Gyeongui Line

Gyeongui Line
Overview
Native name	경의선(京義線)
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger/Freight Regional rail
Locale	Seoul Goyang Paju
Termini	Seoul Dorasan
Stations	23
Operation
Opened	November 5, 1905 (actual opening) April 1, 1908 (passenger service) July 1, 2009 (Seoul Metropolitan Subway service)
Owner	Korea Rail Network Authority
Operator(s)	Korail
Technical
Line length	56.1 km (34.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track (Seoul - Munsan) Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV/60 Hz AC Catenary
Route map Legend Gyeongbu Line 0.0 Seoul 0.7 Seosomun Closed in 1944 1.8 Ahyeonri Closed in 1944 3.1 Sinchon Sinchon Connection Line Yongsan Line 5.8 Gajwa 7.5 Digital Media City 8.1 Suseak Susaek Rail Yard ↑Seoul/Goyang↓ 11.5 Hwajeon 14.0 Gangmae 14.9 Haengsin Goyang Rail Yard 16.4 Neunggok 18.2 Daegok Gyooe Line Seoul Ring Expressway 19.9 Goksan 21.5 Baengma 23.2 Pungsan 25.1 Ilsan 26.8 Tanhyeon ↑Goyang/Paju↓ 28.9 Yadang planned 30.4 Unjeong 33.5 Geumneung 35.6 Geumchon 39.7 Wollong 41.9 Paju Munsan Rail Yard 46.3 Munsan 50.0 Uncheon 52.3 Imjingang Imjin river 56.1 Dorasan 57.8 Jangdan Closed in 1950 ROK-DPRK border 63.4 Panmun Pyongbu Line

Gyeongui Line
Hangul	경의선
Hanja	京義線
Revised Romanization	Gyeonguiseon
McCune–Reischauer	Kyŏngŭisŏn

Dorasan Station

The Gyeongui Line is a railway line between Seoul and Dorasan Station in Paju. Korail operates the Seoul Metropolitan Subway service between Seoul Station and Munsan Station.

History

Originally the line continued to P'yŏngyang and Sinŭiju, both of which are now in North Korea, or even to the South Manchuria Railway, linking the Korean railway system to the rest of Asia and Europe.

The Korean Empire intended to build the Gyeongui Line with its own resources at the end of the 19th century, but the project stalled due to lack of funds.^[1] Imperial Japan, which gained to concession to build the Gyeongbu Line from Busan to Seoul, also sought to gain control of the Gyeongui Line project as its continuation further north, recognising the trunk route as a means to keep Korea under its influence.^[1] The line was also advanced for military considerations in expectation of a confrontation with Russia, which came in 1904 as the Russo-Japanese War.^[1] At the start of the war, Japan ignored Korea's declaration of neutrality and transported troops to Incheon, and forced the Korean government to sign an agreement that gave Japan's military control of railway projects if deemed necessary for military operations.^[1] Japan's military began to build the Gyeongui Line, while troop bases were established in connection with the railway, the biggest of them next to the terminus of the line, Yongsan Station in Seoul.^[1]

The first section of the Gyeongui Line opened from Yongsan in Seoul to Munsan on April 3, 1906.^[2]

Inter-Korea border

After the division of Korea in 1945, trains stopped operating between the north and south halves of the country, meaning that southern trains probably terminated at Kaesŏng, which is now in North Korea but was at the time part of the US-administered southern zone. Northern trains would have terminated north of Kaesŏng.

After the end of the Korean War in 1953, southern trains were cut back to around Munsan (north of Seoul), with northern trains terminating at Kaesŏng. Around the same time, North Korea renamed the P'yŏngyang-Kaesŏng section of the line as the P'yŏngbu (P'yŏngyang + Busan) Line and the P'yŏngyang-Sinŭiju section as the P'yŏngŭi (P'yŏngyang + Sinŭiju) Line. The DPRK sector is now 100% electrifed, although the double track section spans only from Pyongyang to Sunan Airport.

Since the summit between the two Koreas in 2000, an effort has slowly been underway to reconnect the Gyeongui Line.^[3] Southern passenger service has been extended to Dorasan on the edge of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and tracks have been built across the DMZ itself. In October 2004, the Northern connection from the DMZ to Kaesŏng was finally completed. Simultaneous test runs along the rebuilt cross-border sections of both the Gyeongui Line and the Donghae Bukbu Line were set for May 25, 2006, but North Korean military authorities cancelled the plans a day ahead of the scheduled event.^[3] However, at a meeting held in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 22, 2007, North and South Korea agreed to restart the project.^[3] On May 17, 2007, the first train, carrying North and South Korean delegations, travelled from Munsan Station in the South to Kaesong in the North.^[4] The first test run on the Donghae Bukbu Line took place at the same time.^[3] According to South Korean representatives, the North has agreed in principle to regular passenger and freight service along the two train lines.^[5]

