Native name 평남선(平南線) Line length 89.9 km (55.9 mi) Owner Korean State Railway No of tracks Single-track railway | Operator(s) Korean State Railway Number of tracks Single track No. of tracks Single-track railway Stations 17 | |
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Type Heavy rail, Regional rail
Passenger/Freight Opened Mainline: 16 October 1910
Onch'ŏn Branch: 8 July 1938 Terminis Nampo Station, Pyongyang Station Locale Pyongyang, South Pyongan, Nampo | ||
The P'yŏngnam Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the North Korean State Railway linking P'yŏngyang with the port city of Namp'o and the hot springs at P'yongnam Onch'on. The length of the line is 89.9 km. It also serves as a connection between the various trunk lines starting at P'yŏngyang that serve the north and east of the country with the lines in the southwestern part of North Korea by means of a connection to the Sŏhae Kammun Line. It also connects to the Ryonggang Line and the freight-only Taean Line.
Contents
- History
- Freight
- Passenger
- Route
- Mainline
- Potonggang Branch
- Pyngyanghwajn Branch
- Chamjilli Branch
- Posan Branch
- Onchn Branch
- Namdong Branch
- Tojiri Branch
- Nampohang Branch
- References
On 21 October 2014 a groundbreaking ceremony for the Sŭngri ("Victory") project to modernise the P'yŏngnam Line from Namp'o to P'yŏngyang and the P'yŏngdŏk Line from P'yŏngyang to Chedong was held. The project, supported by Russia, is intended to form the first stage of a larger-scale cooperation with the Russian Railways as part of a 20-year development project that would modernise around 3,500 km of the North Korean rail network, and would include the construction of a north-south freight bypass around P'yŏngyang. The overall project cost is estimated to be around US $25 billion, and it is expected that exports of coal, rare earth and non-ferrous metals from the DPRK to Russia will provide the funding for the project.
History
In September 1909 the Chosen Government Railway began construction of a rail line running between P'yŏngyang and Chinnamp'o (nowadays Namp'o), opening it for operations on 16 October 1910.
In the following years, a number of stations were opened along the line to expand the service: Kangsŏn Station on 1 July 1923; Kalch'ŏn station on 1 May 1924; Taesŏng station, 35.2 km (21.9 mi) from P'yŏngyang between Kangsŏ and Ryonggang, was opened on 1 November 1925 and subsequently closed; Choch'on station was opened on 11 February 1934, but a year later was dismantled and moved 1.2 km (0.75 mi) south, becoming today's Ch'ilgol Station; Taebo station, 13.3 km (8.3 mi) from P'yŏngyang Station between Choch'on and Taep'yŏng Stations in Man'gyŏngdae-guyŏk, P'yŏngyang, was opened on 10 January 1944 and subsequently closed; and Pot'onggang station on 21 March 1944.
On 8 July 1938, the Chosen P'yŏngan Railway (朝鮮平安鉄道, Chōsen Heian Tetsudō; 조선 평안 철도, Chosŏn P'yŏngan Ch'ŏldo) opened a private railway line from Chinnamp'o to P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn(34.7 km), running passenger trains to serve the hot springs there.
Both lines were nationalised by the Korean State Railway after the establishment of the DPRK. The line was heavily damaged during the Korean War, but was subsequently rebuilt and expanded, with the construction of Sinnamp'o Station to serve glass factories and shipbuilders located there. The Pot'onggang Branch was opened in 1961, when construction of the P'yŏngyang Thermal Power Plant began. The mainline between P'yŏngyang and Namp'o was electrified in December 1979.
After the completion of the West Sea Barrage in 1986, a new rail line, the Sŏhae Kammun Line was opened, running from Sillyŏngri on the Onch'ŏn branch of the P'yŏngnam Line to Ch'ŏlgwang on the Ŭllyul Line.
Freight
A wide array of industries along the mainline of the P'yŏngnam Line are all served by freight trains, and import-export traffic through Namp'o Port - North Korea's largest in terms of traffic - is also moved by rail along this line.
The Ch'ŏllima Steel Complex at Kangsŏn, the DPRK's largest steel mill, produces steel and other alloys; a good portion of this output is sent to industries elsewhere on the P'yŏngnam Line.
The April 13 Ironworks at Posan produces pig iron, all of which is shipped to the Ch'ŏllima Steel Complex, whilst using raw materials received from all over the western part of the country.
