Gyeongchun Line
The original Gyeongchun Line opened on July 20, 1939, a 87.3 km (54.2 mi) line between Kwangwoon University and Chuncheon. Chuncheon was and remains the most popular destination for students on orientation trips, bringing passengers to the line. Originally operated by the privately owned Gyeongchun Railway, it was nationalized with all other rail lines following the liberation of Korea at the end of WWII.
The name is derived from combining Gyeong (meaning capital, in this case, Seoul) and Chuncheon.
A trestle on the old line, approaching the original Gangchon Station.
The original Chuncheon Station in 2005.
By Subway06 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6844606
Starting in 1997, the line was electrified, double-tracked, and upgraded to handle operating speeds of 180km/h (112 mph). It was also re-laid in a straighter alignment, diverging from the old alignment at Toegyewon.
The new line opened on December 21, 2010 from Sangbong to Chuncheon, with the old line closing the day before. The current line is marked with a teal color on maps.
Several in-fill stations opened in the following years:
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December 15, 2012: Byeollae
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November 30, 2013: Cheonmasan
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December 28, 2013: Sinnae
The line was extended to Cheongnyangni on September 26, 2016.
On November 4, 2016, the Mangu Branch was opened, with trains diverging at Sangbong to Kwangwoon University. This completed the current line.
All southbound trains stop at Chuncheon. The majority of northbound trains stop at Sangbong, with ten trains a day heading past the station. Two of these ten trains (one in the morning, one at night) run the Mangu Branch to Kwangwoon University. The rest head to Cheongnyangni.
There was an express service on the line, but it was discontinued on February 27, 2012. It was replaced by an ITX (Intercity Train EXpress) regional rail service called ITX-Cheongchun, which started service the next day.
ITX-Cheongchun service passes the majority of stations, and stops occasionally at few. All trains stop at Chuncheon, Namchuncheon, Gapyeong, and Cheongnyangni. Some trains pass and stop at Gangchon, Cheongpyeong, and PyeongnaeHopyeong. There is limited weekday service at Maseok, Sareung, Toegyewon, and Sangbong.
Some ITX-Cheongchun trains travel past Cheongnyangni to Yongsan.
In a surprise move, the express service was reinstated in 2017. Between Chuncheon and Cheongnyangni, trains stop at Namchuncheon, Gangchon, Gapyeong, Cheongyeong, PyeongnaeHopyeong, Sareung, Toegyewon, Sangbong, and Hoegi.
Service from Sangbong to Cheongnyangni were temporarily suspended starting on December 15, 2017 due to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Service resumed on March 23, 2018.
Singongdeok Station on the old alignment has since been abandoned. Many of the original stations on the line have been consigned to this fate.
By No machine-readable author provided. Sjhan81 assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1255664
A video exploring the remains of the original Geumgok Station, with the current station being a short walk away. There are English captions, although they are not entirely accurate.
The original Geumgok Station in 2010, when it was still in use.
The current line is 80.7 km (50.1 mi) long. All track is on the left-hand side. All stations feature screen doors.
There is a train depot at Pyeongnae.
Korail Class 361000 train 361x12.
By Minseong Kim - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37790216
Korail Class 368000 train 368x06.
By 충북선 무궁화호 - Korailㅡitxcheongchun 368906.JPG (re-upload to commons), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18865415
You can read more about the trains running on this line here.
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