The Chōsen Railway Company (Japanese: 朝鮮鉄道株式会社, Chōsen Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha; Korean: 조선철도주식회사, Joseon Cheoldo Jusikhoesa), was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupiedKorea.
History
The Chōsen Railway was established on 1 September 1923 through the merger of six companies:[1]
It was the largest privately owned company on the Korean Peninsula at the time, with a capital of 54.5 million yen.[2] To distinguish it from the Chosen Government Railway, which was abbreviated 鮮鉄 (Sentetsu; 선철, Seoncheol), the Chosen Railway was abbreviated 朝鉄 (Chōtetsu; 조철, Jocheol).
In addition to extensively investing in busses and in the development of Hwanghae Province, in 1927, Chōtetsu established a subsidiary company, the North Chōsen Colonial Railway, to build and operate a line in the northeastern part of Korea.[2]
Routes
In terms of rail network and regional extent, it was the largest private railway in Korea at the time. The Gyeongdong and Gyeongbuk Lines were eventually nationalised by the Chosen Government Railway, while other lines were sold to other private railways.
Hwanghae Line (Sariwon–Samgang–Jangyeon; Samgang–Dongpo–Hwasan–Sinwon–Haeju Port; Hwasan–Naeto; Sinwon–Haseong; Sinwon–Guhaseong; Toseong (Gaepung)–Haeju; Haeju–Dongpo–Ongjin; Dongpo–Jeongdo) – "Hwanghae Line" was the name of several narrow gauge railway lines of the Chosen Railway. These were nationalised on 1 April 1944 and absorbed by the Chosen Government Railway,[7] which split the Hwanghae Line into several separate lines: the Jangyeon Line (not identical to today's Changyŏn Line of the Korean State Railway), the Sahae Line, the Naeto Line, the Haseong Line, Tohae Line, Ongjin Line, and the Jeongdo Line. Following the partition of Korea all these lines ended up with the Korean State Railway, which subsequently closed some of the lines and re-divided others, splitting them between the Changyŏn Line, the Ongjin Line, the Paech'ŏn Line, the Ŭnnyul Line and the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line[6]
Passenger services on Chōtetsu's network were extensive, with the following services listed in the last timetable issued prior to the start of the Pacific War:[8]
Chungbuk Line - six trains daily between Jochiwon and Chungju;
Hamnam Line - four trains daily between Hamheung and Oro;
Hamnam Line + Jangjin Line - three trains daily between Hamheung and Sasu, and one train daily between Hamheung and Samgeo;
Hamnam Line + Songheung Line - one train daily between Hamheung and Pujeonhoban, one train daily between Hamheung and Pujeonhoban via Jangpung, one train daily between Hamheung and Hamnam Songheung, and one train daily between Oro and Hamnam Songheung;
Hwanghae Line - five trains daily between Toseong and Haeju, four trains daily between Sariwon and Haeju, three trains daily between Sariwon and Jangyeon, five trains daily between East Haeju and Ongjin, three trains daily between Hwasan and Naeto, and nine trains daily between Sindeok and Haseong;
Jangjin Line - one train daily between Oro and Samgeo, and one train daily between Goto and Sasu;
Namheung Line - two trains daily between Yongseong and Seohojin, one train daily between West Hamheung and Yongseong, and five trains daily between West Hamheung and Seohojin;
Suin Line - four trains daily between Suwon and Incheon;
Suryeo Line - three trains daily between Suwon and Yeoju.
Motive Power
The Chōsen Railway used a wide variety of locomotives, mostly steam, and most built by Kisha Seizō of Japan.[2] Chōtetsu was also one of the first railways to use diesel locomotives in Korea.[2]
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