Hochon Line

The Hŏch'ŏn Line is a partially electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway running from Tanch'ŏn on the P'yŏngra Line to Honggun.

Hŏch'ŏn Line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Tanp'ung Railway (1939–1945) Korean State Railway (since 1945)
Locale	South Hamgyŏng
Termini	Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn Honggun
Stations	12
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail
History
Opened	26 Aug. 1939
Technical
Line length	80.3 km (49.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3000 V DC Catenary (Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn – Hŏch'ŏn)
Route map P'yŏngra Line Tuŏn Line Hoch'ŏn Line Yŏhaejin Sea of Japan Munam Tuŏn Tanch'ŏn Refinery Tanch'ŏn Magnesia Factory 0.0 Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn Omongri Tanch'ŏn Port 7.0 Tongdae mine 10.1 Changdŏk Closed 21.1 Haunsŭng (bridge appx 220 m (720 ft)) (bridge appx 200 m (660 ft)) (tunnel appx 175 m (574 ft)) (bridge appx 140 m (460 ft)) (bridge appx 60 m (200 ft)) (overpass appx 25 m (82 ft)) (bridge appx 130 m (430 ft)) 32.6 Sangnong (tunnel appx 220 m (720 ft)) (tunnel appx 240 m (790 ft)) 39.3 Chungch'on (bridge appx 130 m (430 ft)) (tunnel appx 135 m (443 ft)) 43.5 Nongch'on (bridge appx 120 m (390 ft)) (bridge appx 155 m (509 ft)) 49.7 Ch'udong (bridge appx 190 m (620 ft)) (tunnel appx 90 m (300 ft)) (bridge appx 85 m (279 ft)) Mandŏk Line 54.7 Hŏch'ŏn (tunnel appx 245 m (804 ft)) 60.9 Suŭi (bridge appx 120 m (390 ft)) (tunnel appx 80 m (260 ft)) 67.1 Changp'a 71.3 Poch'iri (tunnel appx 380 m (1,250 ft)) (bridge appx 120 m (390 ft)) (bridge appx 140 m (460 ft)) (tunnel appx 130 m (430 ft)) 78.9 Hahonggun 80.3 Honggun

Hochon Line
Chosŏn'gŭl	허천선
Hancha	虛川線
Revised Romanization	Heocheon-seon
McCune–Reischauer	Hŏch'ŏn-sŏn

History

The privately owned Tanp'ung Railway was formed to build a railway from Tanch'ŏn on the Hamgyŏng Line of the Chosen Government Railway to P'ungsan, the county seat of P'ungsan County; it was from the first characters of the names of the endpoints that the railway, and the mainline, got its name. The initial section of the mainline, 80.3 km (49.9 mi) from Tanch'ŏn to Honggun, was opened on 26 August 1939. A branchline, the Mandŏk Line, from Kosŏng (now called Hŏch'ŏn) to Mandŏk was also opened, but the planned continuation from Honggun to P'ungsan was not completed before the fall of Japan at the end of the Pacific War.

Following the partition of Korea, the entirety of the Tanp'ung Railway's network was located in the Soviet zone of occupation. The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised all railways in the northern half of the country on 10 August 1946, and following the establishment of North Korea, the Korean State Railway was created. Damage sustained by the line during the Korean War was repaired and the line was eventually electrified, but the extension to P'ungsan (renamed Kimhyŏnggwŏn in 1990) was never built.

Services

See also: List of passenger train services in North Korea

Two pairs of passenger trains are known to run on this line:

• Local trains 551/556, operating from Kokku to Tongdae, run on this line on the segment between Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Tongdae;
• Local trains 925/926 operate on this line between Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Honggun.

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	Tanch'ŏn Ch'ŏngnyŏn	단천청년 (端川靑年)	Tanch'ŏn	단천 (端川)	P'yŏngra Line
7.0	7.0	Tongdae	동대 (東坮)
10.1	3.1	Changdŏk	장덕			Closed.
21.1	14.1	Haunsŭng	하운승 (下雲承)
32.6	11.5	Sangnong	상농 (上農)
39.3	6.7	Chungch'on	중촌 (中村)
43.5	4.2	Nongch'on	농촌 (農村)
49.7	6.2	Ch'udong	추동 (楸洞)
54.7	5.0	Hŏch'ŏn	허천 (虚川)	Kosŏng	고성 (古城)	Mandŏk Line
60.9	6.2	Suŭi	수의 (守義)
67.1	6.2	Changp'a	장파 (長坡)
71.3	4.2	Pochi'ri	보치리 (浦淄里)			Flag stop.
78.9	7.6	Hahonggun	하홍군 (下洪君)
80.3	1.4	Honggun	홍군 (洪君)