Paektusan Chongnyon Line

Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line
Overview
Other name(s) Kilhye Line
Native name 백두산청년선(白頭山靑年線)
Type Heavy rail, Regional rail
Status Operational
Locale North Hamgyŏng
Ryanggang
Termini Kilju Ch'ŏngnyŏn
Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn
Stations 22
Operation
Opened Stages between 1933-1937
Owner Chosen Government Railway (1933–1945)
Korean State Railway (since 1945)
Depot(s) Hyesan
Technical
Line length 141.7 km (88.0 mi)
Number of tracks Single track
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius 250 m (820 ft)
Electrification 3000 V DC Catenary
Route map
P'yŏngra Line
0.0 Kilju Ch'ŏngnyŏn
P'yŏngra Line
3.9 Pongam Closed
10.3 Namsŏk
18.4 Sŏnghu
Namdaech'ŏn
switchback
22.8 P'unggye
underground facility
Namdaech'ŏn
26.2 Chaedŏk
Namdaech'ŏn
35.2 Sŏngdŏk
Namdaech'ŏn
Namdaech'ŏn
43.0 Sado
47.4 Yanggok
Namdaech'ŏn
57.2 Hapsu
underground facility
63.0 Namgye
70.0 Paeg'am Ch'ŏngnyŏn(sawmill)
Paengmu Line
81.0 Ryŏngha
85.9 Ryŏngnam
90.5 Namjung
Unch'ong River
Ryong'am Closed
Ryongp'och'ŏn
Ryongp'o Closed
Ryongp'och'ŏn
95.6 Saengjang
Unch'ong River
99.7 Unhŭng
Unch'ong River
108.7 Poan
Unch'ong River
116.1 Simp'ori
Unch'ong River
Ilgŏn(mine)
124.6 Taeoch'ŏn
Osich'ŏn Line
Hyesan No. 1 Station built for Kim Jong-il
132.6 Kŏmsalli
Samjiyŏn Line
137.1 WiyŏnHyesan Steel Mill
141.7 Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏnHyesan Textile Factory
Pukpu Line
Paektusan Chongnyon Line
Chosŏn'gŭl 백두산청년선
Hancha 白頭山青年線
Revised Romanization Baekdusancheongnyeon-seon
McCune–Reischauer Paektusanch'ŏngnyŏn-sŏn

The Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line is an electrified standard-gauge secondary mainline of the Korean State Railway running from Kilju on the P'yŏngra Line to Hyesan on the Pukpu Line; it connects to the narrow gauge Paengmu Line at Paeg'am Ch'ŏngnyŏn Station, and to the Samjiyŏn Line at Wiyŏn Station.[1]

Description

This line traverses a very mountainous area; it has a ruling grade of 33‰ and a minimum curve radius of 250 metres. There are 74 bridges totalling 2,175 m (7,136 ft) and 24 tunnels with a total length of 8,398 m (27,552 ft). The average distance between stations is 7.1 km (4.4 mi). Service facilities on the line are at Hyesan for locomotives and at Wiyŏn and Paeg'am for rolling stock.[2]

History

Construction was begun in May 1931 by the Chosen Government Railway to exploit the Paektusan region's abundant forest and mineral resources, with the first section, 57.2 km (35.5 mi) from Kilju to Hapsu, being opened on 1 November 1933.[3] The line was then extended several times over the following four years: 12.8 km (8.0 mi) from Hapsu to Paegam was opened on 1 August 1934[4] and 29.7 km (18.5 mi) from Paegam to Pongduri (now Unhŭng) on 1 September 1935, and the final 42.0 km (26.1 mi) from Pongduri to Hyesanjin (now Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn) was completed on 1 November 1937.[5][6]

Originally called the Kilhye Line (from the names of the two termini, Kilju and Hyesan), the line received its present name in 1978,[7] when electrification of the line was completed in September of that year.[2]

When the Pukpu Line was completed to Hyesan in 1988, a northern east-west connection was finally established connecting the Manp'o Line at Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn to the Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line.

