The Gyeongin Line (Gyeonginseon) is a railway mainline in South Korea, currently connecting
Guro station in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
and
Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
. Commuter services along the line
through operates into
Seoul Subway Line 1
Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Soyosan Station in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, and Sinchang (Soonchunhyang Univ.) ...
.
History
The Gyeongin Line was the first railway line built on the
Korean peninsula
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 ...
. It was opened by the
Keijin Railway Company between
Noryangjin, on the shore of the
Han River across from Seoul,
Geumchon, in
Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
, on September 18, 1899.
Soon after, the line was extended across the Han River into
Seoul Station
Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.
Services
KTX
Seoul Station is the terminus of most ...
, and beyond Geumchon to the port of Incheon. When the construction 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. ...
was completed from
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, w ...
to Guro on January 1, 1905, the Seoul-Guro section of the Gyeongin Line became part of the Gyeongbu Line.
The remaining Gyeongin Line from Guro to Incheon is long.
Following the 1961 coup, the
Supreme Council for National Reconstruction started South Korea's
first five-year plan
The first five-year plan (russian: I пятилетний план, ) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a list of economic goals, created by Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, based on his policy of socialism in ...
, which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth.
As part of the program, from November 1963, two additional tracks were laid to the north of the existing tracks from
Yeongdeungpo station
Yeongdeungpo station (Station 139) is a ground-level railway station in Seoul, South Korea. The station is located in Yeongdeungpo Dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and is a stop on the Gyeongbu Line, Honam Line and Seoul Subway Line 1. The station is inte ...
on the Gyeongbu Line to
Dongincheon station.
The of new tracks, also called Gyeonginbuk Line, entered service on September 18, 1965.
The line was among the first in South Korea to be electrified with the 25 kV/60 Hz
AC catenary
In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field.
The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superfici ...
system, when two tracks over the between Seoul and Incheon entered service on August 15, 1974, for the Seoul Subway Line 1.
Electrification of the second two tracks started with the from Guro to
Bupyeong, which went into service on January 29, 1999.
The until
Juan
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...
followed on March 15, 2002, and the final on December 21, 2005.
Operation
Korail operated regular passenger service along the Gyeongin Line until the electrification of the line in the early 1970s, when passenger service was integrated into Seoul Subway Line 1. Line 1 trains using the Gyeongin Line provide up to ten trains an hour per direction, with services towards Guro,
Cheongnyangni,
Dongmyo
Dongmyo (which literally means "Eastern Shrine") is a shrine in metropolitan Seoul built in honour of the 3rd century Chinese military commander, Guan Yu.
The Joseon government embarked on construction in 1599 and completed the work in 1601. The ...
,
Seongbuk,
Chang-dong
Chang-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Dobong-gu in Seoul, South Korea
Notable people
* Son Hyun-woo (Hangul: 손현우, born 1992), singer, dancer, actor, and member of Monsta X
See also
*Administrative divisions of South Korea
So ...
,
Uijeongbu
Uijeongbu () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Overview
Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a defile, with mountains on two sides, and commands a natural choke point across the main traditional in ...
,
Yangju
Yangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yangju is located south of Dongducheon and north of Uijeongbu, not far from Seoul.
History
* 1395 - Renamed to Yangju.
* January 1, 1963 - Uijeongbu is separated and becomes a city.
* Apr ...
,
Dongducheon
Dongducheon () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
The city, to the north of Seoul, is strategically important for the defense of the Korean capital. The main camps of the United States Second Infantry Division are in the city, and the d ...
and
Soyosan
Soyosan is a mountain in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Its area extends across the cities of Pocheon and Dongducheon. It has an elevation of .An 2004, p.328. The mountain is home to two Buddhist shrines commemorating Silla priests Wonhyo and Uisan ...
.
See also
*
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 automa ...
References
{{Gyeongin Line
1899 establishments in Korea
rail transport in Gyeonggi Province
rail transport in Incheon
rail transport in Seoul
railway lines in South Korea
railway lines opened in 1899
Seoul Metropolitan Subway lines