Upgrade

Meanwhile, work began to upgrade the South Korean section for high-capacity commuter services. Between Seoul and Munsan, the line is converted into an electrified, double-tracked railway in a new, straighter, 48.6 km long alignment.^[6] Work began in November 1999, with a budget originally estimated at 1,970 billion won.^[7] The section from Digital Media City (DMC) to Munsan was finished on July 1, 2009.^[6] The remaining section will be mostly underground between Gajwa Station in northwestern Seoul to Yongsan Station in downtown Seoul.^[6] As of 2009, construction progress on the entire Seoul–Munsan section reached 74% of a total budget then estimated at 2,153.271 billion won.^[6] The section is to be finished by 2014^[8] and the freed area on the surface is to be turned into a park.^[9]

The line is to be further upgraded for 230 kilometres per hour (140 mph), as part of a government strategic plan to reduce travel times for 95% of Korea to under 2 hours by 2020, which was announced on September 1, 2010.^[10]

Services

DMZ-Train

Seoul Metropolitan Subway

The Gyeongui Line opened as a part Seoul Metropolitan Subway on July 1, 2009 from Seoul to Munsan. The line connects Seoul, Digital Media City, Ilsan, Paju, and Munsan, and offers transfers to Line 3, Line 6, and AREX.

The main line terminated at Digital Media City Station when first opened, while a separate branch continued to Seoul Station. On December 15, 2012, the main line was extended to Gongdeok Station, providing transfers to Line 2 and Line 5. On December 27, 2014, the main line service was further extended to Yongsan Station from Gongdeok Station, and the service was renamed to the Gyeongui–Jungang Line following the merging of the line with the Jungang Line.

The term "subway" in reference to this line is somewhat of a misnomer, as the line runs underground for less than three percent of its length. The upgraded line simply follows alignment of the old line built 100 years ago. The outer portion of the line runs largely through countryside rice paddies, forests, and vegetable fields, and outside of Seoul rarely enters urbanized areas. It is mostly at-grade, and includes several at-grade crossings with local roads, where Korail employees stand by on duty to stop traffic.

Regular rail service

Before the integration with the subway system, the most common service on the line was a Tonggeun train service between Seoul and Imjingang, with one Saemaeul-ho train. Since the line was integrated with the Seoul Subway system, Tonggeun service had been restricted to a few stations in the north, from Munsan to Imjingang, with a few continuing on to Dorasan, near the North Korean border.

KTX

There is a depot for Korea Train Express (KTX) trains along the Gyeongui Line at Haengsin Station.^[11] Some KTX services thus continue beyond Seoul respective Yongsan Station and terminate at Haengsin Station.^[12]

The line may see more KTX service after the upgrade for 230 km/h considered in the government's strategic plan for 2020.^[10]

Stations

This list does not include stations served only by Gyeongui-Jungang Line metro trains.

Uncheon, Imjingang, and Dorasan stations are planned to become a part of the Gyeongui-Jungang Line sometime after 2020.

Station number (Seoul Subway)	Station	Hangeul	Hanja	Services
P313	Seoul	서울		Seoul Metropolitan Subway: Gyeongbu HSR Gyeongbu ITX-Saemaeul services Mugunghwa-ho services DMZ Train
K320	Haengsin	행신	幸信	Gyeongbu HSR Honam HSR Gyeongbu Honam Gyeongjeon Jeolla
K321	Neunggok	능곡	陵谷	DMZ Train
K335 (terminus)	Munsan	문산	汶山
K336 (TBD)	Uncheon	운천	雲泉
K337 (TBD)	Imjingang	임진강	臨津江
K338 (TBD)	Dorasan	도라산	都羅山

See also

• Korail
• Gyeongui–Jungang Line
• Seoul Metropolitan Subway
• Pyongui Line
• Pyongbu Line
• Transportation in North Korea
• Transportation in South Korea

References

1. "Korea's Railway Network the Key to Imperial Japan's Control". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
2. "경영원칙 > 경영공시 > 영업현황 > 영업거리현황". Korail. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
3. "Trans-Korean Railway" (PDF). Korean Rail Technology (English). 9: 09–11. September 2007. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
4. Choe Sang-hun (2007-05-18). "North and South Send Trains Across the Korean Frontier". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
5. "Freight Rail Link Between Two Koreas Seems Imminent". Forbes. 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
6. "용산∼문산 복선전철". Korea Rail Network Authority. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
7. "South Korea's growing network". Railway Gazette International. 2008-09-08. Archived from the original on 2010-08-14. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
8. "[수도권II] 경의선 효창정거장 부지 220m 때문에" (in Korean). Chosun. August 25, 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
9. 폐철로 위에 핀 '녹색문화공원' (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
10. "Bullet trains coming to a town near you by 2020". JoongAng Daily. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
11. Lee, Kyung Chul (August 2007). "Launch of Korean High-Speed Railway and Efforts to Innovate Future Korean Railway" (PDF). Japan Railway & Transport Review (48): 30–35. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
12. "Booking". Korail. Retrieved 2010-10-18.

External links

Media related to Gyeongui Line at Wikimedia Commons