The Ŭnnyul Line is a non-electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway in the North and South Hwanghae provinces of North Korea, running from Ŭnp'a to Ch'ŏlgwang.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 85, 2007, Tokyo, It is an important line in economic terms, connecting the agricultural and ore-producing areas of Kwail and Ŭnnyul counties with the rest of the DPRK.North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - Ŭnnyul Line (in Korean)
The line connects to the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line at Ŭnp'a, to the Changyŏn Line at Sugyo, and to the Sŏhae Kammun Line at Ch'ŏlgwang, and formerly connected to the narrow gauge Ryongjŏng Line at Ch'ŏlgwang. The ruling grade is 15‰, the minimum curve radius is 300 m; there are 67 bridges with a total length of , but only two tunnels with a total length of .
History The West Chosen Development Railway (西鮮殖産鉄道, Seisen Shokusan Tetsudō; 서선식산철도 Sŏsŏn Siksan Ch'ŏldo) was formed in 1920 to take over the narrow gauge Sanghae—Hwasan—Naet'o line built by the Mitsubishi Ironworks as a company-use railway,朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Taishō Nr. 2054, 16 June 1919朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Taishō Nr. 2317, 4 May 1920 and then built a new narrow gauge line from Sariwŏn to Chaeryŏng via Sanghae. This new line was opened on 21 December 1920,朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Taishō Nr. 2514, 27 December 1920 and on 16 November of the following year it was extended from Chaeryŏng to Sinch'ŏn.朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Taishō Nr. 2514, 19 November 1921
On 1 April 1923, the West Chosen Development Railway and five other railway companies merged to create the Chosen Railway (abbreviated Chōtetsu),Establishment of the Chosen Railway, Dong-A Ilbo, 3 September 1923 (in Korean) which took over all lines and operations of its predecessors. Chōtetsu grouped the Sariwŏn—Sanghae—Sinch'ŏn and Sanghae—Hwasan—Naet'o lines inherited from the West Chosen Development Railway together, calling them the Hwanghae Line, and subsequently expanded the Hwanghae Line network significantly. These expansions included the extension of the Sariwŏn—Sinch'ŏn line, opening a section from Sinch'ŏn to Sugyo on 1 November 1929, followed by a section from Sugyo to Changyŏn on 21 January 1937.朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Showa Nr. 3009, 28 January 1937
Chōtetsu sold the Hwanghae Line network to the state-owned Chosen Government Railway (abbreviated Sentetsu) on 1 April 1944, which absorbed the Hwanghae Line network and split it up, calling the Sariwŏn—Sinch'ŏn—Changyŏn line the Changyŏn Line.朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 5143, 29 March 1944 Although Sentetsu did make significant expansions to other parts of the former Hwanghae Line network, this line remained unchanged for the duration of Japanese rule in Korea.
After the end of Japanese rule and the subsequent partition of Korea, Sentetsu's Changyŏn Line was located in the northern half, becoming part of the Korean State Railway. 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 line from Sugyo to Ch'ŏlgwang in 1963. 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 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. The opening of the new standard gauge line from Ŭnp'a to Chaeryŏng led to the closure of the narrow gauge Sariwŏn—Chaeryŏng line.100 Years of Rail Travel - Sariwŏn The regauging of the rest of the line from Sugyo to Ch'ŏlgwang was completed in 1973.
Date Section Length Original Builder 21 December 1920 Sariwŏn (Sariwŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn)–Chaeryŏng West Chosen Development Railway 16 November 1921 Chaeryŏng–Sinch'ŏn West Chosen Development Railway 1 November 1929 Sinch'ŏn–Sugyo Chosen Railway 21 January 1937 Sugyo–Changyŏn Chosen Railway 1963 Sugyo–Ch'ŏlgwang (762 mm) Korean State Railway 1971 Ŭnp'a–Chaeryŏng(standard gauge) Korean State Railway 1971 Chaeryŏng–Sugyo(standard gauge) Korean State Railway 1973 Sugyo–Ch'ŏlgwang(standard gauge) Korean State Railway
Services In terms of traffic quantity, freight on the Ŭnp'a–Sugyo section is roughly the same in both directions, but the bulk of freight on the Sugyo–Ch'ŏlgwang section is iron ore eastbound from the Ch'ŏlgwang area destined for the Hwanghae Iron & Steel Complex on the Songrim Line. Fruit from Kwail and Hwanghae Ryongmun is also a significant source of freight originating on the line. The primary commodities arriving onto the line from elsewhere include anthracite, fertiliser, wood and cement.
