Munchonhang Line

Last updated
Munch'ŏn Port Line
Overview
Other name(s)Koam Line 고암선 (庫岩線)
Native name문천항선 (文川港線)
Type Heavy rail, Freight rail
Regional rail
StatusOperational
Locale Kangwŏn
Termini Ongpy'ŏng
Tapch'on
Stations3
Operation
Opened17 December 1943 (Ongp'yŏng–Koam)
? (Koam–Sinhŭngri)
25 May 2018 (Sinhŭngri–Tapch'ŏn)
Owner Chosen Anthracite Co. Railway (1943–1945)
Korean State Railway (since 1945)
Technical
Line length14.8 km (9.2 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Route map

Contents

BSicon RP1.svgBSicon ENDEa.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svg
BSicon BUILDING.svg
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BSicon HST.svgBSicon WDOCKSe-R.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svg
14.8
T'apchon
BSicon RP1+l.svgBSicon RP1q.svgBSicon RP1q.svgBSicon RP1q.svgBSicon RP1rf.svgBSicon TUNNEL1.svg
BSicon WDOCKSc1.svg
BSicon WDOCKSc2.svg
BSicon WDOCKSm.svg
(tunnel appx 245 m (804 ft))
BSicon RP1.svgBSicon WDOCKSa-R.svgBSicon WDOCKSa-L.svgBSicon WDOCKSc3.svgBSicon WDOCKSc2.svg
BSicon DSTRa@g.svg
BSicon WDOCKSa-R.svg
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(causeway appx 400 m (1,300 ft))
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BSicon hKRZW.svg
BSicon WDOCKSm.svg
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BSicon RP1.svgBSicon WDOCKSe-R.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svg
BSicon DSTRe@f.svg
BSicon WDOCKSm.svg
BSicon WDOCKSm.svgBSicon WDOCKSm.svg
(bridge appx 600 m (2,000 ft))
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BSicon WDOCKSc1.svg
BSicon BST.svg
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11.3
October 3 Factory
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10.3
Sinhŭngri
Closed
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BSicon WDOCKSc1.svg
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Sinhŭng-ri
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BSicon RP1.svgBSicon STRl.svg
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BSicon RP1q.svg
BSicon RP1l.svgBSicon RP1+r.svgBSicon TUNNEL1.svg
(tunnel appx 120 m (390 ft))
BSicon WASSERq.svgBSicon WASSERq.svgBSicon WASSERq.svgBSicon WASSER+r.svg
BSicon BUILDING.svg
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Kosŏng-ri
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Kangwŏn Line towards Kowŏn
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7.4
Koam
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0.0
Ongp'yŏng
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(bridge appx 65 m (213 ft))
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Kangwŏn Line towards Wŏnsan
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Munchonhang Line
Chosŏn'gŭl
문천항선
Hancha
Revised Romanization Muncheonhang-seon
McCune–Reischauer Munch'ŏnhang-sŏn

The Munch'ŏnhang Line, or Munch'ŏn Port Line, also known as the Koam Line, is a non-electrified railway line of the Korean State Railway in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, connecting Ongp'yŏng on the Kangwŏn Line with Tapchon. [1]

Korean State Railway

The Korean State Railway is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Jang Hyuk, who has held the position since 2015.

Kangwon Province (North Korea) Province in North Korea

Kangwon Province is a province of North Korea, with its capital at Wŏnsan. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Kangwŏn Province and its South Korean neighbour Gangwon Province formed a single province that excluded Wŏnsan.

North Korea Sovereign state in East Asia

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, with Pyongyang the capital and the largest city in the country. The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time, ruling most of the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia, under Gwanggaeto the Great. To the north and northwest, the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok and Tumen rivers; it is bordered to the south by South Korea, with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two. Nevertheless, North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands.

History

The line was originally opened by the Chosen Anthracite Company (Japanese: 朝鮮無煙炭株式会社, Chōsen Muentan Kabushiki Kaisha, Korean: 조선 무연탄 주식회사, Chosŏn Muyŏnt'an Chusikhoesa) on 17 December 1943 as a privately owned railway from Munch'ŏn Station on the Hamgyŏng Line (now called Ok'pyŏng Station) to Wŏnsanbukhang Station (now called Koam Station). [2] Later, the line was extended some time after the Korean War from Koam to Sinhŭng-ri.

The Chosen Anthracite Company, Ltd. was a kabushiki kaisha in colonial Korea that operated collieries around Korea. It was founded in 1927 by the Mitsubishi zaibatsu of Japan by integrating the anthracite mining operations around Pyongyang, eventually becoming the largest coal-producing company in Korea - 74.9% of the coal distributed in Korea was produced by the Chosen Anthracite Company.

Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic language family, and its relation to other languages, such as Korean, is debated. Japanese has been grouped with language families such as Ainu, Austroasiatic, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance.

Korean language Language spoken in Korea

The Korean language is an East Asian language spoken by about 77 million people. It is a member of the Koreanic language family and is the official and national language of both Koreas: North Korea and South Korea, with different standardized official forms used in each country. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Changbai Korean Autonomous County of Jilin province, China. It is also spoken in parts of Sakhalin, Ukraine and Central Asia.

An extension from Sinhŭng-ri to a newly developed fishing community at T'apchol-li on the Sŏngjŏn Peninsula, via a causeway and the 600 m (2,000 ft) Sŏkchon Bay Bridge (석전만다리), was opened on 25 May 2018; the opening ceremony included an inspection of the line by Kim Jong-un. [3]

Kim Jong-un Supreme Leader of North Korea

Kim Jong-un is a North Korean politician serving as Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and also serving as the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea since 2012. Kim is the second child of Kim Jong-il (1941–2011) and Ko Yong-hui (1952–2004). He is the grandson of Kim Il-sung, who was the first leader of North Korea from 1948 to 1994. Kim is the first North Korean leader who was born after the country's founding.

Services

This line serves the May 27 Fishery Station at Koam, the October 3 Factory at Sinhŭng-ri, and the fishing community at Tapch'ŏl-li.

Route

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

Distance (km)Station NameFormer Name
TotalS2STranscribedChosŏn'gŭl (Hanja)TranscribedChosŏn'gŭl (Hanja)Connections
0.00.0Ongp'yŏng옥평 (玉坪)Munch'ŏn문천 (文川) Kangwŏn Line
7.47.4Koam고암 (庫巖)Wŏnsanbukhang
(Wŏnsan North Port)
원산북항
(元山北港)
10.32.9Sinhŭngri신흥리 (新興里)Closed
11.31.0October 3 Factory10.3 공장 (10.3工場)
14.83.5Tapch'on답촌 (畓村)

External Media

Video report on the opening ceremony and inaugural train across the Sŏkchon Bay Bridge (in Korean)

Related Research Articles

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Manpo Line railway line

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Ongp'yŏng Station is a railway station in Ongp'yŏng-dong, greater Munch'ŏn city, Kangwŏn province, North Korea, on the Kangwŏn Line of the Korean State Railway; it is also the starting point of the Munch'ŏn Port Line to Koam.

Koam Station is a railway station in Koam-dong, greater Munch'ŏn city, Kangwŏn province, North Korea, on the Munch'ŏn Port Line of the Korean State Railway; the branchline connects to the Kangwŏn Line at Okp'yŏng.

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References

  1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō) ISBN   978-4-10-303731-6
  2. 朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 5070, 27 December 1943
  3. Kim Jong Un Inspects Completed Koam-Tapchon Railways