![Gyeongju trains](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Gyeongju_trains.jpg)
The Donghae Nambu Line is a railway line connecting
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
to
Pohang
Pohang () is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two ...
in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. The line runs along South Korea's east coast. On December 30, 2016, it was merged into
Donghae Line
The Donghae Line is a railway line connecting Busanjin station to Yeongdeok in South Korea. The literal meaning of its name, the "East Sea Line," reflects its position along the nation's East coast. It merged with the Donghae Nambu Line on De ...
.
History
On October 31, 1918, an extension of the
Daegu Line
The Daegu Line is a railway line in South Korea. The line connects Gacheon station on the Gyeongbu Line in Daegu to Yeongcheon on the Jungang Line. The line is served by frequent passenger trains between Seoul (via the Gyeongbu Line), Do ...
reached
Pohang
Pohang () is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two ...
.
The section from
Gyeongju to Pohang would become the oldest part of the future Donghae Nambu Line. On October 25, 1921, a branch of the Daegu Line from
Gyeongju to
Ulsan (Taehwagang) was opened.
On December 16, 1935, Busan and Ulsan were linked up through the opening of the section Jwacheon–Ulsan. The new line and the two older sections built as part of the Daegu Line were combined into the new Donghae Nambu Line, with a length of from
Busanjin
Busanjin District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North K ...
to Pohang.
Upgrade
As of 2010, most of the line remains single-track and unelectrified.
The entire line is to be upgraded to an electrified-double-tracked railway.
Busan–Ulsan
Planning for the upgrading of the line started in 1990 already, with the primary aim to improve commuter traffic; construction started in June 2003.
The section gets a new 72.1 km long alignment
with several tunnels.
Korea Rail Network Authority
Korea National Railway is a railroad construction and management company in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing ...
,
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
, and
Ulsan
Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...
city government is undertaking the upgrade. As of 2010, construction progress reached 32% of the total budget of 2,268.9 billion won.
The completion of the upgrade is foreseen for 2015.
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. As part of the plan, the Busan–Ulsan section of the Donghae Nambu Line is to be further upgraded for 230 km/h.
Ulsan–Gyeongju–Pohang
The line is to be replaced by a completely new alignment that circumvents downtown Gyeongju and connects to the
Gyeongbu High Speed Railway
The Gyeongbu high-speed railway, also known as Gyeongbu HSR, is South Korea's first high-speed rail line from Seoul to Busan. KTX high-speed trains operate three sections of the line: on April 1, 2004, the first between a junction near Geumcheo ...
at
Singyeongju Station.
In 2003, a feasibility study was prepared for the section.
Detailed design was started, and in May 2007, the government expected to realise the project from 2008 to 2011 at the earliest. The project was finally approved by the government on April 23, 2009, and a ground-breaking ceremony was held.
The altogether 76.56 km line was slated to be opened in December 2014, with a total budget of 2,328.899 billion won.
In January 2010, the early completion of the Pohang branch was confirmed by the government.
Stations
Major stations and junctions along the line include (in order):
*
Busan station, terminus of the
Gyeongbu Line
The Gyeongbu Line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu ...
;
*
Busanjin station, also on the
Gyeongbu Line
The Gyeongbu Line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu ...
, just north of Busan Station;
*Beomil station, terminus of the
Gaya Line
The Gaya Line is a railway line of Korail in Busan Metropolitan City, South Korea, connecting Sasang on the Gyeongbu Line with Beom-il on the Donghae Line via Gaya, where the line also connects to the Bujeon Line.
History
The line was origi ...
;
*
Bujeon station, terminus of the
Bujeon Line
The Bujeon Line is a short railway line serving Busan, South Korea. The line connects Gaya on the Gaya Line
The Gaya Line is a railway line of Korail in Busan Metropolitan City, South Korea, connecting Sasang on the Gyeongbu Line with Beom ...
;
*
Dongnae station
*
Sinhaeundae station
Sinhaeundae station () is a railway station of the Donghae Line in Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan, the Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Kor ...
