Kumgangsan Chongnyon Line

Kumgangsan Chongnyon Line
Overview
Other name(s)	Tonghae Pukpu Line 동해북부선(東海北部線)
Native name	금강산청년선(金剛山靑年線)
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger/freight rail Regional rail
Status	Operarional
Locale	Kangwon
Termini	Anbyŏn Kamho
Stations	17
Operation
Opened	Stages between 1929-1937
Closed	1950 (Samilp'o - Jejin)
Owner	Korean State Railway
Operator(s)	Korean State Railway
Events
reopening	1996
Technical
Line length	114 km (Estimated)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3000 V DC Overhead line (Anbyŏn - Kŭmgangsan Ch'ŏngnyŏn)
Route map Legend Kangwŏn Line 0.0 Anbyŏn Kangwŏn Line 8.9 Ogye 14.9 Sangŭm Ch'ŏngnyŏn ↑Anbyŏn/T'ongch'ŏn↓ 25.2 Tongjŏngho 31.4 Myŏnggo 38.0 Kŭmbonggang 47.4 Sijungho 54.3 T'ongch'ŏn 61.0 Tonghae 65.1 Pyŏgŭng Closed ↑T'ongch'ŏn/Kosŏng↓ 70.2 Ryŏmsŏng 75.7 Tup'o 86.2 Nam'ae Onjŏng-ri 93.2 Kosŏng 101.0 Kŭmgangsan Ch'ŏngnyŏn 109.2 Samilp'o 114.8 Kamho ↑DPRK DMZ ↓ROK 125.9 Jejin Donghae Bukbu Line

Kumgangsan Chongnyon Line
Chosŏn'gŭl	금강산청년선
Hancha	金剛山青年線
Revised Romanization	Geumgangsancheongnyeonseon
McCune–Reischauer	Kŭmgangsanch'ŏngnyŏnsŏn

The Kŭmgangsan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the North Korean State Railway running from Anbyŏn to Kamho.^[1]

History

The line was originally built by the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) as part of the Tonghae Pukpu Line, from Anbyŏn on Sentetsu's Kyŏngwŏn Line to Yangyang. The construction and opening of the line took place in several stages:

Date	Section	Length
1 September 1929	Anbyŏn–Hŭpkok (Myŏnggo)	31.4 km
21 July 1931	Hŭpkok–T'ongch'ŏn (Tonghae)	29.6 km
21 May 1932	T'ongch'ŏn–Tubaek (Tup'o)	14.7 km
1 August 1932	Tubaek–Changjŏn (Kosŏng)	17.5 km
16 September 1932	Changjŏn–Oegŭmgang (Kŭmgangsan Ch'ŏngnyŏn)	7.8 km
1 November 1935	Oegŭmgang–Kansŏng	49.7 km
1 December 1937	Kansŏng–Yangyang	41.9 km

Plans were made to extend the line from Yangyang to Pohang, but the end of the Pacific War and the collapse of the Japanese General-Government of Korea prevented completion of the extension.

After the partition of Korea, the line was split between the north and south, with the section from Anbyŏn to Kamho becoming the Kŭmgangsan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line in the north, while the section from Chejin to Yangyang became the Tonghae Pukpu Line operated by the Korean National Railway.

In 2007, after the reconstruction of the disused section between Kamho and Jejin, passenger trains began operating from the south to bring southern tourists to the Mount Kŭmgang Tourist Region.^[2] More than one million civilian visitors crossed the DMZ until the route was closed following the shooting death of a 53-year-old South Korean tourist in July 2008.^[3] Plans are being considered which would see the line become part of a trans-Korean line from Pohang to Tumangang, to connect South Korea's railway network to the Trans-Siberian Railway.^[2]

Route

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

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
0.0	Anbyŏn	안변	Kangwŏn Line
8.9	Ogye	오계
14.9	Sangŭm Ch'ŏngnyŏn	상음 청년
25.2	Tongjŏngho	동정호
31.4	Myŏnggo	명고
38.0	Kŭmbonggang	금봉강
47.4	Sijungho	시중호
54.3	T'ongch'ŏn	통천
61.0	Tonghae	동해
70.2	Ryŏmsŏng	렴성
75.7	Tup'o	두포
86.2	Nam'ae	남애
93.2	Kosŏng	고성
101.0	Kŭmgangsan	금강산
v	Below here not	in regular use	v
109.2	Samilp'o	삼일포
114.8	Kamho	감호
—	Demilitarised Zone	—	—
125.9	Jejin, ROK	제진	Donghae Bukbu Line

References

1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
2. "Trans-Korean Railway" (PDF). Korean Rail Technology (English). 9: 09–11. September 2007.
3. "ROK woman tourist shot dead at DPRK resort". China Daily. July 12, 2008.