Manpo Line

Manpo Line
Overview
Native name	만포선(滿浦線)
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail
Termini	Sunch'ŏn Manpo Ch'ŏngnyŏn
Stations	39
Operation
Opened	Stages between 1918 - 1939 1 Oct. 1939 connected with the Meiji Line
Owner	Korean State Railway
Operator(s)	Korean State Railway
Technical
Line length	299.9 km (186.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3000 V DC Catenary
Route map Legend P'yŏngra Line 0.0 Sunch'ŏn P'yŏngra Line 10.9 Chungp'yŏng ↑Sunch'ŏn/Kaech'ŏn↓ 17.7 Kagam 22.1 Ryongwol-li Taegak Taegak Branch 32.6 Ch'ŏndong Choyang Colliery Branch Kuŭp Kaech'ŏn Line Sŏkkan 38.9 Kaech'ŏn 22.1 Choyang 46.9 Wŏlli Pongch'ŏn Colliery Branch 49.9 Pongch'ŏn 2.0 Pongch'ŏn T'an'gwang 4.2 Chŏngjin Chŏngjin Branch 54.0 Chajak 58.3 Ramjŏn ↑Kaech'ŏn/Kujang↓ P'yŏngdŏk Line Ryong'am Branch 63.0 Kujang Ch'ŏngnyŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn P'alwŏn Line 7.4 Ryong'am 68.5 Ŏryong Ryongmun Branch 7.1 Ryongmun T'an'gwang 71.5 Sinhŭngdong ↑Kujang/Hyangsan↓ 81.1 Puksinhyŏn Unsan Line 90.1 Myohyangsan ↑Hyangsan/Hŭich'ŏn↓ 103.0 Pusŏng 109.8 Hŭich'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn Ch'ŏngha 122.9 Ch'osang ↑Hŭich'ŏn/Tongsin↓ 129.3 Tongsin ↑Tongsin/Songwŏn↓ 140.0 Kaegu Ch'ŏngnyŏn Ryŏnmok ↑Songwŏn/Chŏnch'ŏn↓ 156.6 Chinp'yŏng 167.3 Koin 174.2 Riman Changpyŏng 189.5 Unsong 195.1 Chŏnch'ŏn 203.1 Hwaam ↑Chŏnch'ŏn/Sŏnggan↓ 212.5 Ssangbangdong 217.4 Chungsŏnggan 221.5 Sŏnggan 230.5 Sinch'ŏng-ri Puji ↑Songgan/Kanggye↓ 243.9 Kongin Kanggye Line 250.6 Kanggye 260.9 Kokha 269.8 Ssangbu 276.9 Anch'an 286.0 Sijung 291.9 Kŏnha Pukpu Line 6.5 Unha 299.9 Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn Kuo Unha Branch ↑DPRK Yalu River ↓China 310.4 Ji'an Meiji Line

Manpo Line
Chosŏn'gŭl	만포선
Hancha	滿浦線
Revised Romanization	Manposeon
McCune–Reischauer	Manp'osŏn

The Manp'o Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the North Korean State Railway running from Sunch'ŏn on the P'yŏngra Line to Manp'o on the Pukpu Line.^[1] The line continues on from Manp'o to Ji'an, China.

History

The Kaech'ŏn–Ch'ŏndong section was originally a 762 mm narrow-gauge line operated by the Kaech'ŏn Light Railway. This section was bought by the Chosen Government Railway and was converted to standard gauge, the reconstruction being completed on 15 July 1933, whose length was changed to 6.3 km.^[2]

The CGR continued executing the plan of the construction of the main line and the line was extended between 1932 and 1939 as follows:

Date	Section	Length
1 November 1932	Sunch'ŏn–Ch'ŏndong	32.6 km
15 October 1933	Kaech'ŏn–Kujang	24.1 km
1 November 1934	Kujang–Hŭich'ŏn	46.8 km
1 October 1935	Hŭich'ŏn–Kaegu	30.2 km
1 December 1936	Kaegu–Chŏnch'ŏn (Hwaam)	63.1 km
1 December 1937	Chŏnch'ŏn (Hwaam)–Kanggye	47.5 km
1 February 1939	Kanggye–Manp'o	49.3 km

On 1 October 1939 the line was connected to the Meiji Line in Manchukuo, as the Ji'an Yalu River Border Railway Bridge was completely constructed.

In 1948, the electrification of the section from Kaegu to Koin was completed, but this was subsequently destroyed during the Korean War. The electrification of the entire line was finally completed in 1980.

