Yeongdong Line
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Yeongdong Line | |
Hangul | |
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Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Yeongdongseon |
McCune–Reischauer | Yŏngdongsŏn |
The Yeongdong Line is a line of
At Yeongju, the line connects with the
History
Construction
The first 41.4 km (25.7 mi) section of the line (Mukho Port–Dogye) was opened by the privately owned Samcheok Railway on 31 July 1940.[2] The line was named Cheoram Line, which ran from Mukho, a port on Korea's east coast that became part of Donghae in 1980, to Cheoram in the Taebaek Mountains, to develop three coal fields.[3] Between Simpo-ri and Tong-ri stations, the great height difference was scaled by a steep double-track railway.[4] Freight railcars going up and down were connected to the same cable, passengers had to walk up the mountain.[4] A 12.9 km (8.0 mi) branch from Bukpyeong station (today Donghae station) to Samcheok, the Samcheok Line, was opened on 11 February 11.[5]
Another section of the future Yeongdong Line was first projected as a
Date | Section | Length |
---|---|---|
1 February 1950 | Yeongju – Naeseong (Bonghwa) | 14.1 km |
1 February 1955 | Naeseong – Bongseong | 12.0 km |
1 July 1955 | Bongseong – Chunyang | 12.2 km |
31 December 1955 | Chunyang – Cheoram | 49.2 km |
Following the 1961 coup, the
Date | Section | Length |
---|---|---|
5 May 1961 | Bukpyeong (Donghae) – Okkye | 18.2 km |
6 November 1962 | Okkye – Gyeongpodae | 33.1 km |
This line was also called the Donghae Bukbu Line[3] with view to a planned connection with the existing line by the same name further north. On May 17, 1963, the Yeongam, Cheoram and Gangwon Bukbu Lines were integrated into a single line from Yeongju to Gangneung under the present name as the Yeongdong Line.[3] Meanwhile, from August 1961, the 8.5 km (5.3 mi) Hwangji switchback section was built to bypass the cable-hauled section between Simpo-ri and Tong-ri stations, which opened on May 30, 1963.[4]
A number of branches were built from the line, among them the 9.0 km (5.6 mi) long Hwangji Branchline from Baeksan to Hwangji (today Taebaek), which opened on December 20, 1962,[4] and was integrated into the Taebaek Line in 1973.
After the closure of the Gangneung–Gyeongpo-dong section on March 1, 1979, the total length of the line reduced from 200 km (124.3 mi) to 193.6 km (120.3 mi).[3]
Upgrade
Electrification reached the line from the
The steep descent from Dongbaeksan to Dogye contains switchbacks, which hinder smooth traffic. In addition, a 1996 investigation found that the section is endangered by soil subsistence and the ageing of tunnels.[10] To solve these problems, Korail built a 19.6 km (12.2 mi) new alignment between the two stations with a budget of 510.322 billion won.[11] The main part of the section is the 16,240 m (53,281 ft) Solan Tunnel, which includes a spiral.[12][13] The tunnel was opened on 27 June 2012.[14]
At the time of thawing relations between South and North Korea, when the cross-border section of the Donghae Bukbu Line was reopened in 2007, the South Korean government considered the construction of a railway for freight traffic all along the east coast to the North Korean border.[15] This line would incorporate the Donghae–Gangneung section of the Yeongdong Line and the Samcheok branch, and connect to newly built lines at Samcheok and Gangneung.[16] Three years later, the project re-surfaced as a domestic project. On September 1, 2010, the South Korean government announced a strategic plan to reduce travel times from Seoul to 95% of the country to under 2 hours by 2020. Under the plan, the east coast line, including the section of the Yeongdong Line from Donghae to Gangneung and the Samcheok Line, would be upgraded for 230 km/h (143 mph), and may see KTX service.[17]
Operation
In passenger traffic, the Yeongdong Line is served by
