West Chōsen Central Railway

The West Chōsen Central Railway was a privately owned railway company established in Korea during the period of Japanese colonial rule. Its lines were built in stages between 1939 and 1945 and served areas in what is now North Korea, connecting the Seunghori, Sinseongcheon, Bukchang, Deokcheon and Jangsang coal-producing districts. The railway’s development was closely associated with the expansion of anthracite mining and with the wider wartime effort to increase industrial and mineral transport capacity in the Korean Peninsula. The company initially operated two separated sections. Its first section ran from Seunghori toward the Pyeongnam Gangdong area. A second, isolated section opened in 1941 between Sinseongcheon and Bukchang, with the Jaedong Line branching from Gujeong to Jaedong. The sections were joined in September 1942 when the missing link between Pyeongnam Gangdong and Sinseongcheon was completed. This created a through route, although the company’s control over part of that route was short-lived: in April 1944, the Chosen Government Railway nationalised the section from Seunghori to Sinseongcheon and incorporated it into the P'yŏngyang Colliery Line. After losing the western portion of its original route, the company continued extending the remaining Seoseon Line eastward toward the Deokcheon and Jangsang coal fields. Extensions from Bukchang to Okcheon and then to Jangan opened in late 1944 and May 1945 respectively, with the line reaching Deokcheon later in 1945. The planned Deokbal Line was intended to continue from Deokcheon through the Jangsangri area to Gujang, where it would connect with the Chosen Government Railway’s Manpo Line. Difficult terrain delayed completion, and the connection was not finished before the end of the Pacific War. The railway carried freight and passenger traffic on its own routes and also participated in a through service operated jointly with the Chōsen Pyeongan Railway, running from Deokcheon to Yonggang Oncheon on the latter company’s Oncheon Line. Coal traffic became increasingly important as wartime industrial activity expanded. To meet rising demand, the company acquired eight Mikasa-class 2-8-2 steam locomotives in 1943 and 1944. Because locomotive manufacturing capacity in Japan and Korea was under severe wartime pressure, it also borrowed Mikaro-class locomotives from the South Manchuria Railway. Following Japan’s defeat in 1945 and the division of Korea, the railway’s network fell within the Soviet occupation zone and the territory that became the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. On 10 August 1946, the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised the railway together with other railways in the Soviet zone. The former company’s lines subsequently became part of the Korean State Railway. In the modern North Korean network, the principal route is associated with the P'yŏngdŏk Line, while the Hyangjang–Jangsang section is identified with the Changsang Line. The intended connection toward Gujang and the Manpo Line was completed only after the Korean War, under the successor state railway rather than the original private company.

The West Chōsen Central Railway operated in Korea during the final years of Japanese rule and was created as a privately owned railway undertaking rather than as a branch of the state-owned Chosen Government Railway. Its network was designed to serve developing industrial districts in the western and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, particularly areas associated with anthracite extraction. Construction and opening proceeded in stages. The company opened a 29.6-kilometre section from Seunghori to Seongneum on 29 June 1939. An additional 8.5 kilometres to Pyeongnam Gangdong followed on 1 October 1939. A separate line opened on 1 October 1941, consisting of a 36.1-kilometre route from Sinseongcheon to Bukchang and a 4.4-kilometre branch from Gujeong to Jaedong, known as the Jaedong Line. These routes were initially disconnected from the Seunghori section. The gap between Pyeongnam Gangdong and Sinseongcheon was closed on 18 September 1942, creating a continuous route. The unified route did not remain entirely under company control. On 1 April 1944, the Chosen Government Railway took over the section from Seunghori through Sinseongcheon and incorporated it into the P'yŏngyang Colliery Line. The West Chōsen Central Railway retained and expanded its eastern section, which became known as the Seoseon Line. An extension toward Deokcheon and the Jangsang coal fields had received approval from the Railway Bureau in June 1940. The project was linked to coal development by the Chosen Anthracite Company, which had opened mines in the area in 1938. The retained line was extended from Bukchang to Okcheon, a 5.9-kilometre section opened on 28 December 1944. A further 6.4 kilometres to Jangan opened on 25 May 1945, and the line reached Deokcheon later that year. The company also planned the Deokbal Line, which would have continued from Deokcheon through Jangsangri to Gujang and connected with the Manpo Line. Construction encountered difficult terrain. Work proceeded on a revised alignment, but the project was incomplete when Japan surrendered in August 1945. The railway’s traffic reflected its industrial purpose. Coal and other mineral movements were central to the network, while passenger services connected settlements along the line. The company also operated a service in cooperation with the Chōsen Pyeongan Railway, linking Deokcheon with Yonggang Oncheon, the terminus of the other company’s Oncheon Line. Wartime traffic growth produced a shortage of motive power. The company purchased eight Mikasa-class 2-8-2 steam locomotives in 1943 and 1944 and borrowed Mikaro-class locomotives from the South Manchuria Railway when Japanese and Korean locomotive builders could not supply enough additional engines. After the Pacific War, the company’s remaining network lay in the northern part of Korea, which came under Soviet occupation and later formed part of North Korea. The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised all railways in the Soviet zone on 10 August 1946. The West Chōsen Central Railway therefore ceased to exist as an independent private operator and its routes entered the Korean State Railway. The postwar state railway eventually completed the connection toward Gujang and the Manpo Line after the Korean War. In the contemporary North Korean railway system, the former route is associated mainly with the P'yŏngdŏk Line, while the Hyangjang–Jangsang segment is associated with the Changsang Line.

