locale	South Hwanghae
Termini	Ch'ŏlgwang Ryongjŏng
Stations	4
Operation
Opened	1964
Closed	2002
Owner	Korean State Railway
Operator(s)	Korean State Railway
Technical
Line length	10.1 km (6.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
Route map Sŏhae Kammun Line 0.0 Ch'ŏlgwang Ŭnnyul Line iron ore mine Sŏhaeri Closed West Sea Chŏngmunch'on Closed 10.1 Ryongjŏng Closed Ryongjŏng Port

Sohaeri Line
Chosŏn'gŭl	서해리선
Hancha	西海里線
Revised Romanization	Seohaeri-seon
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏhaeri-sŏn

History

After the end of the Korean War the Railway Ministry of the DPRK began to expand and improve its network, including in South Hwanghae, leading to the opening of a new narrow-gauge line from Sugyo to Ch'ŏlgwang in 1963.[2] With the opening of the new line, the Sariwŏn—Sugyo—Ch'ŏlgwang line was named Ŭnnyul Line, leaving the Changyŏn Line as just the short branch from Sugyo to Changyŏn.

In 1964, another new narrow-gauge line was opened from Ch'ŏlgwang, to serve the iron ore mines around Sŏhaeri and the port at Ryongjŏng. This 10.1 km (6.3 mi) line was the Sŏhaeri Line.[3]

In 1971, a new standard gauge line was opened from Ŭnp'a on the former Sahae Line to Chaeryŏng, and at the same time, the Chaeryŏng—Sinch'ŏn—Sugyo section was converted to standard gauge.[2] The opening of the new standard gauge line from Ŭnp'a to Chaeryŏng led to the closure of the narrow gauge Sariwŏn—Chaeryŏng line.[4] The regauging of the rest of the line from Sugyo to Ch'ŏlgwang was completed in 1973,[2] but the Sŏhaeri Line was left as a narrow-gauge line.

Services

At its peak the line carried 6,000 tonnes of ore daily. Besides the frequent trains to stations, there were 12 daily round trips to the port, each train consisting of 21 self-unloading hoppers. The line has been out of use since 2002.[3]

Route

The orange background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified narrow-gauge.

Distance (km)		Station Name		Former Name
Total	S2S	Transcribed	Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja)	Transcribed	Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja)	Connections
0.0	0.0	Ch'ŏlgwang	철광 (鐵礦)			Ŭnnyul Line, Sŏhae Kammun Line
		Sŏhaeri	서해리 (西海里)			Closed
		Chŏngmunch'on	정문촌 (正門村)			Closed
10.1		Ryongjŏng	룡정 (龍井)			Closed

References

1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p 85 ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
2. North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - Ŭnnyul Line (in Korean)
3. http://www.farrail.net/pages/trip-reports-engl/report_nk-oct-2004.html
4. 100 Years of Rail Travel - Sariwŏn