On 9 October 2006 an underground nuclear test was conducted at Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site in Kilju County, causing the closure of the line for 3-4 months after the Paegam tunnel, near Paegam Ch'ŏngnyŏn station, collapsed.[8]

Services

Freight

Ore and forest products account for almost 93% of freight traffic in the direction towards Kilju, while almost half of the freight in the direction towards Hyesan is coal.

Ore is shipped from Namgye, talc, kaolin and magnesite from Simp'o-ri, and iron sulphide from Unhŭng. Logs are brought from the Paengmu Line to Paegam and forwarded to a large sawmill at Wiyŏn; raw logs are also shipped to the pulp mill and plywood factory in Kilju. The majority of freight moved on the line in the direction towards Hyesan is coal from Sinmyŏngch'ŏn on the P'yŏngra Line destined for use by residents and power plants in the region, along with grains, anthracite, fertiliser, cement etc. for local use.[2]

Passenger

Passenger traffic on the Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn line is significant, with much of that traffic being for visitors to the various "historic sites of the Revolution" in the region. There are also trains for local travellers, including connection to trains on the Samjiyŏn Line.[2]

The following passenger trains are known to operate on this line:[1]

  • Express trains 1/2, operating between P'yŏngyang and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run along this line along its entirety between Kilju and Hyesan;
  • Express trins 3/4, operating between West P'yŏngyang and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run along this line along its entirety between Kilju and Hyesan;
  • Semi-express trains 101/102 operate between Kilju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Hyesan;
  • Semi-express trains 104-107/108-111, operating between Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run along the entirety of this line between Kilju and Hyesan;
  • Local trains 652/653 operate between Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyon and Taeoch'ŏn.

Route

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

Mainline

Distance
(Total; km)		 Distance
(S2S; km)		 Station Name
(Transcribed)		 Station Name
(Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja))		 Former Name
(Transcribed)		 Former Name
(Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja))		 Connections
0.0 0.0 Kilju Ch'ŏngnyŏn 길주청년 (吉州青年) Kilju 길주 (吉州) P'yŏngra Line
10.3 10.3 Namsŏk 남석 (南夕)
18.4 8.1 Sŏnghu 성후 (城後)
22.8 4.4 P'unggye 풍계 (豊渓)
26.2 3.4 Chaedŏk 재덕 (載徳)
35.2 9.0 Sŏngdŏk 성덕 (城徳)
43.0 7.8 Sado 사도 (蛇島)
47.4 4.4 Yanggok 양곡 (陽谷)
57.2 9.8 Hapsu 합수 (合水)
63.0 5.8 Namgye 남계 (南渓)
70.0 7.0 Paeg'am Ch'ŏngnyŏn 백암청년 (白岩青年) Paeg'am 백암 (白岩) Paengmu Line
81.0 11.0 Ryŏngha 령하 (嶺下)
85.9 4.9 Ryŏngnam 령남 (嶺南)
90.5 4.6 Namjung 남중 (南中)
95.6 5.1 Saengjang 생장 (生長)
99.7 4.1 Unhŭng 운흥 (雲興) Pongduri 봉두리 (鳳頭里)
108.8 9.1 Poan 보안 (甫安)
116.1 7.3 Simp'ori 심포리 (深浦里)
124.6 8.5 Taeoch'ŏn 대오천 (大五川) Osich'ŏn Line
132.6 8.0 Kŏmsalli 검산리 (剣山里)
137.1 4.5 Wiyŏn 위연 (渭淵) Samjiyŏn Line
141.7 4.6 Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn 혜산청년 (恵山青年) Hyesan 혜산 (恵山) Pukpu Line

References

  1. 1 2 Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
  2. 1 2 3 4 The traffic and geography in North Korea: Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line (in Korean)
  3. ↑ 朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 2038, 24 October 1933 (in Japanese)
  4. ↑ 朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 2260, 23 July 1934 (in Japanese)
  5. ↑ 朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 3233, 23 October 1937 (in Japanese)
  6. ↑ 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), Kawaguchi Printing Company, Tokyo, p502
  7. ↑ Choe, Un-sik, 한국의 전통 사회 운송 기구, ISBN 978-89-7300-728-8, pp. 115
  8. ↑ Kilju-Hyesan line blocked 4 months after nuclear test
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