Pyongyang Metro
| Basic data | |
| Country | North Korea |
|---|---|
| city | Pyongyang |
| opening | September 6, 1973 |
| Lines | 2 |
| Route length | 22.5 km |
| Stations | 16 |
| Tunnel stations | 16 |
| use | |
| Shortest cycle | 3 - 5 min. |
| Passengers | 400,000 daily (2019) |
| Residents in the catchment area | about 2 million |
| vehicles | DK4 , D (“Dora”) , Kim Chŏng tae multiple units |
| Gauge | 1435 mm |
| Power system | 750 V DC ( power rail ) |
The Pyongyang Metro (평양 지하철) is the subway system in the North Korean capital Pyongyang , which consists of two lines . It opened on September 6, 1973 and was the first subway on the Korean Peninsula . Together with the Pyongyang trolleybus and the Pyongyang tram , the majority of Pyongyang's residents are transported.
Route network
Construction of the network began in 1968. A serious accident occurred in 1971 during the construction phase in a tunnel under the Taedong River . According to some sources, more than 100 workers were killed. This section was never completed, and the entire subway network is now on the west side of the river. An expansion to the other side of the river is still planned. Kaesŏn metro station was modernized between 2018 and 2019.
The stations do not have a place name, instead they are named after themes from the North Korean Revolution.
The entire route network runs underground, the lines are based on the model of metro networks in other communist countries, especially the Moscow metro . The routes have a lot in common, including the course at great depth (up to 110 meters) and the large distances between the stops . Some examples of socialist art can be found in the train stations .
In times of war, the underground stations can be used as protective bunkers . Large steel gates are installed for this purpose. It has been speculated that there are large military installations connected to the stops, but no evidence has ever been found. According to other speculations, in addition to the two official lines (as allegedly in Moscow) there are also an unknown number of secret lines for military and government purposes.
The metro network consists of two lines:
Chŏllima line _
It is named after a very fast horse ( Ch'ŏllima = thousand ri horse; a ri is about 0.39 km) in Korean mythology . The total length is about 14 km. Construction began in 1968, the commissioning between Ponghwa and Pukkŭnbŏl on September 6, 1973. In 1987 the line to Puhŭng was extended.
- Puhŭng (부흥 = resurrection), frequent starting point of the underground journey for foreign visitors
- Yŏnggwang (영광 = blooming light), Pyongyang main station and transfer to the Pyongyang trolleybus - frequent end of the subway ride for foreign visitors
- Ponghwa (봉화 = signal fire)
- Sŭngli or Sŭngni (승리 = victory)
- Tongil (통일 = union)
- Kaesŏn (개선 = Triumphant Second Coming)
- Chŏnu (전우 = war friend), transfer station to the Hyŏksin line (Chŏnseung)
- Pulgŭnbyŏl (붉은 별 = red star), depot ( Ryongmun-dong )
Hyŏksin line _
Total length about 10 km, regular passenger service since October 1975. The entire route was put into operation in 1978. Some stations serve as nuclear bunkers and are more than 100 m below the surface of the earth.
- Kwangbok (광복 = coming light, liberation), depot ( Kwangbok-dong )
- Kŏn'guk (건국 = founding of the state), Pot'onggang station on the P'yŏngnam railway line
- Hwanggimbŏl (황금벌 = golden field)
- Kŏnsŏl (건설 = structure)
- Hyŏksin (혁신 = renewal)
- Chŏnseung (전승 = war victory), transfer station to the Chŏllima line (Chŏnu)
- Samhŭng (삼흥 = three awakenings; what is meant is the upbringing of students through knowledge, morality and sport), change to tram line 3 possible
- Kwangmyŏng (광명 = bright light), Kim Il-sung Mausoleum ( Kumsusan Palace ); currently closed
- Rakwŏn (락원 = paradise)
business
Originally it was planned to operate from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm, with four-car trains and a train sequence of around five minutes during the day and two minutes during rush hour . Operation now only takes place from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Based on a national order, operations on the metro are suspended every first Sunday of the month.
