Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 4 (dubbed ''The Blue Line'') of the

Seoul Metropolitan Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. The system serves most of the Seoul Metropolitan Area including ...

is a long line crossing from the southwest to the northeast across the

Seoul National Capital Area The Seoul Capital Area (SCA), Sudogwon (, ) or Gyeonggi region (), is the metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, located in north-west South Korea. Its population of 26 million (as of 2020) is ranked as the fifth largest met ...

. The central section in

Seoul City Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

is operated by

Seoul Metro Seoul Transportation Corporation, branded as Seoul Metro (Hangul: ), is a municipal-owned corporation owned by Seoul Metropolitan Government, and one of the two major operators of Seoul Metropolitan Subway with Korail. History * May 31, 2017 ...

with some trains offering

through service A through service is a concept of passenger transport that involves a vehicle travelling between lines, networks or operators on a regularly specified schedule, on which the passenger can remain on board without alighting. It may be in form of eithe ...

to Korail's

Ansan Ansan (Hangeul: , ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul National Capital Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and so ...

and

Gwacheon Gwacheon () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 passes through the city. Various attractions usually associate ...

Lines. The southern terminus (

Oido Oido () is an island on the West Coast region of South Korea's Gyeonggi Province (also known as Gyeonggi-do). It is an area of Siheung stretching from north to south with low hills under . Oido has shell mounds throughout the whole area, with ...

) is in Jeongwang 4-dong,

Siheung Siheung ( ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The city has a population of 511,807 people, where 508,646 are residents out of 218,846 households as of August 2021. Siheung acquired its curren ...

City, and the northern terminus ( Jinjeop) is in Jinjeop-eup,

Namyangju-si Namyangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City. Namyangju-si was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun ...

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

. In 2019, the Seoul Metro operated section had an annual ridership of 327 million or about 895,000 passengers per day. Northbound trains that run on the Ansan and Gwacheon Lines terminate at Danggogae, except during night time where they short-turn at various stations. Southbound trains that run on the Ansan and Gwacheon Lines terminate at Oido or

. All trains from Jinjeop short-turn at Sadang, though some short-turn trains to Sadang start at Danggogae or terminate one station south at Namtaeryeong. Express train service stops at all stations between Danggogae and Sanbon, then at Sangnoksu, Jungang, Choji, Ansan, Jeongwang, and Oido. The express service only operates during rush hours on weekdays.

History

1985: :20 April: Line 4 is officially opened from Sanggye to Samseon-gyo. 1993: :21 April: The line is extended northward from Sanggye to Danggogae. 1994: :1 April: The line is extended southward from Sadang to Ansan when a section of the Gwacheon Line (from Seonbawi to Indeogwon) and Namtaeryeong Station open. 2000: :28 July: The line is extended westward from Ansan to Oido. 2003 :18 July: Surisan Station opens as an in-fill station on the Ansan Line section. 2010 : Ansan Line AM express service is launched in the northbound direction only (starting from Ansan). Trains stopped at Jungang, Sangnoksu, and Sanbon, before continuing local up to Danggogae. 2014 : 1 September: Southbound PM express service is launched (terminating at Ansan). Trains make the same stops as their AM express service counterparts. 2017 : 7 July: Express service is extended to Oido. In addition to the stops they made before, trains make all stops between Ansan and Oido. 2020 : 12 September: Express service is modified, with trains now stopping at Choji but skipping Singiloncheon. 2022: :19 March: The line is extended northward from Danggogae to Jinjeop.

Future

Express services are planned to start skipping various stations north of Sanbon station by 2023 to cut travel times.

Stations

Depots, junctions, and points of interest

''(from Danggogae to Oido)'' *

Turnback siding A pocket track, tail track, or reversing siding (UK: centre siding , turnback siding) is a rail track layout which allows trains to park off the main line. This type of track layout differs from a passing loop in that the pocket track is usuall ...

(underground) after Danggogae Station * Changdong Depot (used for Seoul Metro class 4000) * Connecting track to Line 3 before Chungmuro Station * Dongjak Bridge * Chongshin Univ. – Sadang

scissors crossover A railroad switch (), turnout, or ''set ofpoints () is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off. The most common typ ...

* Hanyang University, ERICA Campus * Turnback siding (underground) after Sadang Station * Namtaeryong–Seonbawi track crossing point (flying crossover, switch from right to left-hand traffic, or vice versa) ** The voltage/current switches between DC 1,500 V ↔ AC 25,000 V * Ansan Depot (used for simple maintenance of Korail Class 341000 train) * Siheung Depot (used for Korail Class 341000 maintenance and also for heavy maintenance of Korail Class 311000 trains operated on Line 1) * The largest scale of shell mounds in the South Korean west coast in Oido

Rolling stock

Current

Seoul Metro

Seoul Metro 4000 series 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 ...

** 1st generation, DC only: 4-01~4-26 (only allowed between Jinjeop & Sadang) ** 1st generation, DC & AC: 4-51~4-71 ** 2nd generation: 4-81~4-85

Korail

Korail Class 341000 The Korail Class 341000 trains, formerly identified as Korail Class 2000 trains, are commuter electric multiple units in South Korea used on Seoul Subway Line 4. Class 341000 trains were manufactured and delivered between 1993 and 1999 to expand ...

(ex-Korail Class 2030) ** 1st generation: 341-01~341-25 ** 2nd generation: 341-26~341-30 ** 3rd generation: 341-31~341-37 ** 4th generation: 341-38~341-55 *** Trains 341-31~341-32 are temporary running on Line 1. *** Trains 341-38~341-55 are trail running or being manufactured in factories File:SeoulMetro4965.jpg, Seoul Metro 4000 series EMU (1st generation) File:Korail_Line_4_train_at_Geumjeong.JPG, Korail Class 341000 (1st generation) File:Korail Class 341000 (2nd generation).jpg, Korail Class 341000 (2nd generation) File:Korail341936.jpg, Korail Class 341000 (3rd generation)

Former

Seoul Metro

* Seoul Metro wide-width GEC chopper resistor controlled electric car (1985–1993; transferred to

Seoul Subway Line 3 Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 3 (dubbed ''The Orange Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit service that connects Eunpyeong District to Gangnam and southeastern Seoul. Most trains head further northwest to serve Goyang via ...

)

Korail

* Korail Class 1000 (Ansan Line only, transferred to

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.) ...

) File:Seoul_Metro_Line_3_train_(GEC)_arriving_at_Oksu.jpg, Seoul Metro 3000 series GEC (Former 4000 series GEC), June 2013 File:KORAIL EMU1000 2nd-First.jpg, Korail Class 1000 (2nd batch)

References

{{South Korea rapid transit Seoul Metropolitan Subway lines Railway lines opened in 1985

History

Future

Stations

Depots, junctions, and points of interest

Rolling stock

Current

Seoul Metro

Korail

Former

Seoul Metro

Korail

See also

References