The Gyeongwon Line is a railway line serving northeastern Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. The line is operated by Korail. The name of the line came from Gyeongseong (Seoul) and Wonsan, the original terminus of the line, in what is now North Korea.

History

One of the first construction projects undertaken by the Railway Bureau of the Government General of Korea was for an east−west trunk line to connect Keijō to the important port of Wonsan. The Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) opened the line in several stages between 1911 and 1914. The first section of mainline to be electrified by Sentetsu was also along the Gyeongwon Line, with the Pokkye−Gosan section being energised on 27 March 1944, as part of a plan made jointly with the South Manchuria Railway for an electrified railway all the way from Busan to Xinjing, capital of Manchukuo.

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.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), 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, Choseong-ri−Wonsan, with the Wonsan−Gowon section of the former Hamgyeong Line to create the Gangwon Line.

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, the line was rebuilt only as far as Sintalli, resulting in an operation line from Yongsan and Sintalli with a length of .

Following the 1961 coup, the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction started South Korea's first five-year plan, which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth. As part of the program, in the outskirts of Seoul, a long avoiding line was built from Kwangwoon University to Mangu on the Jungang Line, called the Mangu Line, which opened on December 30, 1963.

Upgrade

The section of the Gyeongwon Line in the Seoul metropolitan area was among the first to be electrified with the 25 kV/60 Hz AC catenary system in South Korea when to allow for through train services with Seoul Subway Line 1. Further sections were electrified and urban services to Line 1 was extended in the 1980s and then in the 2000s:

Section Length Electrified rail operation commenced Cheongnyangni–Kwangwoon Univ. 5.6 km August 15, 1974 Yongsan–Cheongnyangni 12.6 km December 9, 1978 Seongbuk–Chang-dong 3.6 km April 25, 1985 Chang-dong–Uijeongbu 9.4 km September 2, 1986 Uijeongbu–Ganeungthen Uijeongbu Bukbu 1.2 km October 5, 1987 Ganeung–Soyosan 23.2 km December 15, 2006 Soyosan-Yeoncheon 20.87 km December 16, 2023

Altogether of the line was electrified, and was double-tracked.

On September 1, 2010, the South Korean government announced a strategic plan to reduce travel times from Seoul to 95% of the country to under 2 hours by 2020. As part of the plan, the Gyeongwon Line is to be further upgraded until Uijeongbu for 230 km/h and may see KTX service.

In 2012 restoration of the line was completed between Sintan-ri and Baengmagoji.

On December 16, 2023, a single-line railway between Soyosan and Yeoncheon opened on the Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1.

Route A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified.

