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The Yeongdong Line is a line of
Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation () is the national railway operator in South Korea. It is branded as KORAIL () and changed its official Korean name () in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, ...
. It connects
Yeongju Yeongju (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It has an area of 668.84 km2 and a population of 113,930 people according to the 2008 census. The city borders Bonghwa county to the east, Danyang County of North Chungcheong Pr ...
in
North Gyeongsang North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...
Province with
Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...
in Gangwon Province. From Yeongju, it crosses the
Taebaek Mountains The Taebaek Mountains () are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula. Geography The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run alon ...
and reaches the
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
(East Sea) at Donghae, thence proceeding north to Gangneung. At Yeongju, the line connects with the Gyeongbuk and Jungang Lines. Some trains travel directly from one to the other, so that it is possible to travel directly from
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 ...
or
Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
to Gangneung by rail.


History


Construction

The first section of the line (Mukho Port–Dogye) was opened by the privately owned Samcheok Railway on 31 July 1940. The line was named Cheoram Line, which ran from
Mukho Mukho () is a harbor in Donghae City, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is located on the shore of the Sea of Japan . In the past it played an important role in the shipping of iron ore and coal; much of this role has been taken over by Dongha ...
, a port on Korea's east coast that became part of Donghae in 1980, to Cheoram in the
Taebaek Mountains The Taebaek Mountains () are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula. Geography The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run alon ...
, to develop three coal fields. Between Simpo-ri and Tong-ri stations, the great height difference was scaled by a steep double-track railway. Freight railcars going up and down were connected to the same cable, passengers had to walk up the mountain. A branch from Bukpyeong station (today Donghae station) to
Samcheok Samcheok (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. To the west are the Taebaek Mountains, which form a high flat plain of more than 1,000 meters, and to the east the coastal plain slopes sharply. Samcheok borders Donghae in the north, ...
, the Samcheok Line, was opened on 11 February 11. Another section of the future Yeongdong Line was first projected as a
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
from Yeongju to Chunyang for the exploitation of the forest areas and mines in the area, the Yeongchun Line. Permission to build the line was given to the privately owned Chosen Railway on 16 October 1944, and work began that year with local forced labourers. Although the first section from Yeongju to Naeseong (today Bonghwa) was almost complete by August 1945, that month
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
ended, a Korean
provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...
formed, and a flood damaged the tracks, leading to the abandonment of the line. After the nationalisation of the line work resumed in 1949, when the Economic Cooperation Administration, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
government agency administering the
Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
, also launched a plan to revive South Korea's economy, which included the construction of new railway lines. One new line under the plan was the long Yeongam Line from Yeongju to Cheoram, which included and extended the Yeongchun Line alignment planned by the Chosen Railway to link up the Cheoram Line with the rest of the network. The reconstructed from Yeongju to Naeseong opened in March 1950. Construction was interrupted again because of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
in 1950. After the end of the war work was resumed in 1953, and the last section finally opened in 1955. The scenic Yeongam Line included 55 bridges and 33 tunnels: Following the 1961 coup, the
Supreme Council for National Reconstruction The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction () was the ruling military junta of South Korea from May 1961 to December 1963. The Supreme Council overthrew the Second Republic of Korea in the May 16 coup in May 1961 and established a provi ...
started South Korea's
first five-year plan First five-year plan may refer to: * First five-year plan (China) * First Five-Year Plans (Pakistan) * First five-year plan (Soviet Union) The first five-year plan (, ) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a list of economi ...
, which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth. The Gangwon Bukbu Line, a railway along the eastern coast from Mukho to Gyeongpo-dong in
Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...
, the endpoint of a narrow-gauge railway to
Sokcho Sokcho (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city and major tourist hub located in the northeast of Gangwon Province, South Korea. History From around the 3rd century to the early 5th century AD, Sokcho was part of Eastern Ye, Do ...
, was opened until 1962 as follows: This line was also called the Donghae Bukbu Line with view to a planned connection with the existing line by the same name further north. On May 17, 1963, the Yeongam, Cheoram and Gangwon Bukbu Lines were integrated into a single line from Yeongju to Gangneung under the present name as the Yeongdong Line. Meanwhile, from August 1961, the Hwangji switchback section was built to bypass the cable-hauled section between Simpo-ri and Tong-ri stations, which opened on May 30, 1963. A number of branches were built from the line, among them the long Hwangji Branchline from Baeksan to Hwangji (today
Taebaek Taebaek (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Its name is shared with that of the Taebaek Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Taebaek is the second highest city in South Korea, after Pyeongchang. Etymology Taebaek in is derived ...
), which opened on December 20, 1962, and was integrated into the Taebaek Line in 1973. After the closure of the Gangneung–Gyeongpo-dong section on March 1, 1979, the total length of the line reduced from to .


Upgrade

Electrification reached the line from the
Taebaek Line Taebaek Line is a single-track electrified railway mainline connecting Jecheon station to Baeksan station in South Korea. At its two ends, the Taebaek Line connects to the Jungang Line and Yeongdong Line. The line was originally two spur lines, w ...
, when the
catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary ( , ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or wire rope, 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, ...
on the 85.5 km long section from Gohan on the Taebaek Line via junction station Baeksan to Donghae went into service on December 5, 1975. On March 28, 1997, the 87.0 km long section from the junction to Yeongju followed, and electrification was completed with the 45.1 km long Donghae–Gangneung section on September 8, 2005. The steep descent from Dongbaeksan to Dogye contains switchbacks, which hinder smooth traffic. In addition, a 1996 investigation found that the section is endangered by soil subsistence and the ageing of tunnels. To solve these problems, Korail built a new alignment between the two stations with a budget of 510.322 billion won. The main part of the section is the Solan Tunnel, which includes a
spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving further away as it revolves around the point. It is a subtype of whorled patterns, a broad group that also includes concentric objects. Two-dimensional A two-dimension ...
. The tunnel was opened on 27 June 2012. At the time of thawing relations between South and North Korea, when the cross-border section of the Donghae Bukbu Line was reopened in 2007, the South Korean government considered the construction of a railway for freight traffic all along the east coast to the North Korean border. This line would incorporate the Donghae–Gangneung section of the Yeongdong Line and the Samcheok branch, and connect to newly built lines at Samcheok and Gangneung. Three years later, the project re-surfaced as a domestic project. On September 1, 2010, the South Korean government announced a strategic plan to reduce travel times from Seoul to 95% of the country to under 2 hours by 2020. Under the plan, the east coast line, including the section of the Yeongdong Line from Donghae to Gangneung and the Samcheok Line, would be upgraded for , and may see KTX service.


