Sohae Kammun Line

The Sŏhae Kammun Line, or West Sea Barrage Line is a non-electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway located entirely within Namp'o Special City, North Korea, and running from Ch'ŏlgwang on the Ŭnnyul Line to Sillyŏngri on the P'yŏngnam Line.^[1]

Sŏhae Kammun Line
The Sŏhae Kammun Line crossing the West Sea Barrage; the swing bridge over the locks is visible.
Overview
Native name	서해갑문선(西海閘門線)
Status	Operational
Owner	Korean State Railway
Locale	Namp'o-tŭkpyŏlsi
Termini	Ch'ŏlgwang Sillyŏngri
Stations	4
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger & freight rail Regional rail
Operator(s)	Korean State Railway
History
Opened	24 June 1986
Technical
Line length	26.7 km (16.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Legend P'yŏngnam Line to P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn 26.7 Sillyŏngri P'yŏngnam Line to P'yŏngyang 19.5 Sŏhae Kammun ←West Sea ~West Sea Barrage~ Taedong River→ Ok-to Island Pi-do Island swing bridge over lock 9.1 Songgwan (causeway appx 370 m (1,210 ft)) (bridge appx 130 m (430 ft)) Sŏhaeri Line 0.0 Ch'ŏlgwang Ŭnnyul Line

Sohae Kammun Line
Chosŏn'gŭl	서해갑문선
Hancha	西海閘門線
Revised Romanization	Seohaegammun-seon
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏhaegammun-sŏn

Description

View of the swing bridge across the locks in open position.

The Sŏhae Kammun Line runs over the West Sea Barrage; of the 26.7 km (16.6 mi) total length of the line, over 6 km (3.7 mi) runs over the dam itself. There is a swing bridge of approximately 100 m (328 ft 1 in), built by the Namp'o Shipyard, over the locks.

History

The line was opened on 24 June 1986, after the completion of the West Sea Barrage.^[1][2]

Services

See also: List of passenger train services in North Korea

A local passenger train, 361/362, operating between Namp'o and Ch'ŏlgwang, runs on the entirety of this line between Sillyŏngri and Ch'ŏlgwang, stopping only at Namp'o, Sŏhae Kammun, and Ch'ŏlgwang; scheduled travel time in the 2002 timetable was 2 hours 20 minutes each way.^[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	Ch'ŏlgwang	철광 (鉄鑛)			Ŭnnyul Line, Sŏhaeri Line
9.1	9.1	Songgwan	송관 (松串)
19.5	10.4	Sŏhae Kammun (West Sea Barrage)	서해갑문 (西海閘門)
26.7	7.2	Sillyŏngri	신령리 (新寧里)	P'yŏngnam Sindŏk	평남신덕 (平南新德)	P'yŏngnam Line

References

1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
2. Kristof, Nicholas D. (5 July 1989). "In North Korea, Dam Reflects 'Great Leader's' State of Mind". The New York Times.
3. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 127, ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6