A Tatra T6B5 vehicle in Pyongyang.A crowded Line 1 tram during afternoon rush hour in 2012.
Pyongyang Tram is a public tram system in Pyongyang,the capital of the North Korea. The first line of the current system opened in 1989. There are currently four lines in operation.
Before the Korean War from 1950 to 1953,there were three tramway systems in the entire Korean Peninsula:one each in Seoul,Busan and Pyongyang.[2] However,the system in Pyongyang was discontinued after the war,largely due to the significant destruction of the city by US/UN bombing attacks. The remaining two in Seoul and Busan survived the war but were eventually discontinued too when motorcars became more common and a larger means of transport in South Korea in 1968,thus leaving no tramway networks on the peninsula.[citation needed]
During the North Korean famine,the service of tram lines became sparse,and often trams would not run due to the lack of drivers and shortage of electricity.[3]
Unlike South Korea,personal ownership of automobiles in North Korea is very rare. North Koreans,especially those living in Pyongyang and other major cities,rely mainly on public transport. In Pyongyang,there are trolleybuses (the Pyongyang trolleybus system) and subways (the Pyongyang Metro),with these two serving as its main forms of public transport. However,as trolleybus lines became gradually overcrowded,the city decided to re-open tram-lines. The first line was opened on 15 April 1991.[4]
A number of Tatra T4 trams and its trailer B4 were bought from Dresden,Magdeburg and Leipzig in 1997–1998.[5]
From 14 October 2002,the section of Line 1 between P'yŏngyang-yŏk and Songyo was closed,[4] as the bridge over Taedong River started to deteriorate,[6] splitting Line 1 into two parts divided by the Taedong River. The section from Songyo to Songsin was eventually replaced by a trolleybus in 2014. The part crossing the bridge was replaced by a bus service. Demolition of the tracks between Songyo and Pyongyang Station was completed by 9 September 2003.[7]
In 2008,the City Transportation Company of Prague sold 20 used T3s to Pyongyang Public Transportation Enterprise together with a shipment of tram-rails. These trams were built ranging from 1967 for the Tatra T3 in original modification,to 1987 for the T3SUCS modification.[8][9] According to Ondřej Pečený,a spokesman for the City Transportation Company of Prague,these trams are in very good condition,and can run for at least two years without the need of a service. The tram cars were made by Tatra,a Czechoslovak company,during that nation's socialist era. Various types are used,but there are currently no low-floor tram cars.[citation needed]
After the closure of Songsin depot,an extension was added to Rangnang depot to house the trams transferred from that depot.[4]
Foreign tourists were previously not permitted to ride the tram lines,but some recent tours have started to include tramway rides (though rides are not shared with locals and are instead chartered,unlike the Pyongyang Metro).[10][11]
Due to the need for transport,tram drivers may be assigned shifts even on holidays.[12]
Lines
There are currently three lines in operation plus a meter gauge line operated by the military.[13]
Formerly ran to Songsin until bridge was closed to tram traffic,line split into Mangyongdae- Pyongyang Station and Songsin-Songyo until 2014,when during reconstruction of tram lines elsewhere,this line was converted to trolleybus line #4
Replaced former trolleybus line 10 from Mangyongdae to Chollima Street and 8 to Hwanggumbol station.
Trams housed at Songsan Depot,Mangyongdae-guyok,[14] operated by Songsan Tram Service Company.[15]
Opened on 7 July 1995 when mausoleum opened,to replace the closed Kwangmyong station.
Operated by the military using meter gauge SWS/MFO/BBC Be 4/4 trams and SIG B4 trailers.[19]
As of 2006,the fare is ₩5 for any section. There are also coupon tickets (시내차표;市內車票;sinae ch'ap'yo) issued in the form of tickets inserted into the fare box.[20]
Prior to 2018,the rolling stock used were the Czechoslovakian ČKD Praha Tatra T6B5K,Tatra T3/SUCS,Tatra T4D and B4D and KT8D5K in either red/white livery or blue/white.[10] The Kŭmsusan line uses VBZ Be 4/4 Type Ib rolling stock on a different gauge of 1,000mm,rather than 1,435mm for lines 1–3. The Shenyang ST4 had been retired in 1999 due to their failing articulation joint and subsequently converted into Chollima-961/971 trolleybuses while it is possible others were sent to the Chongjin tram system where they received a new body at the Chongjin Bus Factory.[21]
According to a Czech reporter,42 out of the original 45 KT8D5 trams still run. Despite sanctions limiting the supply of spare parts,trams operate with below average maintenance,though the more recent development of locally built electrical equipment and continued maintenance without a foreign supply of spare parts have raised suspicions in Czech media.[22]
In August 2018,following the introduction of new trolleybuses and metro cars,new partially domestically-produced tram cars were introduced in Pyongyang for the first time in about twenty years.[23] The bodies were manufactured by Pyongyang Bus Repair Factory and named Thongil-181,on the chassis of the Tatra KT8D5K.[10]
The Pyongyang Metro is the rapid transit system in Pyongyang,the capital and largest city of North Korea. It consists of two lines:the Chollima Line,which runs north from Puhŭng Station on the banks of the Taedong River to Pulgŭnbyŏl Station,and the Hyŏksin Line,which runs from Kwangbok Station in the southwest to Ragwŏn Station in the northeast. The two lines intersect at Chŏnu Station.
