The Janghang Line is a railway line serving

South Chungcheong South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to the north, North Chungcheong, Sejong ...

Province in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The line connects

Cheonan Cheonan (; ) is the largest and most densely populated city of South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, and the third largest city in the Hoseo region after Daejeon and Cheongju. Cheonan borders Gyeonggi Province ( Pyeongtaek and Anseong) i ...

(on the

Gyeongbu Line The Gyeongbu line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu. It is ...

) to the railway junction city of

Iksan Iksan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan County (''Iksan-gun'') in 19 ...

. The Janghang Line is served by frequent

Saemaeul-ho The Saemaeul-ho, formerly known as the Saemaul-ho and Saemaul Express, is a class of train operated by Korail, the national railroad of South Korea, since February 8, 1969. Before the introduction of the KTX express trains, the Saemaeul-ho was ...

and

Mugunghwa-ho The Mugunghwa-ho () is a class of train operated by Korail, the main railway operator of South Korea. Mugunghwa trains are Korail's slowest tier of trains stopping at a number of towns and villages, and operating over a number of lines that are ...

passenger train services between

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

and Iksan. There is also a link from Asan station to the KTX network at Cheonan-Asan station.

History

The original Janghang Line was opened along its full length running between Cheonan and Janghang by the Chosen Gyeongnam Railway on June 1, 1922.

Upgrade

The entire Janghang Line is being electrified, double-tracked, and upgraded for higher speeds with a straighter alignment. Work started in 1997 from Cheonan. By the end of 2008, the new alignment was in service from Cheonan via Asan and Hongseong to Sinseong, from Jupo to Nampo, and from Ganchi to Janghang, and electrification was put in service on the first between Cheonan and Sinchang, after Asan, on December 15, 2008. The section near Janghang, opened in December 2007, also linked up the Janghang Line with the previously isolated Iksan-Gunsan line via a new bridge over the Geum River, with alignment built for two tracks but initially only one track was laid. In 2010, the remaining sections were slated to be completed by 2018, but complete double-tracking and electrification was no longer planned on the short term due to expected low demand. The realigned Nampo-Ganchi section, including the relocated Ungcheon station, was opened on January 5, 2021. As of April 2023, the double-tracking of the Sinchang-Hongseong section was 85% completed and expected to be opened in the second half of 2024. Also as of April 2023, the double-tracking of the Hongseong-Daeya section, including the Sinseong-Jupo realignment that was scheduled to begin construction in 2023, was in advanced planning, with a 2027 completion targeted. The Janghang Line will link up with the Seohae Line at Hongseong station. The Seohae Line will connect Hongseong to Hwaseong in Gyeonggi-do when it opens in the second half of 2024. It will be connected to southern extension of the Sosa–Wonsi Line and Sinansan Line. Seohae Line will serve speed, which will dramatically reduce travel time between Seoul and Hongseong. Sinchang-Hongseong section will be double track electrifed when Seohae Line open.

Services

Seoul Metropolitan Subway

Seoul Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway () is a urban rail transit, metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, Medium-capacity rail transport system, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. T ...

's Line 1 services run on the line between Cheonan–Sinchang stations.

stations

References