Paechon Line

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Paech'ŏn Line
Overview
Other name(s)Tohae Line
Native name배천선(白川線)
StatusOperational
OwnerChosen Railway (1931–1944)
Chosen Government Railway (1944–1945)
Korean National Railroad (1945–1950)
Korean State Railway (since 1953)
LocaleSouth Hwanghae
Termini
Stations11
Service
TypeHeavy rail, Passenger/Freight
Regional rail
History
OpenedStages between 1931-1971
Technical
Line length64.4 km (40.0 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Old gauge762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
Electrification3000 V DC Overhead line
(Changbang - Ch'ŏngdan)
Route map

Legend
-1.1
 Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn
Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line
Ongjin Line
0.0
 East Haeju
7.8
 Changbang
Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line
Ŭpch'ŏn
(bridge appx 110 m (360 ft))
(bridge appx 25 m (82 ft))
11.5
 Kalsan
16.4
 Naesŏng
Closed
Taegwandanch'ŏn
(bridge appx 70 m (230 ft))
Tŏktal Line
20.5
 Ch'ŏngdan
Hwayangch'ŏn
(bridge appx 175 m (574 ft))
4.3
 Hwayang
Closed
 (tunnel appx 180 m (590 ft))
24.1
 Simgye
Closed
12.7
 Tŏktal
(former mine)
Closed
(bridge appx 35 m (115 ft))
28.7
 Ch'ŏnt'ae
33.7
 P'ungch'ŏn
P'ungch'ŏn
(bridge appx 70 m (230 ft))
old alignment
39.4
 Ohyŏn
45.1
 Yŏn'an
Yŏnbaek Canal
(bridge appx 35 m (115 ft))
Rajinp'och'ŏn
(bridge appx 90 m (300 ft))
50.6
 Onjŏng
54.8
 Mugu
Closed
58.2
 Honghyŏn
Han'gyoch'ŏn
(bridge appx 85 m (279 ft))
62.5
 Paech'ŏn
(former wye)
64.4
 Ŭnbit
67.5
 Sŏngho
Closed
67.7
 Ŭnbit freight station
Ryesŏng River
(bridge appx 625 m (2,051 ft))
72.8
 Ryesŏnggang
Closed
(tunnel appx 100 m (330 ft))
(bridge appx 625 m (2,051 ft))
P'yŏngbu Line
79.7
 Kaep'ung
P'yŏngbu Line
Paechon Line
Chosŏn'gŭl
배천선
Hancha
Revised RomanizationBaecheon-seon
McCune–ReischauerPaech'ŏn-sŏn

The Paech'ŏn Line is a partially electrified standard-gauge secondary railway line of the Korean State Railway in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, running from Changbang on the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line to Ŭnbit.[1]

History[edit]

By the end of 1930, the Chosen Railway (abbreviated Chōtetsu), the largest privately owned railway in colonial Korea, had extended its Hwanghae Line network to run from Sariwŏn to Sugyo in the west and to Haeju in the south, completing the latter line in December of that year.[2] Chōtetsu then began building eastwards from Haeju to create a southern connection to the Kyŏngŭi Line, the state-owned Chosen Government Railway's (abbreviated Sentetsu) mainline from Kyŏngsŏng to Sinŭiju and Andong, Manchuria, opening the first section of a new 762 mm (30.0 in) narrow-gauge line, from East Haeju to Yŏn'an, on 21 December 1931.[3] The second section was opened on 1 September 1932, running from Yŏn'an across the Ryesong River to connect to the Kyŏngŭi Line at Tosŏng (later renamed Kaep'ung). A 2.3 km (1.4 mi) extension west from East Haeju to Haeju was opened on 1 July 1933.[4]

Chōtetsu sold the Hwanghae Line network to Sentetsu on 1 April 1944, which absorbed the split the network into separate lines, with the Haeju—Tosŏng line becoming known as the Tohae Line.[5]

