P'yŏngwŏn Line

The Pyongwon Line was a railway line in Korea, opened in 1941 during the period of Japanese rule. The line connected Pyongyang to Kowon. It exists now North Korea and forms part of the following present day lines:

• Seopo to Tongbuk-ri, Ryongsong Line
• Tongbuk-ri to Kowon, Pyongna Line

History

The railway line was constructed by the Government Railway of Chosun. The first interval between Sopo and Sainjang (Pyongsong Station) was opened on 1 November 1927 and the construction was completed on 1 April 1941.^[1] Since the first opening the western section of the railway had been called as 'West Pyongwon Line'^[2] and was extended as follows:

Date	Route	Length
1 November 1927	Sŏpo—Sainjang	25.0 km
15 October 1928	Sainjang—Sunchŏn	22.3 km
1 October 1929	Sunchŏn—Sinch'ang	19.7 km
1 October 1931	Sinch'ang—Changrim	29.5 km
1 November 1936	Changrim—Yangdŏk	27.4 km

Since 1937 the eastern section had been called as 'East Pyongwon Line'^[3] and was extended as follows:

Date	Route	Length
16 December 1937	Kowon—Sŏngnae	30.0 km
1 April 1941	Sŏngnae—Yangdŏk	58.7 km

At the same time of the end of construction, the railway's name was returned to the 'Pyongwon Line' and the total length was 212.6 km. After the establishment of the Government of North Korea, the most section was integrated into the Pyongna Line.

References

1. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 4236, 8 March 1941
2. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 243, 20 October 1927
3. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 3261, 27 November 1937

• Kokubu, Hayato (2007). 将軍様の鉄道 [The railway of the general] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha, ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6.
• Japanese Government Railways (1937). 鉄道停車場一覧. 昭和12年10月1日現在 [The List of the Stations as of 1 October 1937] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Kawaguchi Printing Company. p496