Gyeongbu Line#KTX

Image:Groundbreaking ceremony of Gyeongbu Line at Busan, 1901.jpg

File:GyeongbuTimesSpeeds.png

In 1894–1895, the Empire of Japan and Qing China fought the First Sino-Japanese War for influence over Korea. Following the war, Japan competed with the Russian Empire's railway expansion in Northeast Asia, which led it to seek the right from the Korean Empire to build a railway from Busan to Keijō. This railway line was intended by Japan to solidify its strategic positions against Russia, which it would later go to war.{{cite web |last1=Nakano |first1=Akira |title=Korea's Railway Network the Key to Imperial Japan's Control |url=https://apjjf.org/-Nakano-Akira/2533/article.html |website=The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus |date=3 September 2007 |access-date=22 July 2021 |quote='From Korea's point of view, the Imperial Japanese Army brought railways with it, beginning a period of deprivation and oppression. Japan thought the Korean Peninsula was strategically crucial to its military and laid railways as tools to control the peninsula. The Russo-Japanese War was, in a way, a war over railways.' Chung [Jae Jong] went on to explain that the great powers viewed railways as key to expanding their areas of influence because of the ease with which military personnel and goods could be transported in bulk.}} Surveying began in 1896, and in spite of local protests, the Korean Empire gave Japan the right to build the line in 1898.{{cite web |url=http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?n=200708200080 |title=[책갈피 속의 오늘]1901년 경부선 철도 기공 |date=2007-08-20 |publisher=The Dong-a Ilbo |access-date=2010-10-28}} Construction of the railway started on August 20, 1901, with a ceremony at Eitōho-ku, Keijō. Construction was supervised by Japanese, with local Koreans commandeered into forced labor and paid with coupons.

Japan also sought to gain control of the Keigi Railway project that was to continue tracks further north, recognizing the trunk route as a means to keep Korea under its influence. After the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan ignored Korea's declaration of neutrality and transported troops to Incheon. Japan also forced the Korean government to sign an agreement that ceded its control of the railway. Japanese military bases were established in connection with the railway, the biggest of them next to Ryūzan Station in Keijō.

The Gyeongbu line was publicly inaugurated on January 1, 1905 as the {{nihongo|Keibu Railway|京釜鐵道|Keibu tetsudō}}.{{cite web |last1=Kitayama |first1=Toshikazu |title=京釜鉄道(ソール－プサン間）建設と日露戦争 |url=http://ktymtskz.my.coocan.jp/agia/coria.htm |website=北山敏和の鉄道いまむかし |access-date=22 July 2021 |language=Japanese}} The first trains travelled the line in 17 hours 4 minutes.{{cite web |url=http://info.korail.com/2007/kra/gal/gal02000/w_gal02201.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003183312/http://info.korail.com/2007/kra/gal/gal02000/w_gal02201.jsp|archive-date=2011-10-03|title=열차속도의 변천 |publisher=Korail |access-date=2011-01-14|language=ko}} By April 1906, travel time was reduced to 11 hours, while top speed was {{convert|60|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |url=http://railnuri.wsu.ac.kr/rail/techency/t_5_34.htm |script-title=ko:차량 기술현황 |language=ko |publisher=Woosong University |access-date=2011-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317054010/http://railnuri.wsu.ac.kr/rail/techency/t_5_34.htm |archive-date=2012-03-17 }} The line developed into the backbone of transport in Korea under Japanese rule. Following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, from April 1, 1933, the line was traversed by direct trains from Busan to Andong (today Dandong) across the border.{{cite web|url=http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history2.jsp|title=History of train operation|publisher=Korea Railway Industry information Center|access-date=November 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331175712/http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history2.jsp|archive-date=March 31, 2012}} From December 1, 1936, the Akatsuki luxury express trains ran on the line with a maximum speed of {{convert|90|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, and achieved the shortest pre-war travel time of 6 hours 30 minutes in the timetable valid from November 1, 1940.{{cite web |url=http://www.railsafety.or.kr/web/FileDownload.do?file=/por/jsp/admin/board/PORAdminBoardR.jsp/korailspeed.htm |script-title=ko:한국철도 열차운전속도 변천사 |language=ko |publisher=Rail Safety Information System |access-date=2011-01-07|title=Untitled Document }}

