The Changyŏn Line is a non-electrified standard-gauge secondary 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 ...

running from Sugyo on the Ŭnnyul Line to Changyŏn,

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 ...

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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

.Kokubu, Hayato (2007), , Shinchosha, Tokyo,

History

This line was originally opened on 21 January 1937 as part of the

Chosen Railway The Chosen Railway Company (Japanese: 朝鮮鉄道株式会社, ''Chōsen Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha''; Korean: 조선철도주식회사, ''Joseon Cheoldo Jusikhoesa''), was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea. History The ...

's narrow gauge Hwanghae Line network, as an extension to 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): Healthcar ...

—Sanghae (renamed Samgang after nationalisation)— Sugyo line. The entirety of the Hwanghae Line network was nationalised on 1 April 1944 and absorbed by the Chosen Government Railway, which then split the Hwanghae Line network into separate lines, with the Sariwon—Sugyo—Changyŏn line becoming the Changyŏn Line. (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Showa Nr. 5143, 29 March 1944 After the end of the Pacific War, the Changyŏn Line ended up in North Korea as a result of the subsequent

partition of Korea The division of Korea began with the defeat of Japan in World War II. During the war, the Allied leaders considered the question of Korea's future after Japan's surrender in the war. The leaders reached an understanding that Korea would be l ...

. After the end of the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

the Railway Ministry of the DPRK began to expand and improve its network, including in South Hwanghae, leading to the opening of a line from Sugyo to Ch'ŏlgwang in 1961.North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - Unnyul Line (in Korean)
/ref> With the opening of the new line, the Sariwŏn—Sugyo—Ch'ŏlgwang line was named Ŭnnyul Line, leaving the Changyŏn Line as just the short branch from Sugyo to Changyŏn. This line was converted to standard gauge in 1971.

Services

Semi-express passenger trains 138-139/140-141 operating between Manp'o and Changyŏn serve the entirety of this line from Sugyo to Changyŏn.

Route

A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Changyon Line Railway lines in North Korea Standard gauge railways in North Korea