The Gyeongin Line (Gyeonginseon) is a railway mainline in South Korea, currently connecting Guro station in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

and Incheon. Commuter services along the line through operates into

Seoul Subway Line 1 Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Soyosan Station in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, and Sinchang (Soonchunhyang Univ ...

History

The Gyeongin Line was the first railway line built on the

Korean peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. It was opened by the Keijin Railway Company between Noryangjin, on the shore of the Han River across from Seoul, Geumchon, in Incheon, on September 18, 1899. Soon after, the line was extended across the Han River into

Seoul Station Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of most ...

, and beyond Geumchon to the port of Incheon. When the construction of the Gyeongbu Line was completed from

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

to Guro on January 1, 1905, the Seoul-Guro section of the Gyeongin Line became part of the Gyeongbu Line. The remaining Gyeongin Line from Guro to Incheon is long. Following the 1961 coup, the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction started South Korea's

first five-year plan The first five-year plan (russian: I пятилетний план, ) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a list of economic goals, created by Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, based on his policy of socialism in ...

, which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth. As part of the program, from November 1963, two additional tracks were laid to the north of the existing tracks from

Yeongdeungpo station Yeongdeungpo station (Station 139) is a ground-level railway station in Seoul, South Korea. The station is located in Yeongdeungpo Dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and is a stop on the Gyeongbu Line, Honam Line and Seoul Subway Line 1. The station is inte ...

on the Gyeongbu Line to Dongincheon station. The of new tracks, also called Gyeonginbuk Line, entered service on September 18, 1965. The line was among the first in South Korea to be electrified with the 25 kV/60 Hz AC

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superfici ...

system, when two tracks over the between Seoul and Incheon entered service on August 15, 1974, for the Seoul Subway Line 1. Electrification of the second two tracks started with the from Guro to Bupyeong, which went into service on January 29, 1999. The until

Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

followed on March 15, 2002, and the final on December 21, 2005.

Operation

Korail operated regular passenger service along the Gyeongin Line until the electrification of the line in the early 1970s, when passenger service was integrated into Seoul Subway Line 1. Line 1 trains using the Gyeongin Line provide up to ten trains an hour per direction, with services towards Guro, Cheongnyangni,

Dongmyo Dongmyo (which literally means "Eastern Shrine") is a shrine in metropolitan Seoul built in honour of the 3rd century Chinese military commander, Guan Yu. The Joseon government embarked on construction in 1599 and completed the work in 1601. The ...

, Seongbuk,

Chang-dong Chang-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Dobong-gu in Seoul, South Korea Notable people * Son Hyun-woo (Hangul: 손현우, born 1992), singer, dancer, actor, and member of Monsta X See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea So ...

, Uijeongbu,

Yangju Yangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yangju is located south of Dongducheon and north of Uijeongbu, not far from Seoul. History * 1395 - Renamed to Yangju. * January 1, 1963 - Uijeongbu is separated and becomes a city. * Apri ...

, Dongducheon and Soyosan.

References

{{Gyeongin Line 1899 establishments in Korea rail transport in Gyeonggi Province rail transport in Incheon rail transport in Seoul railway lines in South Korea railway lines opened in 1899 Seoul Metropolitan Subway lines