The Janghang Line is a railway line serving

South Chungcheong South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located i ...

Province 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 connects Cheonan (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 ...

) to the railway junction city of

Iksan Iksan ( ko, 익산; ) is a city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, (commonly transliterated as Jeollabuk-do or Chollabuk-do) South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan ...

. The Janghang Line is served by frequent

Saemaeul-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 was ...

and

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 ...

passenger train services between

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 of ...

and Iksan. There is also a link from Asan station to the KTX network at Cheonan-Asan station.

History

The original Janghang Line was opened along its full length between Cheonan and Janghang by the Chosen Gyeongnam Railway on June 1, 1922.

Upgrade

The entire Janghang Line is being electrified and double-tracked and upgraded for higher speeds with a straighter alignment. Work started in 1997 from Cheonan. By the end of 2008, the new alignment was in service from Cheonan via Asan and Hongseong to Sinseong, from Jupo to Nampo, and from Ganchi to Janghang, and electrification was put in service on the first 19.4 km between Cheonan and Sinchang, after Asan, on December 15, 2008. The 17.1 km section near Janghang, opened in December 2007, also linked up the Janghang Line with the previously isolated Iksan-Gunsan line via a new bridge over the

Geum River The Geumgang River is located in South Korea. It is a major river that originates in Jangsu-eup, North Jeolla Province. It flows northward through North Jeolla and North Chungcheong Provinces and then changes direction in the vicinity of Greater ...

, with alignment built for two tracks but initially a single track laid. Currently the Sinseong-Jupo, Nampo-Ganchi and Janghang-Gunsan sections are in construction. The entire line is slated to be finished in 2018. The Janghang Line will link up with Seohae Line at Hongseong station. It will connect Hongseong to Hwaseong in Gyeonggi-do. It will be connected to southern extension of the Sosa–Wonsi Line and Sinansan Line. Seohae Line will serve 250 km/h speed, which will dramatically reduce travel time between Seoul and Hongseong.

Services

Seoul Metropolitan Subway

Seoul 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 includin ...

's Line 1 services run on the line between Cheonan–Sinchang stations.

stations

References