The operating voltage of the metro was originally 825 volts direct current. Since an extended conversion of the Berlin subway cars was too costly, the voltage for the use of those vehicles was throttled to 750 volts direct current at the turn of the year 1996/1997.
The railcars can play music or other recordings. The cars received radio antennas on the roofs, for example to receive the state radio stations.
The Pyongyang Metro is one of the cheapest in the world, at just five won (worth half a US cent) per ticket. Instead of paper tickets, the metro used to use an aluminum token embossed with the metro's emblem and the Korean "지". She is now using a paper ticket system with a “지” printed in blue ink. Tickets are purchased at station booths and scanners are present but not functional. Smoking and eating are forbidden in the metro system and are punishable by a large fine.
tourism
Usually, tourism in North Korea is only allowed in guided groups, and no changes to previously planned routes are allowed. Foreign tourists were only allowed to drive between Puhŭng and Yŏnggwang. However, foreign students were allowed to use the entire metro system freely. Tourists have been allowed to use the subway at six stations since 2010, and in 2014 all subway stations were opened to foreigners. University students traveling with the Pyongyang Project also reported visiting each station.
As of 2014, it will be possible for tourists on special public transport tours to take subway rides through both lines, including visits to all stations. In April 2014, the first tourist group visited stations on both subway lines and it is expected that such extended visits to both subway lines will remain possible for future tourist groups.
The previously restricted tourist access led to rumors that the subway was only being displayed. It was alleged that it had only two stops and that the passengers were actors.
Vehicle fleet
| Type | image | Working time | particularities | Number of double railcars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DK4 | Since 1973 | North Korea claims to have made these cars.
It has been proven that they were made in China. When regular operation began in 1973, new vehicles of the type DK4 drove on the routes. Although North Korea officially claims that some of the railcars were built domestically and the rest of the same type in Berlin, these were built by the Changchun Car Company in China. 345 double multiple units were delivered to the metro, with this amount of vehicles representing a significant surplus of the fleet. This led to various conspiracy theories, so there were sometimes suspicions that there was a second, secret line network similar to the Moscow Metro , which was built for military purposes. In 1998, some railcars were sold to the Beijing Subway , where they were in service on Line 13. These were retired again in 2002. The vehicles are 2.7 meters wide, 18.8 meters long per car and originally ran on 825 volts direct current , which is taken from a busbar on the side . For the commissioning of the Berlin underground railcars, the voltage was adjusted to 750 volts direct current. The wagons that remained in Pyongyang were in regular use until around 2007, and most of the vehicles have now been converted for rail traffic. A remaining four-car set is still used occasionally in rush hour traffic. As early as the mid-1990s, the first DK4 multiple units were converted for rail traffic, as the famine that was beginning at that time in North Korea also meant there was a lack of fuel for the diesel locomotives that were previously used. Since the converted metro railcars also proved to be significantly less maintenance-friendly than the electric locomotives used and proved themselves in shuttle traffic, other railcars were converted for rail traffic and are still in use today. |
345 - of which in use: 2 | |
| GI ("Gisela") | 1997-2001 | The narrower small-profile vehicles were built by LEW Hennigsdorf between 1978 and 1982 and were in use on the East Berlin subway in small-profile, meanwhile the vehicles were also in operation on the Athens metro . After other GI vehicles were manufactured between 1987 and 1989, which for technical reasons could not be coupled with the first series of vehicles, the older trains were retired between 1993 and 1996 and then sold to the Pyongyang Metro, where they were used from 1997 . In the meantime, the vehicles have been withdrawn from the metro and are now running on the Korean State Railroad as a suburban train (similar to an S-Bahn ) under overhead lines . For this purpose, a leading railcar on a four- or six-car train has been equipped with a frame at each end that accommodates a hoop pantograph. In addition, a large converter is installed in the middle of the car to allow the trains to run for 750 volts under 3000 volts overhead contact line voltage. The coupled railcars are supplied with 750 volts via an installed train busbar . These were used as suburban trains in Pyongyang; since 2013, converted GI sidecars and railcars have also been used outside of Pyongyang and in the border areas between North Korea and China, for example in the area of the Chinese city of Ji'an , as commuter trains. For this purpose, a driver's cab was added to one end of the cab-less sidecar so that two- or three-car trains can also be used in the provinces. For this purpose, some railcars were given new car fronts, in which the doors were welded shut at the ends of the cars that were originally without a cab. Mixed sets with demotorized DK4 cars are also used in some cases. | 60 - of which in use: 0 | |
| D ("Dora") | since 1999 | These cars were manufactured between 1956 and 1965 and were used on the West Berlin subway. In 1998 and 1999 the vehicles were sold to the Pyongyang Metro and are still in use there today.