Travel times increased greatly while the line was used for transport in World War II. Following World War II, the Seoul–Busan express train re-established on May 20, 1946, was named Chosun Liberator. During the Korean War, the line transported troops and refugees.{{cite web|url=http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history.jsp|title=History|publisher=Korea Railway Industry information Center|access-date=November 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722141256/http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history.jsp|archive-date=July 22, 2011}} The line remained the backbone of transport in South Korea after the war, when diesel locomotives and the cross-country Mugunghwa-ho train class was introduced. Following the 1961 coup, the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction started South Korea's first five-year plan, which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth.{{cite web |url=http://www.silvernetnews.com/?inc=newsview&no=8229&s=20&ss=0&sss=0 |title=철마 110년, 영고의 자취 [12] 경제개발과 철도 |language=ko |date=2010-03-20 |publisher=Silvernet News |access-date=2010-11-16}} On the Gyeongbu Line, the effort was advertised with a new class of express trains named Jaegeon-ho, (Reconstruction train) introduced on May 15, 1962. These trains reduced travel times below the best pre-WWII travel times for the first time, connecting Seoul and Busan in 6 hours 10 minutes at a top speed of {{convert|100|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.

From the 1960s, road construction began to make road transport more attractive and faster. Although top speed rose to {{convert|110|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} and the Seoul–Busan travel time along the Gyeongbu Line was reduced to 4 hours 50 minutes by June 10, 1969, on the parallel Gyeongbu Expressway, completed in 1970, travel time was only 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes. Korean National Railroad responded by introducing the Saemaul-ho class of elevated-comfort express trains on August 15, 1974. with the introduction of new streamlined diesel locomotives and then diesel multiple units in Saemaul-ho service, top speed was raised to {{convert|140|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} and travel time was reduced to 4 hours 10 minutes with the timetable valid from November 16, 1985.

==Upgrade==

The Gyeongbu Line was extensively upgraded in parallel with the development of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway urban rapid transit system and the Korea Train Express (KTX) high-speed rail system from the 1970s.

The Gyeongbu Line is six-tracked from Seoul to Guro, four-tracked from Guro to Cheonan, and double-tracked from Cheonan all the way to Busan. The entire line is electrified.

The Seoul–Busan axis is Korea's main traffic corridor. In 1995, it housed 73.3% of Korea's population, and conducted 70% of the freight traffic and 66% of the passenger traffic. With both the Gyeongbu Expressway and Korail's Gyeongbu Line congested, the government saw the need to develop railways. The first proposals for a second Seoul-Busan railway line originated from a study prepared between 1972 and 1974 by experts of France's SNCF and Japan Railway Technical Service (JARTS) on a request from the IBRD.{{cite web |url=http://www.jarts.or.jp/project/project_i.html |title=Major Projects Overseas - I-K |publisher=JARTS |access-date=2010-08-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722121425/http://www.jarts.or.jp/project/project_i.html |archive-date=2011-07-22 }} A more detailed 1978-1981 study by KAIST, focusing on the needs of freight transport, also came to the conclusion that the necessary capacity for freight transport on the existing Gyeongbu Line could best be released by separating off long-distance passenger traffic on a parallel high speed passenger railway, which was then taken up in Korea's next Five Year Plan.

Following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the government decided to finish the Gyeongbu High Speed Railway (Gyeongbu HSR) in two phases, and upgrade and electrify the conventional Gyeongbu Line for KTX services on the sections paralleling the parts of the high-speed line not completed in the first phase.{{cite journal |last=D. Suh |first=Sunduck |title=RISK MANAGEMENT IN A LARGE-SCALE NEW RAILWAY TRANSPORT SYSTEM PROJECT ─ Evaluation of Korean High Speed Railway Experience ─ |journal=IATSS Research |volume=24 |issue=2 |year=2000 |publisher=IATSS |doi=10.1016/S0386-1112(14)60029-7 |url=http://www.iatss.or.jp/pdf/research/24/24-2-06.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722121147/http://www.iatss.or.jp/pdf/research/24/24-2-06.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |access-date=2010-08-30 |doi-access=free }}

