Suin Line (1937–1945)

The Suin Line was a 762 mm (2 ft 6.0 in) narrow gauge railway line of the Chōsen Railway (Chōtetsu) of colonial-era Korea, located in Gyeonggi Province.

This article is about a defunct railway line. For the present line, see Suin Line.

Suin Line
Overview
Native name	수인선（水仁線)
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail Passenger/Freight
Status	Closed
Locale	Gyeonggi
Termini	Suwon Incheon Port
Stations	17
Operation
Opened	1937
Owner	Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway (1937–1942) Chōsen Railway (1942–1945)
Operator(s)	Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway; Chōsen Railway
Technical
Line length	52.0 km (32.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
Route map Sentetsu Gyeongbu Line 0.0 Suwon Sentetsu Gyeongbu Line Suryeo Line 3.9 Gosaek 5.8 Omok 10.7 Eocheon 13.7 Yamok 15.1 Binjeong 20.0 Illi 21.6 Jeongdu 27.9 Wongok 29.2 Singil 32.4 Gunja 38.6 Sorae 41.4 Nonhyeon 42.4 Namdong 45.8 Munhak 47.0 Songdo 52.0 Incheonhang

History

The privately owned Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway was granted a licence to build a second railway line to haul salt from Sorae. Starting at Suwon, terminus of the railway's Suryeo Line, a 52.0 km (32.3 mi) line was built to Incheon Port via Sorae, and was opened for operation on 5 August 1937.[1] On 26 October 1942, the Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway was acquired by the Chōsen Railway,[2] which continued operating the line until the end of the Pacific War.

Following the partition of Korea and the establishment of the Republic of Korea, on 17 May 1946 Chōtetsu, along with all other railways in the country, was nationalised,[3] and the new Korean National Railroad took over operation of the Suin Line. Over the following years, the KNR continued to operate the line, keeping the Suin Line name but making numerous changes; recently, the line has been undergoing conversion to standard gauge.

Services

In the November 1942 timetable, the last issued prior to the start of the Pacific War, Chōtetsu operated four daily, third-class-only local passenger trains:[4]

Distance (read down)	-	-	-	-	Station name	Distance (read up)	-	-	-	-
0.0	05:00	08:52	13:00	17:00	Suwon	52.0	08:19	12:00	16:41	19:05
52.0	07:14	12:38	15:11	19:10	Incheon Port	0.0	05:00	09:44	12:46	16:44

Route

水仁線 - 수인선 - Suijin Line - Suin Line

Distance		Station name
Total; km	S2S; km	Transcribed, Korean	Transcribed, Japanese	Hunminjeongeum	Hanja/Kanji	Connections
0.0	0.0	Suwon	Suigen	수원	水原	Suryeo Line, Sentetsu Gyeongbu Line
3.9	3.9	Gosaek	Kosaku	고색	古索
5.8	1.9	Omok	Gomoku	오목	梧木
10.7	4.9	Eocheon	Gyosen	어천	漁川
13.7	3.0	Yamok	Yamoku	야목	野牧
15.1	1.4	Binjeong	Hinchō	빈정	濱汀
20.0	4.9	Illi	Itsuri	일리	一里
21.6	1.6	Seongdo	Seitō	성두	城頭
27.9	6.3	Wongok	Genkoku	원곡	元谷
29.2	1.3	Singil	Shinkitsu	신길	新吉
32.4	3.2	Gunja	Kunji	군자	君子
38.6	6.2	Sorae	Sorai	소래	蘇萊
41.4	2.9	Nonhyeon	Ronken	논현	論峴
42.4	0.9	Namdong	Nantō	남동	南洞
45.8	3.4	Munhak	Bunkaku	문학	文鶴
47.0	1.5	Songdo	Shōdō	송도	松島
52.0	5.0	Incheonhang Incheon Port	Jinsenkō	인천항	仁川港

References

1. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 3168, 6 August 1937
2. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 4729, 4 November 1942
3. Article 2, Military Administration Ordinance No. 75, Korean Railroads. United States Army Command, Korea Military Command, 7 May 1946
4. Tōa Travel Co. (東亜旅行社), Ministry of Railways Combined Timetable 1 November 1942 (鐵道省編纂時刻表昭和１７年１１月１日)