Services

The following passenger trains are known to operate on this line and its branches:^[1]

• Express trains 15-16/17-18, operating between Haeju Ch'ŏngnyon and Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between Sunch'ŏn and Manp'o;
• Express trains 19/20, operating between P'yŏngyang and Hŭich'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between Sunch'ŏn and Hŭich'ŏn;
• Semi-express trains 124-125/126-127, operating between Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Ch'ongjin Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between Kaech'ŏn and Sunch'ŏn;
• Semi-express trains 134-135/136-137, operating between Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Hamhŭng, run on this line between Manp'o and Sunch'ŏn;
• Semi-express trains 138-139/140-141, operating between Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Changyŏn, run on this line between Manp'o and Kujang;
• Local trains 250/251, operating between Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Hŭich'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn, run on this line between Kaech'ŏn and Hŭich'ŏn.

An international passenger service from Manp'o to Ji'an exists in the form of a single passenger car attached to the daily cross-border freight train. This train is not open to use by foreigners other than ethnic Koreans from China.

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	Sunch'ŏn	순천	P'yŏngra Line
10.9	Chungp'yŏng	중평
17.7	Kag'am	각암
22.1	Ryongwŏl-li	룡원리
32.6	Ch'ŏndong	천동	Taegak Branch
38.9	Kaech'ŏn	개천	Kaech'ŏn Line, Choyang Colliery Branch
46.9	Wŏlli	원리
49.9	Pongch'ŏn	봉천	Pongch'ŏn Colliery Branch
54.0	Chajak	자작	Chŏngjin Branch
58.3	Ramjŏn	람전
63.0	Kujang Ch'ŏngnyŏn	구장청년	P'yŏngdŏk Line, Ch'ŏngnyŏn P'alwŏn Line, Ryong'am Branch
68.5	Ŏryong	어룡	Ryongmun Branch
71.5	Sinhŭngdong	신흥동
81.1	Puksinhyŏn	북신현	Unsan Line
90.1	Myohyangsan	묘향산	Branch to governmental station
103.0	Pusŏng	부성
109.8	Hŭich'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn	희천청년
114.7	Ch'ŏnha	천하
122.9	Ch'osang	초상
129.3	Tongsin	동신
140.0	Kaego Ch'ŏngnyŏn	개고청년
156.6	Chinp'yŏng	진평
167.3	Koin	고인
174.2	Riman	리만
189.5	Unsong	운송
195.1	Chŏnch'on	전천
203.1	Hwaam	화암
212.5	Ssangbangdong	쌍방동
217.4	Chungsŏnggan	중성간
221.5	Sŏnggan	성간
230.5	Sinch'ŏng-ri	신청리
243.9	Kongin	공인
250.6	Kanggye	강계	Kanggye Line
260.9	Kokha	곡하
269.8	Ssangbu	쌍부
276.9	Anch'an	안찬
286.0	Sijung	시중
291.9	Kŏnha	건하
299.9	Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn	만포청년	Pukpu Line, Unha Branch

Taegak Branch

Electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
	Ch'ŏndong	천동	Manp'o Line
	Taegak	대각

Choyang Colliery Branch

Electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
0.0	Kaech'ŏn	개천	Kaech'ŏn Line, Manp'o Line
	Kuŭp	구읍
	Sŏkkan	석간
22.1	Choyang T'an'gwang	조양탄광

Pongch'ŏn Colliery Branch

Not electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
0.0	Pongch'ŏn	봉천	Manp'o Line
2.0	Pongch'ŏn T'an'gwang	봉천탄광

Chŏngjin Branch

Electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
	Chajak	자작	Manp'o Line
4.2	Chŏngjin	정진

Ryong'am Branch

Electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
0.0	Kujang Ch'ŏngnyŏn	구장 청년	P'yŏngdŏk Line, Ch'ŏngnyŏn P'alwŏn Line, Manp'o Line
7.4	Ryong'am	용암

Ryongmun Branch

Electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
0.0	Ŏryong	어룡	Manp'o Line
7.1	Ryongmun T'an'gwang (Coal Mine)	룡문탄광

Unha Branch

Electrified.

Distance	Station Name (Transcribed)	Station Name (Chosŏn'gŭl)	Connections
0.0	Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn	만포청년	Pukpu Line, Manp'o Line
	Kuo	구오
6.5	Unha	운하

References

1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
2. 朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 1947, 7 July 1933 (in Japanese)

• 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, p 497