| Gyeongwon Line | |
| Native Name: | 경원선 (京元線) |
| Native Name Lang: | kr |
| Type: | Heavy rail, Passenger/Freight Regional rail, Commuter rail |
| Status: | Operational |
| Locale: | Seoul Gyeonggi Gangwon |
| Start: | Yongsan |
| End: | Baengmagoji |
| Stations: | 37 |
| Open: | Stages between 1911 and 1914 |
| Owner: | Korea Rail Network Authority |
| Operator: | Korail |
| Linelength: | 94.4km (58.7miles) |
| Tracks: | Double track (Yongsan–Dongducheon) Single track |
| Electrification: | 25 kV/60 Hz AC Catenary (Yongsan–Yeoncheon) |
| Rr: | Gyeongwonseon |
| Mr: | Kyŏngwŏnsŏn |
The Gyeongwon Line is a railway line serving northeastern Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. The line is operated by Korail. The name of the line came from Gyeongseong (Seoul) and Wonsan, the original terminus of the line, in what is now North Korea.
For the original line's history and other information prior to 1945, see Gyeongwon Line (1911–1945)
One of the first construction projects undertaken by the Railway Bureau of the Government General of Korea was for an east−west trunk line to connect Keijō to the important port of Wonsan. The Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) opened the line in several stages between 1911 and 1914.[1] The first section of mainline to be electrified by Sentetsu was also along the Gyeongwon Line, with the Pokkye−Gosan section being energised on 27 March 1944,[2] as part of a plan made jointly with the South Manchuria Railway for an electrified railway all the way from Busan to Xinjing, capital of Manchukuo.[3]
After the partition of Korea following the end of the Pacific War in 1945, the Gyeongwon Line was split along the 38th parallel between the stations of Hantangang and Choseongni.[4] The railways in both South and North were nationalised, and the newly-established Korean National Railroad took over operation of the truncated Gyeongwon Line, from Seoul to Choseongni; in the North, the Korean State Railway merged its section of the Gyeongwon Line, Choseong-ri−Wonsan, with the Wonsan−Gowon section of the former Hamgyeong Line to create the Gangwon Line.[4]
The line was severely damaged during the Korean War. After the ceasefire and the subsequent establishment of the Military Demarcation Line, the division of the line changed, with the South gaining control of the line further northwards as far as Woljeongni. However, the line was rebuilt only as far as Sintalli, resulting in an operation line from Yongsan and Sintalli with a length of 88.8km (55.2miles).[1]
Following the 1961 coup, the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction started South Korea's first five-year plan, which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth.[5] As part of the program, in the outskirts of Seoul, a 4.9km (03miles) long avoiding line was built from Kwangwoon University to Mangu on the Jungang Line, called the Mangu Line, which opened on December 30, 1963.[5]
The section of the Gyeongwon Line in the Seoul metropolitan area was among the first to be electrified with the 25 kV/60 Hz AC catenary system in South Korea when to allow for through train services with Seoul Subway Line 1. Further sections were electrified and urban services to Line 1 was extended in the 1980s and then in the 2000s:[6]
| Section | Length | Electrified rail operation commenced | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 km | August 15, 1974 | ||
| 12.6 km | December 9, 1978 | ||
| 3.6 km | April 25, 1985 | ||
| 9.4 km | September 2, 1986 | ||
| Uijeongbu–Ganeung then Uijeongbu Bukbu | 1.2 km | October 5, 1987 | |
| 23.2 km | December 15, 2006 |
Altogether 55.6km (34.5miles) of the line was electrified, and 53.1km (33miles) was double-tracked.[1]
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. As part of the plan, the Gyeongwon Line is to be further upgraded until Uijeongbu for 230 km/h and may see KTX service.[7]
In 2012 restoration of the line was completed between Sintan-ri and Cheorwon.[8]
A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified.
| Distance (km) | Interstation Distance (km) | Original Name | Seoul Subway Line 1 | Opened | Connections | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | R | ||||||
| 0.0 | 0.0 | Yongsan 용산 (龍山) | Only Gyeongui–Jungang Line trains stop here. Line 1 trains use the Gyeongbu Line to Seoul Station, where it then continues via the to Cheongnyangni. | 15 October 1911 | Gyeongbu Line Yongsan Line Seoul Subway Line 1 | ||
| 1.9 | 1.9 | Ichon 이촌 (二村) | 9 December 1978 | Seoul Subway Line 4 | |||
| 3.6 | 1.7 | Seobinggo 서빙고 (西氷庫) | 1 October 1917 | ||||
| 15 October 1911 | Closed 1944 | ||||||
| 5.5 | 1.9 | Hannam 한남 (漢南) | 1 April 1980 | ||||
| 7.1 | 1.6 | Oksu 옥수 (玉水) | 9 September 1978 | Seoul Subway Line 3 | |||
| 8.9 | 1.8 | Eungbong 응봉 (鷹峰) | 9 September 1978 | Formerly Seongsu 성수 (聖水) renamed 10 July 1980 | |||
| 10.4 | 2.7 | Wangsimni 왕십리 (往十里) | 15 October 1911 | Seoul Subway Line 2 Seoul Subway Line 5 Bundang Line | |||
| 12.7 | 2.4 | Cheongnyangni 청량리 (淸凉里) | 15 October 1911 | Jungang Line Seoul Subway Line 1 Gyeongchun Line | |||
| 14.1 | 1.4 | Hoegi 회기 (回基) | 1 April 1980 | Gyeongchun Line Gyeongui–Jungang Line | |||
| 14.9 | 0.8 | Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies 외대앞 (外大앞) | 15 August 1974 | Formerly Hwigyeong 휘경 (徽慶) renamed 1 January 1996 | |||
| 15.7 | 0.8 | Sinimun 신이문 (新里門) | 5 January 1980 | ||||
| 17.1 | 1.4 | Seokgye 석계 (石溪) | 14 January 1985 | Seoul Subway Line 6 | |||
| 18.2 | 5.5 | Kwangwoon Univ. 광운대 (光云大) | 25 July 1939 | current and former Gyeongchun Lines | Was Yeonchon 연촌 (硯村) until May 3, 1963 where it was renamed to Seongbuk (城北) and renamed to current name February 25, 2013 | ||
| 19.3 | 1.1 | Wolgye 월계 (月溪) | |||||