, a popular resort beach in eastern Busan;
*
Gijang station
*Namchang station, terminus of the Onsan Line;
*
Taehwagang station (formerly Ulsan), major industrial city and terminus of the Jangsaengpo and Ulsanhang Lines;
*
Gyeongju station, historic city and terminus of the
Jungang Line;
*Hyoja station, terminus of the Goedong Line; and
*
Pohang station, seaport and industrial city.
Services
The line sees passenger and freight traffic. As of October 2010, from
Bujeon station in Busan, cross-country
Mugunghwa-ho
The Mugunghwa-ho is a class of train operated by Korail, main railway operator of South Korea. Mugunghwa trains are Korail's slowest tier of trains stopping at a number of towns and villages, and operating over a number of lines that are not se ...
trains travel in around 1 hour 25 minutes to Ulsan and in around 2 hours 40 minutes to Pohang.
Via the
Gyeongbu
The name Gyeongbu refers to the Seoul-Busan corridor in South Korea. It is used as the name of the Gyeongbu railway line and Gyeongbu Expressway, both of which connect Seoul—the South Korean capital and largest city—to Busan—t ...
,
Daegu and
Jungang Lines, Pohang and Ulsan are connected to Seoul with both intercity
Saemaul-ho
The Saemaeul-ho, formerly known as the Saemaul-ho and Saemaul Express, is a class of train operated by Korail, the national railroad of South Korea, since February 8, 1969. Before the introduction of the KTX express trains, the Saemaeul-ho w ...
and cross-country
Mugunghwa-ho
The Mugunghwa-ho is a class of train operated by Korail, main railway operator of South Korea. Mugunghwa trains are Korail's slowest tier of trains stopping at a number of towns and villages, and operating over a number of lines that are not se ...
services. As of 2010, the shortest travel times from Seoul to Pohang are around 5 hours 15 minutes by direct Saemaul service and around 3 hours 40 minutes with transfer to KTX trains at
Dongdaegu
Dongdaegu Station, meaning "East Daegu Station", is a railway station in Daegu, South Korea. It is on the national high-speed KTX railway network, south of Seoul Station.
History
The station opened in 1962 and KTX trains on the Gyeongbu Li ...
.
After its upgrade is finished, the role of the line as a corridor for freight traffic will be enhanced.
Reuse abandoned old railroad of Donghae Nambu Line
![Haeundae Rail Tracks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Haeundae_Rail_Tracks.jpg)
This is an abandoned railroad. Between Ulsan and Busan Donghae Nambu Line a scrapped ship to utilize the space between East-Busan resort complex and that they would work together to Haeundae with connecting the invigoration of the local economy by creating a tourist resources. Haeundae Olympic Intersections created a green rail road that runs through Haeundae Station, the coastal spectacular Mi-po, Cheongsa-po, and Gudeok-po to provide pleasant and energetic spaces for tourists and local residents visiting Haeundae Beach.
Project
# Busan Green Rail Way Project 1 - Section is from Haeundae Olympic Junction to Busan Mechanical Technical High School. Period is from Sep 23. 2015 to Dec. 29. 2016. Budget of this step is 3.41 Billion KRW.
# Busan Green Rail Way Project 2 - Section is from Busan Mechanical Technical High School to East Busan Tourist District Entrance. Period is from Jun. 27. 2016 to Dec. 11. 2017. Budget of this step is 8.1 Billion KRW.
See also
*
Korail; South Korea's national railroad operator
*
Transportation in South Korea
Transportation in South Korea is provided by extensive networks of railways, highways, bus routes, ferry services and air routes that traverse the country. South Korea is the third country in the world to operate a maglev train, which is an autom ...
*
Donghae Line
The Donghae Line is a railway line connecting Busanjin station to Yeongdeok in South Korea. The literal meaning of its name, the "East Sea Line," reflects its position along the nation's East coast. It merged with the Donghae Nambu Line on De ...
References
{{Korail Lines
Korail lines
Railway lines in South Korea
Standard gauge railways in South Korea
Railway lines opened in 1918