The Hoeam Line is a non-electrified secondary line of the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea (), commonly called the State Rail () and has its headquarters at Pyongyang, P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun-song. History 19 ...

Kyŏnghŭng County Kyŏnghŭng County is a ''kun'', or county, in North Hamgyong province, North Korea. Formerly known as Ŭndŏk County (), from 1977 to 2010. The county borders the People's Republic of China to the northeast. Except for the southwest, it is domin ...

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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, running from Haksong on the Hambuk Line to Obong.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 93

History

After the Chosen Synthetic Oil Company opened a large factory in Aoji-ri (now Haksong-ri) in 1937Aoji-ri Chemical Complex
/ref> to produce

synthetic oil Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for petroleum-refined oils when operating in extreme temperature, in metal stamping to provide en ...

from the

bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...

mined in the area,북한 아오지 탄광과 석유화학공업(1편)
/ref> the Chosen Coal Industry Company built a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

line, called the ''Ao Line'', to connect its mines to the chemical factory and to the

South Manchuria Railway The South Manchuria Railway (; ), officially , Mantetsu () or Mantie () for short, was a large of the Empire of Japan whose primary function was the operation of railways on the Dalian– Fengtian (Mukden)–Changchun (called Xinjing from ...

's North Chosen East Line, opening the first section from Aoji to Hoeam for passenger and freight service on 9 September 1938.朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 3505, 20 September 1938 (in Japanese) The line was then extended, with a new section from Hoeam to Sinaoji (now called Ŭndŏk) and Obong opened on 14 September 1942.朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 4695, 14 September 1942 (in Japanese) Following the partition of Korea, the entirety of the Ao Line was located in the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

zone of occupation. The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised all railways in the northern half of the country on 10 August 1946, and following the establishment of North Korea, the

was created.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 131, After the town of Aoji was renamed to Haksong, the line was given its current name.

Route

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoeam Line Railway lines in North Korea Standard-gauge railways in North Korea