Pyeongbuk Railway Explained

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Pyeongbuk Railway Co. Ltd.
Native Name:평북철도주식회사 (Pyeongbuk Cheoldo Jusikhoesa)
平北鐵道株式會社 (Heihoku Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha)
Native Name Lang:ko

The Pyeongbuk Railway (Japanese: 平北鐵道株式會社, Heihoku Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha; Korean: 평북철도주식회사, Pyeongbuk Cheoldo Jusikhoesa) was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea.

History

The Pyeongbuk Railway opened its mainline, from Jeongju on the Chosen Government Railway's GyeongseongSinuiju Gyeongui Line to Cheongsu on 27 September 1939 as an industrial railway to serve the Supung Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Yalu River, opening the Supung Line branch from Pupung on the mainline to the dam at the same time.[1] At Cheongsu a bridge was built across the Yalu River to connect with the Fengshang Railway at Shanghekou, Manchukuo, and on 30 September 1940, the Pyeongbuk Railway opened the Supung Hoan Line.[2]

After the partition of Korea the line was within the territory of the DPRK, and was nationalised by the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea along with all other railways in the Soviet zone of occupation on 10 August 1946, becoming the P'yŏngbuk Line of the Korean State Railway.[3]

Services

In the last timetable issued prior to the start of the Pacific War, the Pyeongbuk Railway had six daily passenger trains on the schedule, three round trips between Jeongju and Supung, and three between Cheongsu and Supung:[4]

Jeongju - Supung
Distance
(read down)
Price
Korean yen
501 11 103 Station name Distance
(read up)
Price
Korean yen
502 12 106
0.0-06:4011:0016:35Jeongju116.24.7012:5218:2822:13
41.21.7008:4612:3218:28Pyeongbuk Guseong75.03.0011:2715:2021:00
116.64.7012:1215:2021:54Supung0.0-07:5014:1017:50
Supung - Cheongsu
Distance
(read down)
Price
Korean yen
401 405 407 Station name Distance
(read up)
Price
Korean yen
402 406 408
0.0-06:3011:5416:10Supung9.30.4008:4614:0018:06
9.30.4006:5512:2716:35Cheongsu0.0-08:1813:3217:34

Rolling Stock

Four Class 4110 steam locomotives were sent from the Japanese Government Railway to the Pyeongbuk Railway after conversion to standard gauge.[5]

Network

平北線 - 평북선 - Heihoku Line - Pyeongbuk Line
Distance Station name
Total; kmS2S; kmTranscribed, KoreanTranscribed, JapaneseHunminjeongeumHanja/KanjiConnections
0.00.0JeongjuJōshū정주定州Sentetsu Gyeongui Line
10.410.4KoanKōan고안高安
16.56.1BongmyeongHōmei봉명鳳鳴
28.411.9BanghyeonHōken방현方峴
41.212.8Pyeongbuk GuseongHeihoku Kujō평북구성平北亀城
49.07.8BaekunHakuun백운白雲
63.914.9DaeanDaiain대안大安
70.56.6DaegwanDaikan대관大館
78.27.7ChangpyeongShōhei창평昌坪
91.213.0Sakju OncheonSakushū Onsen삭주온천朔州温泉
100.08.8SakjuSakushū삭주朔州
105.95.9Sin-anShin'an신안新安
113.77.8BupungFūhō부풍富豊Supung Line,
Supung Hoan Line
120.56.8CheongsuShōsui청수青水
Amnokgang
Yalu River
Ōryokkō압록강鴨綠江Korea-Manchukuo border
ShanghekouShankōkō-上河口Fengshang Railway
水豊線 - 수풍선 - Suihō Line - Supung Line
Distance Station name
Total; kmS2S; kmTranscribed, KoreanTranscribed, JapaneseHunminjeongeumHanja/KanjiConnections
0.00.0BupungFūhō부풍富豊Pyeongbuk Line,
Supung Hoan Line
2.52.5SupungSuihō수풍水豊
水豊湖岸線 - 수풍호안선 - Suihō Kogan Line - Supung Hoan Line
Distance Station name
Total; kmS2S; kmTranscribed, KoreanTranscribed, JapaneseHunminjeongeumHanja/KanjiConnections
0.00.0BupungFūhō부풍富豊Pyeongbuk Line,
Supung Line
2.52.5Supung HoanSuihō Kogan수풍호안水豊湖岸

Notes and References

  1. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 3813, 3 October 1939
  2. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 4114, 7 October 1940
  3. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 131
  4. Tōa Travel Co. (東亜旅行社), Ministry of Railways Combined Timetable 1 November 1942 (鐵道省編纂時刻表昭和17年11月1日)
  5. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 66