The Sŏhaeri Line or Ryongjŏng Line is a closed non-electrified narrow-gauge
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 ...
line of 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 ...
in
South Hwanghae Province
South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital i ...
,
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
, running from
Ch'ŏlgwang at the junction of the
Ŭnnyul and
Sŏhae Kammun lines to
Ryongjŏng.
[Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p 85 ]
History
After the end of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
the Railway Ministry of the DPRK began to expand and improve its network, including in South Hwanghae, leading to the opening of a new narrow-gauge line from
Sugyo to
Ch'ŏlgwang in 1963.
[North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - Ŭnnyul Line (in Korean)](_blank)
/ref> With the opening of the new line, the Sariwŏn
Sariwŏn () is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea.
Population
The city's population as of 2008 is 307,764.
Administrative divisions
Sariwŏn is divided into 31 ''tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 9 '' ri'' (villages):
Healthcare ...
—Sugyo—Ch'ŏlgwang line was named Ŭnnyul Line, leaving the Changyŏn Line
The Changyŏn Line is a non-electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway running from Sugyo on the Ŭnnyul Line to Changyŏn, South Hwanghae Province, North Korea.Kokubu, Hayato (2007), , Shinchosha, Tokyo,
History ...
as just the short branch from Sugyo to Changyŏn.
In 1964, another new narrow-gauge line was opened from Ch'ŏlgwang, to serve the iron ore mines around Sŏhaeri and the port at Ryongjŏng. This line was the Sŏhaeri Line.[http://www.farrail.net/pages/trip-reports-engl/report_nk-oct-2004.html]
In 1971, a new standard gauge line was opened from Ŭnp'a on the former Sahae Line to Chaeryŏng
Chaeryŏng County is a county in South Hwanghae province, North Korea.
Geography
Located on the Chaeryŏng River, the county is bordered to the west by Anak and Sinch'ŏn, to the south by Sinwŏn, and to the east by Ŭnp'a, Pongsan and Sariwŏn i ...
, and at the same time, the Chaeryŏng—Sinch'ŏn
Sinch'ŏn County is a county in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea.
Geography
Sinch'ŏn is bordered to the north by Anak, to the west by Samch'ŏn and T'aet'an, to the south by Pyŏksŏng and Sinwŏn, and to the east by Chaeryŏng. Most of t ...
—Sugyo section was converted to standard gauge.[100 Years of Rail Travel - Sariwŏn](_blank)
/ref> The regauging of the rest of the line from Sugyo to Ch'ŏlgwang was completed in 1973,
Services
At its peak the line carried 6,000 tonnes of ore daily. Besides the frequent trains to stations, there were 12 daily round trips to the port, each train consisting of 21 self-unloading hoppers. The line has been out of use since 2002.
Route
The orange background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified narrow-gauge.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohaeri Line
Railway lines in North Korea
2 ft 6 in gauge railways in North Korea