Sinhung Line

Sinhŭng Line
Overview
Native name	신흥선(新興線)
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger/Freight rail Regional rail
Status	Operational
Locale	South Hamgyŏng Province
Termini	Hamhŭng Pujŏnhoban
Stations	16
Operation
Opened	10 June 1923 (Hamhŭng—Yŏnggwang) 25 August 1923 (Yŏnggwang—Changp'ung) 1 October 1926 (P'ungsang—Sinhŭng) 1 February 1928 (Sinhŭng—Songhŭng) 10 September 1932 (Songhŭng—Pujŏnhoban)
Owner	Sinhŭng Railway (1923–1938) Chosen Railway (1938–1945) Korean State Railway (since 1945)
Depot(s)	Sinhŭng
Technical
Line length	91.6 km (56.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge (Hamhŭng – Sinhŭng) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) (Sinhŭng – Pujŏnhoban)
Electrification	3000 V DC Overhead line Hamhŭng−Sinhŭng 1500 V DC Overhead line Sinhŭng−Pujŏnhoban
Route map Sinhŭng Line (narrow gauge) Sinhŭng Line (standard gauge) Changjin Line P'yŏngra Line Sŏho Line Pinallon Line Pujŏn River 91.6 50.6 Pujŏnhoban from Hamhŭng from Sinhŭng 88.9 47.9 Toan 81.0 40.0 Pujŏn 74.7 33.7 Hamjiwŏn 68.1 27.1 Pujŏllyŏng top of cable-hauled section cable-hauled section, 550 m (1,800 ft) bottom of cable-hauled section 66.4 25.4 Paegamsan Closed Kŭmsilch'ŏn 61.0 20.0 Songhŭng 60.0 19.0 Hasonghŭng Closed 55.9 14.9 Songhaunderground facility 54.1 13.1 Kyŏnghŭng Tonghŭngch'ŏn Sŏngch'ŏngang 47.9 6.9 Tonghŭng 43.8 2.8 Kilbong Closed P'ungdŏk Sŏgoch'ŏn 41.0 0.0 Sinhŭng Ch'ŏnbulsanch'ŏn 33.5 Ch'ŏnbulsan 30.7 Chŏndong Closed 28.2 Changpung Closed 25.9 P'ungsang 17.0 Yŏnggwang Changjin Line Sanch'angch'ŏn 9.3 Pumin 6.6 Kadam Chongsŏng Street 0.0 West Hamhŭng 0.0 Hamhŭng←to P'yŏngyang -3.9 Hamhŭng Choch'ajang Sŏho Line to Sŏho Pinallon Line to Hŭngnam to Rajin

The Sinhŭng Line is an electrified 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railway line of the Korean State Railway in South Hamgyŏng Province, North Korea, running from Hamhŭng (Hamhŭng-si) to Pujŏnhoban (Pujŏn-gun) on Lake Pujŏn via Sinhŭng (Sinhŭng-gun).^[1]

Between Hamhŭng and Sinhŭng, a distance of 40.9 km (25.4 mi), the line is standard gauge, but the remaining 50.6 km (31.4 mi) from Sinhŭng to the terminus at Pujŏnhoban is 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge;^[2] the narrow gauge section is also electrified.^[1]

Though primarily an industrial railway connecting to the Pujŏn River hydroelectric power plant, it also plays an important role in passenger transportation in the region. There is a 550 m (1,800 ft) section between Songhŭng and Pujŏllyŏng that is cable-hauled.^[2]

History

During the Japanese colonial era, the privately owned Sinhŭng Railway built a network of narrow-gauge lines north of Hamhŭng. These were the Hamnam Line (not to be confused with the line of the same name of the Chosen Magnesite Development Railway, nowadays called Kŭmgol Line), to assist in the construction of the Pujŏn River hydroelectric power plant and to exploit forestry and other resources in the area.^[2] When complete, the Hamnam Line ran from Hamhŭng to Hamnam Sinhŭng (nowadays called simply Sinhŭng) via Oro (nowadays Yŏnggwang), with a branch from Oro to Sang'tong. Later, the Sinhŭng Railway opened the Songhŭng Line from Sinhŭng to Pujŏnhoban. The Sinhŭng Railway was bought by the Chosen Railway on 22 April 1938.^[3]

Between 1934 and 1936, the Sinhŭng Railway opened a line south from Hamhŭng, the Namhŭng Line.

After the establishment of the DPRK and the nationalisation of its railways, the Hamnam Line was split up, with the Hamhŭng - Oro - Sinhŭng section becoming the Sinhŭng Line, and the Oro - Sangt'ong section becoming part of the Changjin Line. At the same time, the Songhŭng Line was merged into the Sinhŭng Line, extending it to its current length. Originally built entirely as a narrow gauge line, frequent accidents on the line led the Korean State Railway to convert the Hamhŭng—Sinhŭng to standard gauge for greater safety and increased transportation capacity.^[2] After the regauging of this section, West Hamhŭng station was disconnected from the Hamhŭng—Sinhŭng, leaving Hamhŭng as the only direct junction point with the Sŏho Line. Electrification of the line to Pujŏnhoban was completed in 1992.^[1]

Services

The primary outbound freight shipped on the Sinhŭng Line is wood; potatoes and metals are also shipped out. Goods arriving onto the line from elsewhere include coal (anthracite and bituminous), fertiliser, aquatic products, grains and cement.^[2]

Though primarily an industrial railway connecting to the Pujŏn River hydroelectric power plant, it also plays an important role in passenger transportation in the region.^[2] A pair of local passenger trains, 880/881, operate on the standard gauge section of this line between Hamhŭng and Sinhŭng;^[1] there are also passenger trains on the narrow-gauge section north of Sinhŭng.

Route

A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified; a pink background indicates that section is 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge; an orange background indicates that section is non-electrified narrow gauge.

References

• 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] (in Japanese). Tokyo: kawaguchi Printing Company. pp. 510–511, 516–517.