Following the end of the Pacific War and the subsequent partition of Korea, most of the Tohae Line was located in the US zone of occupation that later became South Korea, with the line being divided along the 38th Parallel between Changbang and Kalsan, and the Korean National Railroad operated passenger trains on the line between Tosŏng and Ch'ŏngdan until 1950.[6] The line was heavily damaged during the Korean War, and the destruction of the Ryesong River bridge left the line truncated at Paech'ŏn.[7] The truncated line ended up in North Korea after the Korean Armistice, becoming part of the Korean State Railway which gave the line its current name of Paech'ŏn Line.[6] The Korean State Railway completed the conversion of the Haeju—Paech'ŏn line to standard gauge in 1971, at the same time adding an extension from Paech'ŏn to the current terminus, Ŭnbit.[7]

Electrification of the section from Changbang to Ch'ŏngdan was completed by April 1982.[8]

Date Section Length Original Builder
21 December 1931 East Haeju–Yŏn'an 45.1 km (28.0 mi) Chosen Railway
1 September 1932 Yŏn'an–Tosŏng (Kaep'ung) 34.1 km (21.2 mi) Chosen Railway
1 July 1933 Haeju–East Haeju 2.3 km (1.4 mi) Chosen Railway
1971 Haeju–Paech'ŏn
(converted to standard gauge)		 62.5 km (38.8 mi) Korean State Railway
1971 Paech'ŏn–Ŭnbit
(standard gauge)		 1.9 km (1.2 mi) Korean State Railway

Route[edit]

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

Distance (km) Station Name Former Name
Total S2S Transcribed Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja) Transcribed Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja) Connections
-1.1 0.0 Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn 해주청년
(海州靑年) 		Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line
Ongjin Line
Although part of the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line and not the Paech'ŏn Line, all Paech'ŏn Line trains travel to/from Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn.
0.0 0.0 East Haeju (Tonghaeju) 동해주 (東海州) Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line
7.8 7.8 Changbang 장방 (長芳) Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line
11.5 3.7 Kalsan 갈산 (葛山) Ch'ŏngyŏl 천결 (泉決)
16.4 4.9 Naesŏng 내성 (来城) Closed
20.5 4.1 Ch'ŏngdan 청단 (靑丹) Tŏktal Line
24.1 3.6 Simgye 심계 (深桂) Closed
28.7 4.6 Ch'ŏnt'ae 천태 (天台)
33.7 5.0 P'ungch'ŏn 풍천 (豊川) P'ungch'ŏn 풍천 (楓川)
39.4 5.7 Ohyŏn 오현 (悟峴) Pongsŏ 봉서 (鳳西)
45.1 5.7 Yŏn'an 연안 (延安)
50.6 5.5 Onjŏng 온정 (溫井) Yŏn'an Onch'ŏn 연안온천 (延安溫泉)
54.8 4.2 Mugu 무구 (無仇) Closed
58.2 3.4 Honghyŏn 홍현 (紅峴)
62.5 4.3 Paech'ŏn 배천 (白川) Paech'ŏn Onch'ŏn 배천온천 (白川溫泉)
64.4 1.9 Ŭnbit 은빛 (銀빛)
67.7 3.3 Ŭnbit freight yard 은빛 (銀빛)
↓↓ Former line destroyed in Korean War ↓↓
67.5 5.0 Sŏngho 은빛 (銀빛) Closed
72.8 5.3 Ryesŏnggang 례성강 (禮成江) Yesŏnggang 예성강 (禮成江) Closed
79.7 6.9 Kaep'ung 개풍 (開豊) T'osŏng 토성 (土城) P'yŏngbu Line

Tŏktal Line[edit]

Opened in 1931 by Chōtetsu. Not electrified; closed.

Distance (km) Station Name Former Name
Total S2S Transcribed Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja) Transcribed Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja) Connections
0.0 0.0 Ch'ŏngdan 청단 (靑丹) Paech'ŏn Line
4.3 4.3 Hwayang 화양 (花陽) Closed
12.7 8.4 Tŏktal 덕달 (德達) Closed

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
  2. ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 1187, 16 December 1930
  3. ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 1492, 26 December 1931
  4. ^ Japanese Government Railways (1937), 鉄道停車場一覧. 昭和12年10月1日現在(The List of the Stations as of 1 October 1937), pp. 509~510
  5. ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 5143, 29 March 1944
  6. ^ a b "100 Years of Rail Travel - The 38th Parallel (in Japanese)". Archived from the original on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  7. ^ a b North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - Paech'ŏn Line (in Korean)
  8. ^ North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line (in Korean)

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