Plans foresaw the development of the Gyeongbu Line into a high-capacity freight corridor after the completion of the second phase of the Gyeongbu HSR.{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/south-koreas-growing-network.html |title=South Korea's growing network |date=2008-09-08 |publisher=Railway Gazette International |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205072403/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/south-koreas-growing-network.html |archive-date=2012-12-05 |access-date=2010-08-29}} At the time of the opening of the Daegu–Busan section of the high-speed line on November 1, 2010, capacity available for freight trains on the conventional line was expected to increase by a factor of 7.7, while the capacity for passenger transport in the entire corridor increased by a factor of 3.4.{{cite web |url=http://news.dongascience.com/HTML/News/2010/10/28/20101028100000000080/201010281000000000800109000000.html |title=KTX 경부선 개통 - 에어부산 취항 2주년 |language=ko |date=2010-10-28 |publisher=The Dong-a Ilbo |access-date=2010-11-01 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The line was electrified in stages from 1974 to 2006:{{cite web |url=http://www.epic.or.kr/cont/yearbook/download/yearbook_chap07_3.pdf |title=Electricity Almanac 2009 |publisher=Korea Electric Association |access-date=2010-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314033522/http://www.epic.or.kr/cont/yearbook/download/yearbook_chap07_3.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-14 |url-status=dead }}

For KTX trains and new electric locomotives, top speed was also raised to up to 150 km/h.{{cite web |url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2546780 |title=One year later, KTX faces rider shortfalls, complaints |date=2005-03-25 |publisher=JoongAng Daily |access-date=2010-10-21}}

The Gyeongbu Line is the major route out of Seoul and Yongsan stations and, in addition to regular departures for Busan, trains travel along the Gyeongbu Line en route to Janghang, Gwangju, Mokpo, Suncheon, Yeosu, Pohang, Ulsan, Haeundae, Masan, and Jinju. Trains for Jecheon, Andong, and Yeongju also operate along sections of the Gyeongbu Line.

On the section between Seoul Station, Guro (where roughly half of the trains leave the Gyeongbu Line to head out to Incheon via the Gyeongin Line), Suwon, and Byeongjeom, Seoul Subway Line 1 provides frequent commuter services.

The Gyeongbu Line is served along its entire length by frequent intercity Saemaul-ho and cross-country Mugunghwa-ho trains. Some trains run along the entire length of the line, others only on some sections, including trains diverging to the connected lines. As of October 2010, direct Saemaul day trains connect Seoul to Busan in a minimum 4 hours 50 minutes, and Mughungwa trains in a minimum 5 hours 28 minutes.{{cite web |url=http://www.korail.com/en/rv/pr21100/w_pr21110.jsp |title=Booking |publisher=Korail |access-date=2010-10-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713164814/http://www.korail.com/en/rv/pr21100/w_pr21110.jsp |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}

{{main|Gyeongbu High Speed Railway}}

Korail launched KTX high-speed services with the opening of the first phase of the Gyeongbu HSR on April 1, 2004. The Seoul–Busan travel distance was shortened to 408.5 km, the shortest travel time was 2 hours 40 minutes.

All KTX services use the conventional Gyeongbu Line between Seoul and the start of the Siheung Interconnection at a junction after Geumcheon-gu Office station, until the Siheung Interconnection diverges in a tunnel towards the present start of the Gyeongbu HSR. The terminal for most Gyeongbu KTX services is Seoul Station, for most Honam KTX services, Yongsan station. In addition, some trains continue beyond Seoul Station for 14.9 km along the Gyeongui Line to terminate at Haengsin station, next to which KTX trains have a depot.{{cite journal |last=Lee |first=Kyung Chul |url=http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr48/pdf/f30_Lee.pdf |title=Launch of Korean High-Speed Railway and Efforts to Innovate Future Korean Railway |journal=Japan Railway & Transport Review |issue=48 |pages=30–35 |date=August 2007 |access-date=2010-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613154854/http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr48/pdf/f30_Lee.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=dead }} An additional stop at Yeongdeungpo station was proposed in 2004, however, the plans were dropped in face of opposition from locals living around Gwangmyeong station along the Gyeongbu HSR, who feared that Yeongdeungpo would draw away passengers from the new station and force its closing.{{cite web |script-title=ko:광명역은 이렇게 죽으라고? |language=ko |url=http://www.joygm.com/news/read.php?idxno=5392 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713121618/http://www.joygm.com/news/read.php?idxno=5392 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |date=2010-10-08 |publisher=Pride of Gwang Myeong |access-date=2010-11-03 }} However, the November 1, 2010, timetable change made Yeongdeungpo a KTX stop, for newly introduced trains that also use the Gyeongbu Line on the entire Seoul–Daejeon section, to serve Suwon.{{cite web |url=http://info.korail.com/ROOT/news/board_view.jsp?boardType=BODO&bbs=bbs20&pg=0&seq=6386 |script-title=ko:경부고속철도 2단계 개통에 따른 열차운행 알림 |language=ko |date=2010-10-06 |publisher=Korail |access-date=2010-10-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722190051/http://info.korail.com/ROOT/news/board_view.jsp?boardType=BODO&bbs=bbs20&pg=0&seq=6386 |archive-date=2011-07-22 }}