A low-floor tram is a tram that has no stairsteps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. The low-floor design improves the accessibility of the tram for the public,and also may provide larger windows and more airspace.
Trams and trolleybuses in North Korea are forms of public transportation for North Koreans to travel around in urban centres given the shortages on fuel and access to cars for average citizens.
Tatra KT4 is the name of a four-axle type articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975,with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1,747 units were built,with initial deliveries to East Germany (DDR) and later to the USSR and SFR Yugoslavia. KT4 variants were built for both standard gauge and metre gauge tramways. Production of the KT4 tramcar was halted in 1991 due to worldwide economic and political changes at the time. Production was briefly resumed in 1997 to construct the last 20 units for Belgrade,Serbia.
The Pyongyang trolleybus system(평양무궤도전차) forms part of the public transport network of Pyongyang,the capital city of North Korea,and extends to some of its suburbs.
The Moscow tramway network,which is divided into two sub-networks,is a key element of the public transport system in Moscow,the capital city of Russia. Opened in 1872,it has been operated since 1958 until 2021 by Mosgortrans,a state-owned company.
The Toyama City Tram Line of Toyama ChihōRailway,commonly referred to as 市電,is a narrow gauge tram system in Toyama,Japan. Its first operation was in 1912. It has 23 stations and runs 7.3 km.
The Pyongyang Metro Chŏllima Line is a rapid transit line owned and operated by Pyongyang Metro in Pyongyang,North Korea.
The Pyongyang Metro Hyoksin Line is a rapid transit line owned and operated by Pyongyang Metro in Pyongyang,North Korea.
Hwanggumbol Station is a station on Hyŏksin Line of the Pyongyang Metro.
Ōtemachi Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Matsuyama,Ehime Prefecture,Japan. It is operated by the private transportation company Iyotetsu.
Chongjin Tram is a public tram system in Chongjin,Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The line opened in 1999. There is currently one line in operation.
The Chollima-091 (Korean: 천리마-091) is a high-floor,articulated trolleybus built from 2009 to 2018 by Pyongyang Trolleybus Factory for the Pyongyang trolleybus system. The name refers to the Chollima Movement which in itself derives from the mythological Chollima while the model number means year of development 2009,model 1. Since the 1960s,most of the trolleybuses in Pyongyang were named after this mythological creature. It was first produced as a prototype in 2009 and entered mass production in 2010. It is the most common vehicle in Pyongyang's trolleybus network and the vehicle with the most number in service in the DPRK.
The Chollima-321 is a North Korean trolleybus with battery power built by the Pyongyang Trolley Bus Factory. The name 'Chollima' refers to a myth about a winged horse that has since been adopted as the name of North Korea's Stakhanovite movement. The production of the Chollima-321 production replaced the Chollima-091 articulated trolleybus,due to the need to replace older Chollima-961,-951,Ikarus and Karosa bus based trolleybuses. The trolleybus features on a 50 won stamp.
The Pyongyang Trolleybus Factory (PTBF) is an automotive industry company in North Korea and is the largest trolleybus manufacturer in the DPRK. During its existence,it has also manufactured vans,refrigerated trucks and buses although its main product are the Chollima branded trolleybuses. It has continuously manufactured trolleybuses since 1960,when it built the first trolleybus in the DPRK,a Jinghua BK561 clone.
The DK4 are a class of electrical multiple units built by Changchun Railway Vehicles,operated on the Pyongyang Metro,and later the Korean State Railway. The sets developed in parallel with the DK3,and these sets were delivered new to the Pyongyang Metro when it opened in September 1973,although they have since almost entirely disappeared from the metro network,with many sets being converted to be used under overhead catenary as electric multiple units,or as a locomotive.
↑ "개발창조형의 궤도전차 생산"[Domestic creation of tramcar production]. Sogwang (in Korean). 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
Further reading
Hayato Kokubu, Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō: Kitachōsen Tetsudō Jijō (将軍様の鉄道 北朝鮮鉄道事情; "Railway of the Dear Leader: The Railway Situation in North Korea"), 2007. ( ISBN4103037318)
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