Suin Line (1937–1995) Explained

Suin Line
Native Name:수인선(水仁線)
Native Name Lang:ko
Type:Heavy rail, Regional rail
Passenger/Freight
Status:Closed
Locale:Gyeonggi
Start:Suwon
End:Incheon Port
Stations:17
Open:1937
Owner:
Chōsen Railway (1942–1945)
Operator:Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway;
Chōsen Railway
Linelength Km:52.0
Tracks:Single track

The Suin Line (水仁線, Suijin-sen) was a narrow gauge railway line built by the Chōsen Railway (Chōtetsu) during colonial-era Korea, located in Gyeonggi Province.

History

The privately owned Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway was granted a licence to build a second railway line to haul salt from Sorae. Starting at Suwon, terminus of the railway's Suryeo Line, a 52km (32miles) line was built to Incheon Port via Sorae, and was opened for operation on 5 August 1937.[1] On 26 October 1942, the Chōsen Gyeongdong Railway was acquired by the Chōsen Railway,[2] which continued operating the line until the end of the Pacific War.

Following the partition of Korea and the establishment of the Republic of Korea, on 17 May 1946 Chōtetsu, along with all other railways in the country, was nationalised,[3] and the new Korean National Railroad took over operation of the Suin Line. Over the following years, the KNR continued to operate the line, keeping the Suin Line name but making numerous changes; recently, the line has been undergoing conversion to .

Services

In the November 1942 timetable, the last issued prior to the start of the Pacific War, Chōtetsu operated four daily, third-class-only local passenger trains:[4]

Distance
(read down)
- - - - Station name Distance
(read up)
- - - -
0.005:0008:5213:0017:00Suwon52.008:1912:0016:4119:05
52.007:1412:3815:1119:10Incheon Port0.005:0009:4412:4616:44

Route

+ 水仁線 - 수인선 - Suijin Line - Suin Line
Distance Station name
Total; kmS2S; kmTranscribed, KoreanTranscribed, JapaneseHunminjeongeumHanja/KanjiConnections
0.00.0SuwonSuigen수원水原Suryeo Line,
Sentetsu Gyeongbu Line
3.93.9GosaekKosaku고색古索
5.81.9OmokGomoku오목梧木
10.74.9EocheonGyosen어천漁川
13.73.0YamokYaboku야목野牧
15.11.4BinjeongHinchō빈정濱汀
20.04.9IlliItsuri일리一里
21.61.6SeongdoJōtō성두城頭
27.96.3WongokGenkoku원곡元谷
29.21.3SingilShinkitsu신길新吉
32.43.2GunjaKunshi군자君子
38.66.2SoraeSorai소래蘇萊
41.42.9NonhyeonRonken논현論峴
42.40.9NamdongNantō남동南洞
45.83.4MunhakBunkaku문학文鶴
47.01.5SongdoMatsushima송도松島
52.05.0Incheonhang
Incheon Port
Jinsenkō인천항仁川港

Notes and References

  1. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 3168, 6 August 1937
  2. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 4729, 4 November 1942
  3. Article 2, Military Administration Ordinance No. 75, Korean Railroads. United States Army Command, Korea Military Command, 7 May 1946
  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)