Distance(km) Interstation Distance(km) Original Name Seoul Subway Line 1 Opened Connections NotesLR 0.0 0.0 Yongsan용산 (龍山)Only Gyeongui–Jungang Line trains stop here. Line 1 trains use the Gyeongbu Line to Seoul Station, where it then continues via the to Cheongnyangni. 15 October 1911 Gyeongbu LineYongsan Line Seoul Subway Line 1 1.9 1.9 Ichon 이촌 (二村) 9 December 1978 Seoul Subway Line 4 3.6 1.7 Seobinggo서빙고 (西氷庫) 1 October 1917 7.7 4.1 Sucheolli수천리 15 October 1911 Closed 1944 5.5 1.9 Hannam한남 (漢南) 1 April 1980 7.1 1.6 Oksu옥수 (玉水) 9 September 1978 Seoul Subway Line 3 8.9 1.8 Eungbong응봉 (鷹峰) Formerly Seongsu 성수 (聖水) renamed 10 July 1980 10.4 2.7 Wangsimni왕십리 (往十里) 15 October 1911 Seoul Subway Line 2 Seoul Subway Line 5 Suin–Bundang Line 12.7 2.4 Cheongnyangni청량리 (淸凉里) Jungang Line Seoul Subway Line 1 Gyeongchun Line 14.1 1.4 Hoegi회기 (回基) 1 April 1980 Gyeongchun Line Gyeongui–Jungang Line 14.9 0.8 Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies외대앞 (外大앞) 15 August 1974 Formerly Hwigyeong 휘경 (徽慶) renamed 1 January 1996 15.7 0.8 Sinimun신이문 (新里門) 5 January 1980 17.1 1.4 Seokgye석계 (石溪) 14 January 1985 Seoul Subway Line 6 18.2 5.5 Kwangwoon Univ.광운대 (光云大) 25 July 1939 current and former Gyeongchun Lines Was Yeonchon 연촌 (硯村) until May 3, 1963 where it was renamed to Seongbuk (城北) and renamed to current name February 25, 2013 19.3 1.1 Wolgye월계 (月溪) 22 August 1985 20.7 1.4 Nokcheon녹천 (鹿川) 21.7 1.0 Chang-dong창동 (倉洞) 15 October 1911 Seoul Subway Line 4 23.4 1.7 Banghak방학 (放鶴) 2 September 1986 24.7 1.3 Dobong도봉 (道峰) 25.9 1.2 Dobongsan도봉산 (道峰山) Seoul Subway Line 7 Formerly Nuwon 누원 (樓阮) renamed 1 January 1988 28.2 2.3 Mangwolsa망월사 (望月寺) 21 June 1966 29.6 1.4 Hoeryong회룡 (回龍) 2 September 1986 U Line 31.2 1.6 Uijeongbu의정부 (議政府) 15 October 1911 32.4 1.2 Ganeung가능 (佳陵) 5 October 1987 Formerly Uijeongbu Bukbu 의정부북부 (議政府北部) renamed 15 December 2006 33.7 3.1 Nogyang녹양 (綠楊) 15 December 2006 35.3 1.6 Yangju양주 (楊州) 25 December 1948 Formerly Junae 주내 (州內) renamed 28 December 2007 37.5 2.2 Majeon Signal Area마전신호장 (麻田信号場) 15 December 2006 40.6 5.3 Deokgye덕계 (德溪) 43.5 2.9 Deokjeong덕정 (德亭) 15 October 1911 49.1 5.6 Jihaeng지행 (紙杏) 30 January 2005 50.1 1.0 Dongducheon Jungang동두천중앙 (東豆川中央) 1 February 1955 Was Eosu-dong 어수동 (御水洞) until October 2, 1984 where it was renamed to Dongducheon 동두천 (東豆川) and renamed to current name on December 15, 2006 51.5 1.4 Bosan보산 (保山) 15 December 2006 53.1 1.6 Dongducheon동두천 (東豆川) 25 July 1912 Dongducheon 동두천 (東豆川) until October 2, 1984 where it was renamed to Dong-an 동안 (東安) and renamed to current name on December 15, 2006 55.5 2.4 Soyosan소요산 (逍遙山) 11 January 1976 61.3 5.8 Cheongsan청산 (靑山) 10 September 1953 Originally opened 5 October 1950 as a UN munitions facility. Formerly named Choseong-ri until 21 November 2023. 62.7 3.0 Hantangang한탄강 (漢灘江) 28 June 1975 In DPRK until 1953. Reopened 1975, permanently closed 21 November 2023. 64.6 3.3 Jeongok전곡 (全谷) 25 July 1912 In DPRK to 1953 73.3 8.7 Yeoncheon연천 (漣川) 77.3 4.0 Sinmang-ri신망리 (新望里) 21 August 1956 84.3 7.0 Daegwang-ri대광리 (大光里) 21 October 1912 In DPRK to 1953 88.7 4.4 Sintan-ri신탄리 (新炭里) 10 July 1913 94.3 5.6 Baengmagoji백마고지 (白馬高地) 20 November 2012Section north of Baengmagoji closed 98.1 3.7 Cheorwon철원 (鉄原) 21 October 1912 former Geumgangsan Line In DPRK to 1953. Closed. 103.1 5.0 Woljeong-ri월정리 (月井里) 10 July 1913 In DPRK to 1953. Closed. Since restored as a museum.Demilitarized Zone 113.1 10.0 Gagok 가곡 (佳谷) In DPRK. Closed.Section north of Pyeonggang part of Korean State Railway's Kangwon Line 119.9 6.8 Pyeonggang 평강 (平康) Kangwon Line

See also Korail Korean State Railway Transportation in South Korea

References

Bibliography 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

External links