The Chosen Pyeongan Railway ( Japanese: 朝鮮平安鉄道株式會社, ''Chōsen Heian Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha''; Korean: 조선평안철도주식회사, ''Joseon Pyeongan Cheoldo Jusikhoesa''), was a privately owned

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

company in Japanese-occupied

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 86

History

On 8 July 1938, the Chosen Pyeongan Railway opened the Oncheon Line from Jinnampo, terminus of the Chosen Government Railway's Pyeongnam Line, to Yonggang Oncheon, running passenger trains to serve the hot springs there.朝鮮總督府官報 (The Gazette of the Governor-General of Korea), Showa No. 3447, 14 July 1938 After the

partition of Korea The division of Korea began with the defeat of Japan in World War II. During the war, the Allied leaders considered the question of Korea's future after Japan's surrender in the war. The leaders reached an understanding that Korea would be li ...

the line was within the territory of the DPRK, and was nationalised by the

Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea The People's Committee of North Korea (Chosŏn'gŭl: 북조선인민위원회) was a provisional government governing the Northern portion of the Korean Peninsula from 1947 until 1948. Established on 21 February 1947 as the successor of the ...

along with all other railways in the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

zone of occupation on 10 August 1946,Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. xiv, to be operated by the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun Song. History 1945–195 ...

, which merged the Oncheon Line into the Pyeongnam Line.

Services

Two trains stopping at every station were listed in the 1945 timetable, one from Botonggang Station in suburban

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

, and the other from Deokcheon on the

West Chosen Central Railway The West Chōsen Central Railway (Japanese: 西鮮中央鉄道, ''Sōsen Chūō Tetsudō''; Korean: 서선중앙철도, ''Seoseon Jung'ang Cheoldo''), was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea. History The West Chōsen Ce ...

's Seoseon Line. The reason for needing a train connecting these two cities is unclear. However, the train left Deokcheon at 3:12 PM, arriving at Oncheon at 2:45 AM the next morning; then, it departed Oncheon at 4:05 AM, arriving at Botonggang at 8:55 AM before returning to Oncheon and thence to Deokcheon.

Route

References

{{reflist Rail transport in North Korea Rail transport in Korea Defunct railway companies of Korea Korea under Japanese rule Defunct companies of Japan