Jungang line

The Jungang line () is a railway line connecting Cheongnyangni in Seoul to Moryang in Gyeongju in South Korea, traversing central South Korea from the northwest to the southeast. It is also referred to the rail line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway from Yongsan station to Jipyeong station. The section from Cheongnyangni to Dodam was designated as a semi-high-speed railway. The Jungang line was opened along its full length between Cheongnyangni and Gyeongju on April 1, 1942. Jungang means "central" in Korean, and describes the line's route through the mountains in the east-central part of South Korea. When Korea was under Japanese rule, the line was briefly known as Gyeonggyeong Line, referring to line running between Seoul and Gyeongju. On 1 December 1938 'Donghae Jungbu line' (Daegu–Haksan) was divided into the three parts: Daegu Line, Gyeongygeong line and Donghae Jungbu line, which was later merged into the Donghae Nambu Line. At the same time the Gyeonggyeong line was extended to the Ubo Station. The southern part, Gyeonggyeong Nambu Line, was opened as follows: On the other hand, the northern part, Gyeonggyeong Bukpu Line, was constructed as follows: On 1 April 1942 the two lines was merged into the Gyeonggyeong Line with the opening of the section Jechon–Yeongju (62.3 km). The name of the line was changed back to its present name after the end of World War II. 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. As part of the program, in the outskirts of Seoul, a long avoiding line was built from Mangu to Seongbuk on the Gyeongwon Line, called the Mangu Line, which opened on December 30, 1963. A part of the line was the first to be electrified with the 25 kV/60 Hz AC catenary system in South Korea: the catenary on the 155.2 km long Cheongnyangri–Jecheon section went into service on June 20, 1973. The 29.0 km long extension to Danseong followed on December 30, 1987, finally the 35.