The Dongbaeksan–Gangneung section of the Yeongdong Line sees more frequent passenger traffic, with Mugunghwa trains from the capital Seoul reaching the line via the connecting Taebaek Line. In the timetable valid from December 15, 2010, six pairs of daily trains run between Cheongnyangni station in Seoul and Gangneung, reinforced by a seventh pair on Fridays to Sundays, with Cheongnyangni–Gangneung travel times between 5 hours 47 minutes and 6 hours 25 minutes, depending on the number of stops.[18]
In 1998, Korean National Railroad (today Korail) introduced special tourist trains operating in the winter months, identified by a snowflake decoration, which enjoyed great popularity.[19] Most of these trains also traverse parts of the Yeongdong Line. By the 2009/2010 season, the offer expanded to a dozen different tour packages, including trips to single destinations combined with local excursions, as well as round trips in the Taebaek Mountains along the Jungang, Taebaek and Yeongdong Lines.[20]
According to Korail's plans in 2009, travel times on the Yeongdong Line are to be reduced after 2013 with the future series version of the Tilting Train Express.[21]
Major stations
- Jungang Line and the terminus of the Gyeongbuk Line
- Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Chunyang station, Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Seokpo station, Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Cheoram station, Gangwon-do
- Dongbaeksan station, Taebaek, Gangwon-do, the terminus of the Taebaek Line
- Tong-ri station, Taebaek, Gangwon-do
- Dogye station, Samcheok, Gangwon-do
- Singi station, Samcheok, Gangwon-do
- Donghae station, Donghae, Gangwon-do, terminus a branch to Samcheok
- Mukho station, Donghae, Gangwon-do
- Jeongdongjin station, Gangneung, Gangwon-do
- Gangneung station, Gangneung, Gangwon-do, the planned terminus of the rebuilt Donghae Bukbu Line
Famous stations
- Sandglass (drama) was shot at Jeongdongjin station.
- I Really Really Like You! (drama) was shot at Gosa-ri station.
- Yoon Eun Hye was shot at Simcheon station.
See also
- Transportation in South Korea
References
- ^ cheonglyang-Gangneung is the section of Gyeonggang Line
- ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 4066, 9 August 1940
- ^ a b c d e f 영동선 (in Korean). EnCyber. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ a b c d e "철마 110년, 영고의 자취 [12] 경제개발과 철도" (in Korean). Silvernet News. 2010-03-20. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 5103, 9 February 1944
- ^ a b c d e f g "철마 110년, 영고의 자취 [11] 3대 산업선" (in Korean). Silvernet News. 2010-03-14. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 5324, 1 November 1944
- ^ a b 산과 산사이 빼꼼히 열린 세평하늘 아래 하얀 추억 '수북수북' (in Korean). Hankook Ilbo. 2008-02-01. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ^ "Electricity Almanac 2009" (PDF). Korea Electric Association. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Design/Construction Package Yeongdong Line Relocation (Dongbaeksan - Dogye)". Sambo Engineering. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ "영동선 철도이설 (노반,궤도 턴키공사)". Korea Rail Network Authority. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ "Detailed design of Yeongdong Line for railway moving establishment construction work between Dongbaeksan and Dogye". Chunsuk Engineering. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ 대우건설 솔안터널 관통식 (in Korean). Asia Economy. 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ "국내 최장 나선형 철도터널 '솔안터널' 개통". sbscnbc.sbs.co.kr.
- ^ "South Korea's growing network". Railway Gazette International. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ "Korea's railways face a bright future". International Railway Journal. 2008-07-01. Archived from the original on 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- JoongAng Daily. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ a b c d e f "Korail Total Time Table 2010.12.15" (in Korean). Korail. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- JoongAng Daily. 2002-01-06. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- JoongAng Daily. 2010-01-28. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ "Korean Advanced Tilting Train Completes 200km/h Maximum Speed Test Run". KRRI. 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2011-01-05.