Chosen Railway

The Chosen Railway Company (Japanese: 朝鮮鉄道株式会社, Chōsen Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha; Korean: 조선철도주식회사, Joseon Cheoldo Jusikhoesa), was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea.

History

The Chosen Railway was established on 1 September 1923 through the merger of six companies:^[1]

• Chosen Central Railway (朝鮮中央鉄道 Chōsen Chūō Tetsudō; 조선중앙철도 Joseon Jung-ang Cheoldo),
• Chosen Forestry Railway (朝鮮森林鉄道 Chōsen Shinrin Tetsudō; 조선삼림철도 Joseon Samrim Cheoldo),
• Chosen Industrial Railway (朝鮮産業鉄道 Chōsen Sangyō Tetsudō; 조선산업철도 Joseon San-eop Cheoldo),
• Chosen Southern Railway (南朝鮮鉄道, Minamichōsen Tetsudō; 남조선철도 Namjoseon Cheoldo),
• West Chosen Development Railway (西鮮殖産鉄道, Seisen Shokusan Tetsudō; 서선식산철도 Seoseon Sigsan Cheoldo)
• Ryangang Forest Development Railway (両江拓林鉄道, Ryōkō Takurin Tetsudō; 량강척림철도, Ryanggang Cheongrim Cheoldo)

It was the largest privately owned company on the Korean Peninsula at the time. 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).

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.

The Chosen Railway bought and absorbed the Sinhŭng Railway on 22 April 1938,^[2] thus acquiring the narrow-gauge Hamnam, Songheung, Namheung and Jangjin lines.

The narrow-gauge Suryeo Line, originally opened on 1 December 1931 by the Chosen Gyeongdong Railway Co. Ltd., was bought by the Chosen Railway on 16 October 1942.^[3]

At the end of the Second World War, all lines still owned by the Chosen Railway were nationalised; the lines in South Korea became part of the Korean National Railroad on 17 May 1946,^[4] and those in North Korea became part of the Korean State Railway.^[5]

Standard gauge

• Chungbuk Line (Jochiwon–Chungju) – to Korail Chungbuk Line
• Gyeongbuk Line (Gimcheon–Andong) – to Korail Gyeongbuk Line
• Gyeongnam Line (Masan–Jinju) – to Korail as part of Gyeongjeon Line
• Jeonnam Line (Songjeongri–Damyang) – to Korail Gwangju Line (Songjeongri–Gwangju)

Narrow gauge

• Jangjin Line (Sangtong–Sasu–Gujin) – to Korean State Railway Changjin Line
• Gyeongdong Line (Daegu–Ulsan, Pohang–Haksan) – to Korail Donghae Nambu Line, Jungang Line and Daegu Line
• Hambuk Line (Komusan–Musan) – to Korean State Railway Musan Line (not to be confused with current Hambuk Line)
• Hamnam Line (Hamhŭng–Hamnam Sinhŭng, Oro–Sangt'ong, P'ungsang–Changp'ung) – to Korean State Railway Sinhŭng and Changjin lines
• 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,^[6] 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^[5]
• Namheung Line (Hamheung–Seoho) – to Korean State Railway Sŏho Line
• Songheung Line (Hamnam Sinheung–Bujeonhoban) – to Korean State Railway Sinhŭng Line
• Suryeo Line (Suwon–Yeoju) – to Korail Suryeo Line

References

• 朝鮮総督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 669, 28 March 1929
• Kokubu, Hayato. 将軍様の鉄道. Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō. p. 85. ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6.