Operation

In passenger traffic, the Yeongdong Line is served by
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 ...
cross-country trains. In the timetable valid from December 15, 2010, three pairs of daily trains run along the entire length of the line, reinforced by a seventh pair on Saturdays and Sundays, with Yeongju–Gangneung travel times between 3 hours 42 minutes and 3 hours 56 minutes, depending on the number of stops. Two pairs of the daily trains connect Gangneung and Dongdaegu Station in
Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...
, traversing the Daegu Line and part of the Jungang Line to connect to the Yeongdong Line, with Dongdaegu–Gangneung travel times between 6 hours 16 minutes and 6 hours 39 minutes. The third pair of daily trains runs between Gangneung and Bujeon station in
Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
, also traversing parts of the Jungang and Donghae Nambu Lines, with Bujeon–Gangneung travel times of 8 hours 24 minutes toward Gangneung and 8 hours 34 minutes in the opposite direction. The pair of weekend trains runs between Gangneung and Busan station, also traversing the Gyeongbuk Line and the
Gimcheon Gimcheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is situated on the major land transportation routes between Seoul and Busan, namely the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway. ...
–Busan section of 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 ...
, with Busan–Gangneung travel times of 8 hours 25 minutes toward Gangneung and 8 hours 30 minutes in the opposite direction. A further pair of daily trains runs only between Yeongju and Donghae. The Dongbaeksan–Gangneung section of the Yeongdong Line sees more frequent passenger traffic, with Mugunghwa trains from the capital Seoul reaching the line via the connecting Taebaek Line. In the timetable valid from December 15, 2010, six pairs of daily trains run between Cheongnyangni station in Seoul and Gangneung, reinforced by a seventh pair on Fridays to Sundays, with Cheongnyangni–Gangneung travel times between 5 hours 47 minutes and 6 hours 25 minutes, depending on the number of stops. In 1998, Korean National Railroad (today Korail) introduced special tourist trains operating in the winter months, identified by a
snowflake A snowflake is a single ice crystal that is large enough to fall through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. 1, pp. 100–107.Hobbs, P.V. 1974. Ice Physics. Oxford: C ...
decoration, which enjoyed great popularity. Most of these trains also traverse parts of the Yeongdong Line. By the 2009/2010 season, the offer expanded to a dozen different tour packages, including trips to single destinations combined with local excursions, as well as round trips in the Taebaek Mountains along the Jungang, Taebaek and Yeongdong Lines. According to Korail's plans in 2009, travel times on the Yeongdong Line are to be reduced after 2013 with the future series version of the Tilting Train Express.


Major stations

* Yeongju station,
Yeongju Yeongju (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It has an area of 668.84 km2 and a population of 113,930 people according to the 2008 census. The city borders Bonghwa county to the east, Danyang County of North Chungcheong Pr ...
,
Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...
, the junction with the Jungang Line and the terminus of the Gyeongbuk Line * Bonghwa station, Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do *Chunyang station, Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do *Seokpo station, Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do *Cheoram station,
Taebaek Taebaek (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Its name is shared with that of the Taebaek Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Taebaek is the second highest city in South Korea, after Pyeongchang. Etymology Taebaek in is derived ...
, Gangwon-do *Dongbaeksan station, Taebaek, Gangwon-do, the terminus of the
Taebaek Line Taebaek Line is a single-track electrified railway mainline connecting Jecheon station to Baeksan station in South Korea. At its two ends, the Taebaek Line connects to the Jungang Line and Yeongdong Line. The line was originally two spur lines, w ...
*Tong-ri station, Taebaek, Gangwon-do *Dogye station,
Samcheok Samcheok (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. To the west are the Taebaek Mountains, which form a high flat plain of more than 1,000 meters, and to the east the coastal plain slopes sharply. Samcheok borders Donghae in the north, ...
, Gangwon-do *Singi station, Samcheok, Gangwon-do * Donghae station, Donghae, Gangwon-do, terminus a branch to
Samcheok Samcheok (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. To the west are the Taebaek Mountains, which form a high flat plain of more than 1,000 meters, and to the east the coastal plain slopes sharply. Samcheok borders Donghae in the north, ...
* Mukho station, Donghae, Gangwon-do * Jeongdongjin station,
Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...
, Gangwon-do * Gangneung station, Gangneung, Gangwon-do, the planned terminus of the rebuilt Donghae Bukbu Line


Famous stations

*''Sandglass'' (drama) was shot at Jeongdongjin station. *''I Really Really Like You!'' (drama) was shot at Gosa-ri station. *'' The Vineyard Man'' (drama) starring Yoon Eun Hye was shot at Simcheon station.


See also

* Transportation in South Korea


References

{{Korail Lines Railway lines in South Korea Transport in North Gyeongsang Province Transport in Gangwon Province, South Korea Railway lines opened in 1940 Standard-gauge railways in South Korea Railways with Zig Zags