The Kŭmsŏng Tractor Factory at Kangsŏ produces tractors and other agricultural equipment for both domestic use and export, using structural steel supplied from the Sŏngjin Steel Works and the Ch'ŏllima Steel Complex and plate steel from the Hwanghae Iron & Steel Complex.
All freight heading to and from the Taean Machine Complex located in Taean on the adjoining Taean Line moves via the P'yŏngnam Line. Steel arrives there from the Kimchaek Iron & Steel Complex, the Hwanghae Iron & Steel Complex and the Ch'ŏllima Steel Complex, nonferrous metals from the Munp'yŏng Smelter, and imported materials and parts unloaded from ships at Namp'o Port.
The Namp'o Smelting Complex at Tojiri processes nonferrous metals, shipping gold, zinc, coarse and refined copper, copper wire and chemical fertilisers. It receives ore and concentrates from mines at Taedae-ri and Suan.
Namp'o Shipyard is located at Namp'o Port, building marine vessels of various sizes. Steel and other products are received by rail.
Other rail-served industries on the line include amongst others the Taedonggang Battery Factory and the P'yŏngyang Thermal Power Plant in Saemaŭl-dong, P'yŏngch'ŏn-guyŏk, adjacent to the P'yŏngyang marshalling yard, the Pot'onggang Organic Fertiliser Factory in Chŏngpy'ŏng-dong, P'yŏngch'ŏn-guyŏk, P'yŏngyang Wheat Flour Factory at Ch'ilgol in Samhŭng-dong, Man'gyŏngdae-guyŏk in P'yŏngyang; the Namp'o Kangsŏ Missile Factory at Chamjilli, which is partially above-ground and partially underground with a siding entering the underground complex; the Pyonghwa Motors factory and the Ch'ŏnji Lubricant Factory at Sinnamp'o as well as the Namp'o Glass Bottle Factory on the Namp'ohang Branch.
On the Onch'ŏn Branch, the bulk of outbound freight traffic is salt and agricultural products; inbound traffic consists primarily of coal, anthracite, fertiliser and goods for everyday use. There is also a significant amount of military traffic along this line, destined for the Onch'ŏn air base of the Korean People's Army Air Force just north of P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn.
Passenger
A number of long-distance and local passenger trains serve the P'yŏngnam Line.
Four passenger trains operate over the entirety of the mainline. These are semi-express trains 146-147/148-149 between Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn on the P'yŏngŭi Line and Namp'o via P'yŏngyang; regional trains 226-227/228-229 between Tŏkch'ŏn on the P'yŏngdŏk Line and P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn; regional trains 225/230 between Potonggang and P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn; and regional trains 240-241 between Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn on the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line and Namp'o via P'yŏngyang.
Other passenger trains on the line include local trains 361/362, operating between Namp'o and Ch'ŏlgwang, running from Namp'o to Sillyŏngri and continuing to Ch'ŏlgwang via the Sŏhaekammun Line, and local trains 733/734, operating between Kangsŏ and Mayŏng on the Ryonggang Line via Ryonggang.
Due to the poor state of the tracks, at present the travel time for trains between P'yŏngyang and Namp'o is around three hours.
Route
The mainline has a number of branchlines:
Mainline
A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified.
Pot'onggang Branch
This electrified freight-only branchline runs to the P'yŏngyang Marshalling Yard and P'yŏngch'ŏn station, serving a number of industrial customers.
P'yŏngyanghwajŏn Branch
This electrified freight-only branchline serves the P'yŏngyang Thermal Power Plant.
Chamjilli Branch
This non-electrified freight-only branchline serves several above-ground factories and the Namp'o Kangsŏ Missile Factory, which is an underground facility with a rail spur entering the underground complex.
Posan Branch
This electrified freight-only branchline serves the April 13 Ironworks at Posan.
Onch'ŏn Branch
This line is electrified only as far as Sinnamp'o, serving a primarily agricultural area. There are freight loading facilities at East Kwangryang, Rosang, Kwisŏng and P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn. In addition to local freight traffic - daily use commodities inbound and salt and agricultural products outbound, and passenger traffic to the hot springs at P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn, there is a significant amount of military traffic to the Onch'ŏn KPAF air base.
Namdong Branch
This formerly non-electrified line was closed after 1990. The tracks, as well as some of the bridges, have since been removed, and in places the right of way is in use as roadway.
Tojiri Branch
This non-electrified branch serves the Namp'o Smelting Complex.
Namp'ohang Branch
This line serves Namp'o Port.