From its opening, the Gyeongbu KTX service also returned to the Gyeongbu Line for two short sections crossing Daejeon and Daegu, where local disputes about the high-speed line alignment across urban areas held up construction;{{cite web |url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2925474 |title=Bullet trains coming to a town near you by 2020 |date=2010-09-02 |publisher=JoongAng Daily |access-date=2010-10-23}} and all the way from Daegu to Busan. Consequently, all but two of the stations of the Gyeongbu KTX service were on the conventional Gyeongbu Line: after the two stations on the high-speed line, Gwangmyeong and Cheonan-Asan, stops were at Daejeon, Dongdaegu (East Daegu), Miryang, Gupo and Busan. Some Gyeongbu KTX services maintained service on this relation after the November 1, 2010, opening of the second phase of the Gyeongbu HSR, with the daily number of halts in Miryang and Gupo increased. Korail met local demands by introducing additional KTX services between Seoul and Dongdaegu in June 2007, which used the conventional Gyeongbu Line between Daejeon and Dongdaegu to serve Gimcheon and Gumi. However, these services were discontinued with the opening of the Gimcheon–Gumi station on the high-speed line.{{cite web |url=http://article.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.asp?ctg=10&Total_ID=4320136 |title='KTX가 뭐기에'…김천·구미 끝없는 대립 |date=2010-07-18 |publisher=JoongAng Ilbo |access-date=2010-10-23 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713120449/http://article.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.asp?ctg=10&Total_ID=4320136 |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}

The section between Daegu and Samnangjin, the junction with the Gyeongjeon Line, is also used by the Gyeongjeon KTX services, which connect Seoul to Masan on the Gyeongjeon Line since December 15, 2010,{{cite web |url=http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/10/07/2010100700125.html |title=[오늘의 세상] 서울~부산 KTX 22분 단축 |language=ko |date=2010-10-07 |publisher=The Chosun Ilbo |access-date=2010-10-19}} and will be extended to Jinju by 2012.{{cite web |url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2914691 |title=KTX ready for big expansion in 2010 |date=2009-12-31 |publisher=JoongAng Daily |access-date=2010-08-29}} Stops along the Gyeongbu Line will be at Dongdaegu and Miryang.

Between Seoul and Cheonan, the Mugunghwa and Saemaul express trains on the Gyeongbu Line gave rail around a fifth of the modal share before the launch of KTX services. Due to the short distance and the location of the KTX station outside the city, the conventional line could retain most of its passengers, and the increase in the total modal share of rail was modest.{{cite journal |last1=Cho |first1=Nam-Geon |last2=Chung |first2=Jin-Kyu |title=High Speed Rail Construction of Korea and Its Impact |language=ko |journal=KRIHS Special Report Series |volume=12 |year=2008 |publisher=Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements |url=http://168.126.177.50/pub/docu/en/AD/ZA/ADZA2008AAN/ADZA-2008-AAN.PDF |access-date=2010-08-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529073047/http://168.126.177.50/pub/docu/en/AD/ZA/ADZA2008AAN/ADZA-2008-AAN.PDF |archive-date=2011-05-29 }} On the medium-distance relation from Seoul to Daejeon, KTX gained market share mostly at the expense of normal express services on the Gyeongbu Line, which decreased by half in the first year, while the total share of rail increased to a third. On the long-distance relations from Seoul to Daegu and Busan, the total share of rail increased from around two-fifths to a market dominating three-fifths, with the bulk of that traffic taken by the KTX. For intercity passenger traffic on the conventional Gyeongbu Line, that translates to a sharp drop on the Daejeon-Daegu section (bypassed by KTX trains) and a sharp increase on the Daegu-Busan section.

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• Korail

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{{Korail Lines}}

{{Gyeongbu Line}}

Category:Railway lines in South Korea

Category:Railway lines opened in 1905

Category:Korail lines

Category:1905 establishments in Korea

Category:Korean Empire

Category:Railway lines in Korea under Japanese rule