The P'yŏngra Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the
Korean State Railway in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
, running from
P'yŏngyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population ...
to
Rason, where it connects with the
Hambuk Line.
[Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ] It is North Korea's main northeast–southwest rail line.
History
P'yŏngwon Line
Hamgyŏng Line
The section from Kowŏn to Kŭmya was originally opened by the
Chosen Government Railway (''Sentetsu'') on 21 July 1916 as part of its
Hamgyŏng Line
The Hamgyeong Line was a railway line of the Chosen Government Railway (''Sentetsu'') in Japanese-occupied Korea, running from Wonsan to Sangsambong. Construction began in 1914, and was completed in 1928. The line is now entirely within North Ko ...
.
Ch'ŏngra Line
The Ch'ŏngra Line was the name of a line planned by Sentetsu to run from
Ch'ŏngjin
Chŏngjin (; ) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province (함경북도) and the country's third largest city. It is sometimes called the ''City of Iron''.
History
Prehistory
According to archaeological findings near the lower ...
to
Rajin. On 1 February 1945 the Ch'ongjin−
Ch'ongam section was opened,
[朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 5394, 31 January 1945 (in Japanese)] however due to the defeat of Japan in the
Pacific War, Sentetsu was unable to complete the remainder of the line. After the end of the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top: ...
, construction of the line was resumed with the support of
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, being completed on 10 June 1965.
Later, the P'yŏngwon Line, the Ch'ŏngra Line, and the
Kowŏn−Ch'ŏngjin section of the Hamgyŏng Line were merged to create the P'yŏngra Line. With the construction of a new section between
Kalli and
Paesanjŏm the
Ryongsŏng Line was separated from the former P'yŏngwon Line; in 1993 construction of the bypass between
Puraesan and Kowŏn was completed.
咸南 高原-浮來山간 새 철도건설
Yonhap News, 6 September 1993
Services
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 ]
* Express trains 1/2, operating between P'yŏngyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population ...
and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Kilju;
* Express trains 3/4, operating between West P'yŏngyang and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Kilju;
* Express trains 7/8, operating between P'yŏngyang and Tumangang and Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Rajin;
* Express trains 9/10, operating between P'yŏngyang and Musan, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Ch'ŏngjin;
* Express trains 11/12, operating between P'yŏngyang and Kŭmgol, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Yŏhaejin;
* Express trains 13/14, operating between P'yŏngyang and P'yŏnggang, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Kowŏn;
* Semi-express trains 104-107/108-111, operating between Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Sunch'ŏn;
* Semi-express trains 113/114, operating between West P'yŏngyang and Unsŏng, run on this line between West P'yŏngyang and Ch'ŏngjin;
* Semi-express trains 117/118, operating between Taedonggang and P'yŏnggang, run on this line between Sinsŏngch'ŏn and Kowŏn;
* Semi-express trains 119-122/120-121, operating between Sinch'ŏn and Ch'ŏngjin Ch'ŏngnyŏn, via the P'yŏngra Line and the Ŭnnyul Line, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Ch'ŏngjin and taking three days to travel each way;[Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 86 ]
* Semi-express trains 124-125/126-127, operating between Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Ch'ŏngjin Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between P'yŏngyang and Ch'ŏngjin;
* Semi-express trains 128-129-130/131-132-133, operating between Kalma and Rajin, run on this line between Kowŏn and Rajin;
* Semi-express trains 134-135/136-137, operating between Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Hamhŭng
Hamhŭng (''Hamhŭng-si''; ) is North Korea's second-largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. It has an estimated population of 768,551. Located in the southern part of the South Hamgyong province, Hamhung is the main and most p ...
, run on this line between Sunch'ŏn and Hamhŭng;
* Regional trains 202-203-204/205-206-207, operating between Hamhŭng and Sariwŏn
Sariwŏn () is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea.
Population
The city's population as of 2008 is 307,764.
Administrative divisions
Sariwŏn is divided into 31 '' tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 9 '' ri'' (villages):
Healthcar ...
, run on this line between Hamhŭng and P'yŏngyang;
* Regional trains 261/262, operating between Hamhŭng and Samgi, run on this line between Ham and Sinbukch'ŏn;
* Regional trains 263/264 operate between Hamhŭng and Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn;
* Local trains 311/312 and 313/314 operate between P'yŏngyang and Paesanjŏm - these trains, intended for commuter use by scientists, are operated with the Juche-class EMU
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The ...
;
* Local trains 331/332 operate between Sunch'ŏn and Ŭnsan;
* Local trains 335/336 operate between Sunch'ŏn and Ch'ŏnsŏng on the Ch'ŏnsŏng Colliery Line via Sinch'ang;
* Local trains 551/556, operating between Kokku and Tongdae, run on this line between Kokku and Tanch'ŏn;
* Local trains 601/604, operating between Ch'ŏngjin Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Kŭndong, run on this line between Ch'ŏngjin and Namgangdŏk;
* Local trains 602/615 operate between Ch'ŏngjin Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Ranam;
* Local trains 603/603-621 operate between Ranam and Sŏngp'yŏng;
* Local trains 608/608-609, operating between Kŭndong and Sŏngp'yŏng, run on this line between Namgangdŏk and Sŏngp'yŏng.
Route
A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified.
References
* Japanese Government Railways
The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways ( ja, 鉄道省, Tetsudō-shō, ) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Rai ...
, 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, 1937, pp 496, 498~501 (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyongra Line
Railway lines in North Korea
Standard gauge railways in North Korea