Trams in Pyongyang

Pyongyang Tram is a public tram system in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The first line of the current system opened in 1989. There are currently four lines in operation.

Pyongyang Tram
Older Tatra T6B5 vehicles on tram line 1
Overview
Locale Pyongyang
Transit typeTram
Number of lines4
Line number1, 2, 3, Kumsusan
Operation
Began operation1989
Operator(s)Transport and Communication Commission
CharacterAt-grade
Train length1-2 bi-articulated vehicles
Technical
System length53.5 km (33 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
ElectrificationOverhead DC 600 V, 20 A; up to 200 A during acceleration
Average speed30 kilometres per hour (19 mph)
Top speed60 kilometres per hour (37 mph)
Map of Pyongyang Metro and Tram

Pyongyang Tram
Chosŏn'gŭl
평양 궤도전차
Hancha
平壤 軌道電車
Revised RomanizationPyeongyang gwedojeoncha
McCune–ReischauerP'yŏngyang kwedojŏnch'a
A Tatra T6B5 vehicle in Pyongyang.
A crowded Line 1 tram during afternoon rush hour in 2012.

Overview

Before the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, there were three tramway systems in the entire Korean Peninsula: one each in Seoul, Busan and Pyongyang. However, the system in Pyongyang was discontinued after the war, largely due to the significant destruction of the city by US/UN bombing attacks. The remaining two in Seoul and Busan survived the war but were eventually discontinued too when motorcars became more common and a larger means of transport in South Korea in 1968, thus leaving no tramway networks on the peninsula.

Unlike South Korea, personal ownership of automobiles in North Korea is very rare. North Koreans, especially those living in Pyongyang and other major cities, rely mainly on government-run public transport. Also, as the limited oil supply imported into the country is mostly allocated to its military (especially exemplified under Kim Jong-il's Songun (Military-First) policy), private vehicle ownership is virtually non-existent. In Pyongyang, there are electrically-powered trolleybuses (the Pyongyang trolleybus system) and subways (the Pyongyang Metro), with these two serving as its main forms of public transport. However, as trolleybus lines became gradually overcrowded, the city decided to re-open tram-lines. The first line was finally built and opened in 1989.[1]

In the late 1990s, the city had frequent power outages due to decrepit power stations and the lack of resources. The tram lines also suffered from outages, but the situation has improved in recent years. In 2003, however, the section of Line 1 between P'yŏngyang-yŏk and Songsin was closed, as the bridge over Taedong River started to decay.[2] This section was eventually replaced by a trolleybus no longer crossing the river.

In 2008, the City Transportation Company of Prague sold 20 used T3s to Pyongyang Public Transportation Enterprise together with a shipment of tram-rails. These trams were made in the late 1970s and the early 1980s. According to Ondřej Pečený, a spokesman for the City Transportation Company of Prague, these trams are in very good condition, and can run for at least two years without the need of a service. The tram cars were made by Tatra, a Czechoslovak company, during that nation's socialist era. Various types are used, but there are currently no low-floor tram cars.

Foreign tourists were previously not permitted to ride the tram lines, but some recent tours have started to include tramway rides (though rides are not shared with locals and are instead chartered, unlike the Pyongyang Metro).[1]

Lines

There are currently four lines in operation.

  • Line 1: P'yŏngyang-yŏk (평양역; 平壤驛) — Man'gyŏngdae (만경대; 萬景臺)
  • Line 2: T'osŏng (토성; 土城) — Rangrang (락랑; 樂浪) — Munsu (문수; 紋繡)
  • Line 3: Sŏp'yŏngyang (서평양; 西平壤) — Rangrang (락랑; 樂浪)
  • Kŭmsusan: Service to Kŭmsusan Palace of the Sun (no transfer to other lines)

As of 2006, the fare is ₩5 for any section. There are also coupon tickets (시내 차표; 市內車票; sinae ch'ap'yo).

Rolling stock

Prior to 2018, the rolling stock used were the Czechoslovakian ČKD Praha Tatra T6B5, Tatra T3, Tatra T4 and KT8D5K in either red/white livery or blue/white.[1] The Kŭmsusan line uses VBZ Be 4/4 Type Ib rolling stock on a different gauge of 1,000 mm, rather than 1,435 mm for lines 1-3.

In August 2018, following the introduction of new trolleybuses and metro cars, new partially domestically-produced tram cars were introduced in Pyongyang for the first time in decades.[3] The cars were recently put to use on Line 1 and later Line 3. It is unclear how many new cars have been added to the line. The new domestically-produced tram vehicles add LED destination displays but do not appear to include air-conditioning. The trams were manufactured by Pyongyang's Bus Repair Factory under the domestic Songsan brand, assembled mostly, but not entirely, with domestic parts.[1]

A VBZ tram on the Kŭmsusan line in 2005.

See also

References
  1. "New tram cars appear on Pyongyang's Liberation Street line | NK News - North Korea News". NK News - North Korea News. 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  2. "平壌市軌道電車(路面電車)1号線". 2427junction.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  3. "개발창조형의 궤도전차 생산" [Domestic creation of tramcar production]. Sogwang (in Korean). 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2018-09-14.

Further reading
  • Hayato Kokubu, Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō: Kitachōsen Tetsudō Jijō (将軍様の鉄道 北朝鮮鉄道事情; "Railway of the Dear Leader: The Railway Situation in North Korea"), 2007. (ISBN 4103037318)
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