Soho Line

Sŏho Line
A narrow-gauge passenger train on the Sŏho Line.
Overview
Native name	서호선 (西湖線)
Type	Light rail, Passenger rail Regional rail
Status	Operational
Termini	Hamhŭng Sŏho, Hŭngnam
Stations	11
Operation
Opened	11 May 1934 (Hamhŭng—Ch'ŏngiri (Hadŏk)) 5 March 1936 (Ch'ŏngiri—Naeho) 15 December 1936 (Naeho—Sŏhojin)
Owner	Sinhŭng Railway (1934–1938) Chosen Railway (1938–1945) Korean State Railway (since 1945)
Depot(s)	West Hamhŭng
Technical
Line length	17.6 km (10.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1500 V DC Overhead line
Route map Sŏho Line Pinallon Line P'yŏngra Line Sinhŭng Line 1.0 West Hamhŭng 0.0 HamhŭngP'yŏngra Line to P'yŏngyang 2.2 Sap'oHoryŏnch'ŏn 3.9 0.0 Hamhŭng Choch'ajang 4.5 Sangsu 6.9 3.4 Sŏngch'ŏngang from Hamhŭng from Hamhŭng Cho. limits of February 8 Vinylon Complex 8.8 Ch'anghŭng Hamhŭng Thermal Power Plant 8.6 5.7 Pinallon from Hamhŭng from Hamhŭng Cho. Hamhŭng Silicate Brick Factory Hŭngnam Pharmaceutical Factory 11.0 7.6 Unjung from Hamhŭng from Hamhŭng Cho. Ryongsŏng Machine Complex 13.0 9.6 Ryongsŏng from Hamhŭng from Hamhŭng Cho. 14.6 Hadŏk 11.2 Hŭngnam Port 16.6 15.4 Hŭngnam Sŏho Line from Hamhŭng P'yŏngra Line from Hamhŭng 17.6 18.0 Sŏho Sŏho Line from Hamhŭng P'yŏngra Line from Hamhŭng P'yŏngra Line to Rajin

The Sŏho Line is an electrified 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railway line of the Korean State Railway in Hamhŭng-si, North Korea, running from Hamhŭng to Hŭngnam and Sŏho.^[1]

History

During the Japanese colonial era, the privately owned Sinhŭng Railway built a network of 762 mm (2 ft 6.0 in) narrow-gauge railways around Hamhŭng. These were the Hamnam, Songhŭng and Changjin lines opened between 1923 and 1933, and the Namhŭng Line, which was opened in three sections between 1934 and 1936.

The Sinhŭng Railway was bought by the Chosen Railway on 22 April 1938.^[2]

After the defeat of Japan in the Pacific War and the subsequent partition of Korea, the entirety of the line, being north of the 38th parallel, was located in the Soviet zone of occupation; on 10 August 1946, the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea nationalised all railways within its jurisdiction, including the Namhŭng Line, and it has since been operated by the Korean State Railway.^[1]

Originally built entirely as a narrow gauge line, frequent accidents on the line led the Korean State Railway to convert the Hamhŭng—Sinhŭng section of the Sinhŭng Line to standard gauge for greater safety and increased transportation capacity;^[3] after the regauging of this section was completed, West Hamhŭng station was disconnected from the Sinhŭng line. When Naeho Station was closed, the line between Hadŏk and Sŏho was realigned to the current, shorter alignment.

Services

The entrance to the February 8 Vinylon Complex at Pinallon Station.

The Sŏho Line is used exclusively for passenger trains for commuters.

Route

The pink background indicates that that section is electrified 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) 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.