Gyeonguiseon

Gyeongui Line
Route number :	303 ( KR )
Route length:	56.1 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	(Seoul – Munsan) 25 kV / 60 Hz  ~
Dual track :	(Four-track) Digital Media City – Neunggok (two-track) Seoul – Digital Media City, Neunggok – Munsan
Legend Gyeongbu Line AREX 0.0 Seoul final stop AREX, change to Seoul U1, U4 Seoul U1 0.7 Seosomun (1930-1944) National road 6 1.8 Ahyeonri (1930-1944) 3.1 Sinchon (since 1921) Sinchon connecting line Yongsan Line ( Gyeongui-Jungang Railway ) AREX National road 48 Hongje-Cheon 5.8 Gajwa (since 1963) Bulgwang-Cheon National road 1 7.5 Digital Media City change to Seoul U6 8.1 Suseak (since 2009) 8.5 Suseak (until 2009) Susaek depot ↑ Seoul / Goyang ↓ AREX 11.5 Hwajeon (since 1954) Changneung-Cheon 14.0 Gangmae (since 2014) 14.9 Haengsin (since 1996) Goyang depot 16.4 Neunggok (since 1923) Ilsan Line (Seoul U3) 18.2 Daegok (since 1996) Gyooe line Highway 100 (Seoul Ring Expressway) 19.9 Goksan (since 1967) 21.5 Baengma (since 1966) 23.2 Pungsan (since 2009) 25.1 Ilsan 26.8 Tanhyeon ↑ Goyang / Paju ↓ 28.9 Yadang 30.4 Unjeong (since 1956) Gongneung Cheon 33.5 Geumneung (since 2004) 35.6 Geumchon National road 1 39.7 Wollong (since 1998) Munsan-Cheon Galgok Cheon 41.9 Paju (since 1965) National road 1 Munsan depot 46.3 Munsan final stop suburban train Gyeongui-Jungang National road 1 50.0 Uncheon (since 2004) National road 77 52.3 Imjingang Imjin gang 56.1 Dorasan 57.8 Jangdan (until 1950) ↑ RK / DPRK ↓ 63.4 Panmun P'yŏngbu line

The Gyeongui Line (Korean 경의선 or 경의 본선: Gyeongui Main Line) is a railway line in South Korea that connects Seoul Station with the Dorasan . It is operated by the state-owned railway company, Korail , and there is a S-Bahn-like line between Seoul and Munsan , the Gyeongui-Jungang Line (Korean 경의 und). Before 1945 it was originally the Seoul- Sinuiju railway line and the name is derived from Gyeong from Gyeongseong ( Seoul ) and Ui from Sinuiju .

history

Before 1945

In 1896 the French company Fives-Lille received the concession from the government of the Joseon dynasty for the northern Hanseong ( Seoul ) -Uiju route. But the construction work did not start until 1902 due to lack of capital and only the substructure with about 10 km could be built without a rail layer. The Japanese army took over the concession for the building in preparation for the Russo-Japanese War . As a result, the military railroad was completed first. After the end of the war the line was rebuilt with the heavier rails, new tunnels and so on.

On April 3, 1906, it was fully opened with the completion of the bridges on the Cheongchon River. Sinuiju Station moved to its present location on November 1, 1911 and was connected to the Anfeng Line (Chinese 安奉 線, Shendan Line ). At the same time, the Shingishu line was split from the main line and the previous station became the Shingishu freight yard (Korean 신의주 하급 소역).

By 1920 the new line between Gyeongseong and Susaek was built and the former Yongsan – Susaek line was called the Yongsan Line . The international trains ran from Busan to Fengtian ( Shenyang ) via them in the 1930s and 1940s . Before 1945 it improved with the double-track line.

1945 to 2000

After the end of World War II, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel, so it was divided into three lines: Gyeongui Line, P'yŏngbu Line and P'yŏngŭi Line . The Red Army had blocked the line from Sariwon Station to the 38th parallel and the Yongsan – Toseong (Kaep'ung) line was operated in the area of the United States' armed forces . But the route in South Korea was shortened to the Seoul-Munsan interval after the end of the Korean War and became single-track again.

The RB trains (Korean 비둘기호 ) with steam locomotives (later diesel locomotives) ran for one hour until the 1990s. Since 1996, new diesel railcars were introduced, which were called the Tonggeun train (Korean 통근 열차 ).

In June 2000 there was an inter- Korean summit between Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung , during which the reopening of the line was discussed.

Reconnection and electrification

After the first meeting of the heads of state of South and North Korea, the connection with the P'yŏngbu Line was planned. Until 2003 the line extended as follows:

date	route	length
September 30, 2001	Munsan-Imjingang	6.0 km
April 11, 2002	Imjingang-Dorasan	3.8 km
December 31, 2002	Dorasan - Demilitarized Zone

On May 17, 2007, the test drive was carried out on the Musan – Kaesŏng route.

On April 1, 2004, the first electrification took place on the Seoul-Haengsin route for the opening of the KTX line. The overhead contact line on the Haengsin-Munsan line was installed by July 2009. Since July 1, 2009, electric multiple units have been running from Seoul to Munsan under the system of the Gyeongui S-Bahn line. So the Gyeongui Line in Seoul became inactive. However, a park was partially created around the inner-city Gyeongui line in Seoul, with some monuments.

gallery

• 

  Forest park along the former Gyeongui Line near Hongdae

• 

  Gyeongui Park at the junction with Ttaeng-ttaeng -Straße

• 

  Dorasan Station, the last train station before North Korea

• 

  The drawbridge over the Imjin River near Paju

See also

Commons : Gyeongui Line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• P'yŏngbu line
• P'yŏngŭi line

literature

• Ministry of Railways (Japan) , pp. 483–485: 鉄 道 停車場 一 覧 昭和 12 年 10 月 1 日 現在 (The station list - as of October 1, 1937), Tokyo, 1937

Individual evidence

1. ^ Korea. In: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Encyclopedia of the Railway System . 2nd Edition. Volume 6: Freight Transport Crises . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin / Vienna 1914, pp  407 -412.
2. ↑ 朝鮮 総 督府 官 報 (The Official Gazette of the Governor General of Korea), 明治 号 外, November 24, 1911 (Japanese)
3. ↑ 百年 の 鉄 道 旅行 - The situation at the 38th parallel in Korea (Japanese)