Pyongbuk Line

P'yŏngbuk Line
View of Ch'ŏngsu Station
Overview
Native name	평북선(平北線)
Owner	P'yŏngbuk Railway (1939–1945) Korean State Railway (since 1945)
Locale	North P'yŏngan
Termini	Chŏngju Ch'ŏngnyŏn Ch'ŏngsu
Stations	13
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail
History
Opened	27 September 1939
Technical
Line length	120.5 km (74.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3000 V DC Catenary
Route map P'yŏngŭi Line P'yŏngbuk Line 0.0 Chŏngju Ch'ŏngnyŏn (bridge appx 65 m (213 ft)) (tunnel appx 185 m (607 ft)) (bridge appx 60 m (200 ft)) 10.4 Koan Closed (tunnel appx 285 m (935 ft)) 16.5 Pongmyŏng (bridge appx 75 m (246 ft)) (bridge appx 50 m (160 ft)) (tunnel appx 190 m (620 ft)) 28.4 Panghyŏn (bridge appx 60 m (200 ft)) (bridge appx 140 m (460 ft)) 7th Aircraft Parts Factory (bridge appx 140 m (460 ft)) (bridge appx 75 m (246 ft)) April 3 Factory Ch'ŏngnyŏn P'arwŏn Line 41.2 Kusŏng (bridge appx 60 m (200 ft)) 49.0 Paegun (bridge appx 85 m (279 ft)) 4-track yard underground facility (bridge appx 90 m (300 ft)) (tunnel appx 485 m (1,591 ft)) (bridge appx 115 m (377 ft)) 63.9 P'alyŏng 70.5 Taeryŏnggang Taeryŏng River (bridge appx 135 m (443 ft)) (tunnel appx 100 m (330 ft)) (bridge appx 110 m (360 ft)) (tunnel appx 160 m (520 ft)) Taegwalli Line (bridge appx 140 m (460 ft)) 78.2 0.0 Sin'on 3.4 (tunnel appx 135 m (443 ft)) tunnel appx 3,700 m (12,100 ft) Kugŏkch'ŏn 91.2 P'ungnyŏn tunnel appx 90 m (300 ft) tunnel appx 85 m (279 ft) tunnel appx 90 m (300 ft) (bridge appx 100 m (330 ft)) 100.0 Sŏbu (bridge appx 100 m (330 ft)) 105.9 P'anmak (tunnel appx 150 m (490 ft)) (bridge appx 135 m (443 ft)) (bridge appx 130 m (430 ft)) (tunnel appx 155 m (509 ft)) (bridge appx 85 m (279 ft)) (tunnel appx 150 m (490 ft)) (bridge appx 100 m (330 ft)) 113.7 Pup'ung Amrokkang Line Sup'ung Line (tunnel appx 600 m (2,000 ft)) 120.5 Ch'ŏngsu ←China - Yalu River - DPRK→ (bridge appx 660 m (2,170 ft)) Shanghekou (China) China Railway Fengshang Railway

Pyongbuk Line
Chosŏn'gŭl	평북선
Hancha	平北線
Revised Romanization	Pyeongbuk-seon
McCune–Reischauer	P'yŏngbuk-sŏn

The P'yŏngbuk Line is an electrified standard-gauge secondary trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Pyŏngan Province, North Korea, running from Chŏngju on the P'yŏngŭi Line to Ch'ŏngsu; it meets the Ch'ŏngnyŏn P'arwŏn Line at Kusŏng, and at Ch'ŏngsu, via a bridge across the Yalu River, it goes to Shanghekou, China, where it connects to China Railway's Fengshang Railway to Fenghuangcheng.^[1]

History

The line was opened by the privately owned P'yŏngbuk Railway on 27 September 1939 as an industrial railway to serve the Sup'ung Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Yalu River.^[2] The Emperor of Manchukuo, Puyi, travelled along this line when he visited the Sup'ung Dam.^[1]

Following the partition of Korea the line was located within the Soviet zone of occupation, and was nationalised along with all the other railways in the zone by the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea on 10 August 1946,^[1] becoming part of the Korean State Railway. Electrification of the entire line was completed in 1980, and at the same time, semi-automatic train control was installed on the 41.3 km (25.7 mi) section between Chŏngju and Kusŏng.^[3]

Services

The line serves a variety of industries, including a textile factory in Kusŏng, a chemical factory in Ch'ŏngsu, and North Korea's largest lignite mine near P'ungnyŏn, as well as shipping large amounts of wood south from Amrokkang Station on the Yalu River. Other important commodities shipped on the line are limestone and anthracite.^[3]

There are two long-distance passenger trains that operate on the line - semi-express trains 115/116 between P'yŏngyang and Ch'ŏngsu, and local trains 200/201 between West P'yŏngyang and Ch'ŏngsu.^[1] There are also commuter trains along the Ch'ongsu—Sup'ung—P'ungnyŏn (6 pairs), Kusŏng—Paegun (5 pairs) and Chŏngju—Kusŏng (2 pairs) sections of the line.^[3]

Route

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

Distance (km)		Station Name		Former Name
Total	S2S	Transcribed	Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja)	Transcribed	Chosŏn'gŭl (Hanja)	Connections
0.0	0.0	Chŏngju Ch'ŏngnyŏn	정주청년 (定州靑年)	Chŏngju	정주 (定州)	P'yŏngŭi Line
10.4	10.4	Koan	고안 (高安)			Closed
16.5	6.1	Pongmyŏng	봉명 (鳳鳴)
28.4	11.9	Panghyŏn	방현 (方峴)
41.2	12.8	Kusŏng	구성 (龜城)	P'yŏngbuk Kusŏng	평북구성 (平北龜城)	Ch'ŏngnyŏn P'arwŏn Line
49.0	7.8	Paegun	백운 (白雲)
63.9	14.9	P'alyŏng	팔영 (八營)	Taean	대안 (大安)
70.5	6.6	Taeryŏnggang	대령강 (大寧江)	Taegwan	대관 (大館)
78.2	7.7	Sinon	신온 (新溫)	Ch'angp'yŏng	창평 (昌坪)	Taegwalli Line
91.2	13.0	P'ungnyŏn	풍년 (豊年)	Sakchu Onch'ŏn	삭주온천 (朔州溫泉)
100.0	8.8	Sŏbu	서부 (西部)	Sakchu	삭주 (朔州)
105.9	5.9	P'anmak	판막 (板幕)	Sinan	신안 (新安)
113.7	7.8	Pup'ung	부풍 (富豊)			Sup'ung Line, Amrokkang Line
120.5	6.8	Ch'ŏngsu	청수 (靑水)
		Yalu River	압록강 (鴨綠江)			DPRK−PRC border
		Shanghekou	上河口			China Railway Fengshang Railway

References

1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
2. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 3813, 3 October 1939
3. North Korea Geographic Information: Transportation Geography - P'yŏngbuk Line (in Korean)