The following passenger trains were scheduled on this line in the 2002 passenger timetable:Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), pp. 124-125
Semi-express trains 119-122/120-121, operating between Sinch'ŏn and Ch'ŏngjin Ch'ŏngnyŏn via Sariwŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn and P'yŏngyang, run on this line between Sinch'ŏn and Ŭnp'a, taking three days to travel each way;Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 86 Semi-express trains 138-139/140-141, operating between Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Changyŏn, run on this line between Ŭnp'a and Sugyo; Regional trains 219/220, operating between Taedonggang and Ch'ŏlgwang, run on the entirety of this line between Ŭnp'a and Ch'ŏlgwang; Regional trains 244-245/246-247, operating between Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Ch'ŏlgwang, run on the entirety of this line between Ŭnp'a and Ch'ŏlgwang.
Route
A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates non-electrified standard gauge; orange indicates non-electrified narrow gauge.
Prior to 1971, the Sariwŏn – Chaeryŏng – Sugyo section was part of the Changyŏn Line.
Distance (km) Post-1971 Pre-1971 Station Name Former Name Total S2S Total S2S Transcribed Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja) Transcribed Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja) Connections(former) -- -- 0.0 0.0 Sariwŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn 사리원청년(沙里院靑年) Sariwŏn 사리원 (沙里院) P'yŏngbu Line,Hwanghae Ch. Line -- -- 1.5 1.5 West Sariwŏn(Sŏsariwŏn) 서사리원 (西沙里院) -- -- 3.6 2.1 Migok 미곡 (嵋谷) -- -- 8.1 4.5 Sŏjong 서종 (西鐘) -- -- 11.9 3.8 Samgang 삼강 (三江) Sanghae 상해 (上海) (Sahae Line)0.00.0 -- -- Ŭnp'a 은파 (銀波) Hwanghae Ch. Line 5.2 5.2 -- -- Yangdong 양동 (養洞) 11.3 6.1 16.0 4.1 Kŭmsan 금산 (金山) Station relocated in 1971. 18.7 7.4 21.5 5.5 Chaeryŏng 재령 (載寧) 22.2 3.5 25.0 3.5 Paeksŏk 백석 (白石) -- -- 29.0 4.0 Changch'on 창촌 (倉村) Station closed in 1971. 28.7 6.5 32.4 3.4 Sinch'ŏn Onch'ŏn 신천온천 (信川溫泉) Station relocated in 1971. 32.7 4.0 35.1 2.7 Sinch'ŏn 신천 (信川) Station relocated in 1971. 37.6 4.9 41.3 6.2 Hwanghae Ryongmun 황해 룡문 (黃海龍門) Yongmun 용문 (黃海)42.54.9 46.2 4.9 Munhwa 문화 (文化) Closed 48.0 5.5 51.7 5.5 Samch'ŏn 삼천 (三泉) Samch'ŏn Onch'ŏn 삼천온천(三泉溫泉)51.53.5 55.2 3.5 Wŏlbong 월봉 (月峰) Kunghŭng 궁흥 (弓興) Closed 54.7 3.2 57.4 3.2 Ya'chon 야촌 (野村) 60.4 5.7 63.1 5.7 Sugyo 수교 (水橋) Changyŏn Line 64.5 4.1 to Changyŏn Kut'an 구탄 (九灘) Closed 69.7 5.2 -- Songhwa 송화 (松禾) 78.8 9.1 -- Sansu 산수 (山水) 87.2 8.4 -- Kwail 과일 (-) 96.8 9.6 -- Sindae 신대 (新大) 107.5 10.7 -- Ŭnnyul 은률 (殷栗) 114.0 6.5 -- Kŭmsanp'o 금산포 (金山浦) 117.8 3.8 -- Ch'ŏlgwang 철광 (鐵鑛) Ryongjŏng Line,Sŏhae Kammun Line
References
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, p508