The trains were given a new red / cream paint job, all advertisements were removed. Portraits of leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are hung in the wagons . Some of the window panes are still damaged by scratching typical of Berlin . In January 2014, the type D vehicles were upgraded and equipped with a matrix display in the passenger compartment, and the vehicles were also given new headlights. An unknown number of vehicles is no longer used; these vehicles were used on a trial basis until 2000 and kept the original BVG paintwork, some with graffiti. These vehicles are parked on the tracks of the two depots in Pyongyang and are largely used as spare parts donors. Some of these railcars have occasionally been spotted on fenced off areas in the outlying provinces, where they were probably parked for cannibalization or scrapping. |
108 - of which in use: Unknown | |
| Kim Chŏng tae railcar | since 2015 | The vehicles of type D from BVG have recently been renewed by the Kim Chŏng tae electric locomotive works . Although North Korea claims that they are new builds, you can tell from many details that they are only renewed type D cars. The bogies and the wagon base plate for the D series are absolutely identical, and the arrangement and size of the windows and doors are 1: 1 that of the D series, only the newly designed vehicle head and the structure for the air conditioning etc. on the roof have been changed, the interior has also been completely renewed. Although it was temporarily suspected that the modernization of the trains was carried out in the state-owned Kim Ch -ng-tae electric locomotive works, it is now assumed that the modernization was carried out by the Chinese railway works CSR due to the high visual similarity with the SFM40 series of the Beijing subway Sifang to be carried out. The prototype of the restored train was extensively tested in the entire metro network during the non-operating period. Kim Jong-un took part in such a test drive on November 19, 2015. The trains have been in regular service since January 1, 2016. | unknown |
Postage stamps
On the occasion of the opening of the Metro, three stamps were issued in 1974 . The motifs show a subway car with boarding passengers ( Michel number 1223), a subway station (1224) and escalators leading up to it (1225).
On another series with transport motifs from 1984 there are two stamps with a subway train and driver (2871) and the subway station Yŏnggwang and conductor (2872).
Metro Museum
The Pyongyang Metro Museum , which opened in 1973, is located in the Moranbong-guyŏk district .
literature
- Pyongyang Metro , Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1980
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ turntable-online.de
- ↑ Wirtschaftswoche: Green and cheap: Kim Jong Us dream of Pyongyang's modern local transport. In: www.wiwo.de. Handelsblatt GmbH, February 23, 2019, accessed on December 11, 2019 .
- ↑ nknews: North Korea extending Pyongyang metro system, sources say | NK News. In: NK News - North Korea News. April 25, 2018, Retrieved December 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ nknews: Pyongyang's Kaeson metro station under secondary renovation: photos | NK News. In: NK News - North Korea News. April 11, 2019, Retrieved December 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Pictures of the BVG series GI converted to overhead line operation ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Dave Burke for Metro.co.uk: Kim Jong Un looks pleased with himself as underground train is produced. In: Metro. Retrieved October 26, 2015 .
- ↑ Kim Jong Un Rides the PY Subway. In: North Korea Leadership Watch. Retrieved December 20, 2015 .
- ↑ New metro cars with video screens start running in N. Korean capital | Photos | Kyodo News. In: english.kyodonews.jp. Retrieved January 6, 2016 .
- ↑ North Korea Specimens , stampsbythemes.com