1. 1946Nationalisation in North Korea

   The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised the railway on 10 August 1946, transferring it to the Korean State Railway.

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2. 1945Jangan and Deokcheon extensions

   A 6.4-kilometre extension to Jangan opened on 25 May 1945, followed by the line’s arrival at Deokcheon later in the year.

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3. 1944Western section nationalised

   On 1 April 1944, the Chosen Government Railway took over the Seunghori–Sinseongcheon section and incorporated it into the P'yŏngyang Colliery Line.

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4. 1944Bukchang–Okcheon extension opens

   The retained eastern network was extended 5.9 kilometres from Bukchang to Okcheon on 28 December 1944.

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5. 1942Separated railway sections connected

   The 30.3-kilometre gap between Pyeongnam Gangdong and Sinseongcheon was closed on 18 September 1942.

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6. 1941Sinseongcheon–Bukchang section and Jaedong branch open

   A separate 36.1-kilometre main route from Sinseongcheon to Bukchang opened with the 4.4-kilometre Jaedong Line branch from Gujeong to Jaedong.

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7. 1939Initial Seunghori–Seongneum route opens

   The railway opened its first 29.6-kilometre section between Seunghori and Seongneum on 29 June 1939.

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8. 1939Extension to Pyeongnam Gangdong

   An 8.5-kilometre extension from Seongneum to Pyeongnam Gangdong opened on 1 October 1939.

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A regional industrial railway focused on connecting coal fields and mining districts with the broader Korean railway network, while also providing local passenger and interline services.

• Seoseon LineRailway line1941

  The company’s principal retained route after the Chosen Government Railway took over the western section in 1944. It ran through the Bukchang and Deokcheon area and was extended toward the Jangsang coal fields in the final years of Japanese rule. The route later became part of the Korean State Railway network and is associated with the modern P'yŏngdŏk Line.

• Jaedong LineBranch railway line1941

  A 4.4-kilometre branch running from Gujeong to Jaedong. It opened together with the Sinseongcheon–Bukchang section in 1941 and formed part of the company’s industrial railway network in the Bukchang area.

• Deokcheon–Yonggang Oncheon serviceInterline train service

  A cooperative service operated with the Chōsen Pyeongan Railway. It connected Deokcheon with Yonggang Oncheon, the terminus of the partner company’s Oncheon Line, extending the railway’s reach beyond its own infrastructure.

• Mikasa-class steam locomotivesRolling stock1943

  Eight Mikasa-class 2-8-2 steam locomotives were acquired in 1943 and 1944 to handle the substantial increase in wartime traffic, particularly industrial and coal movements.

• 1946Final nationalisation and transfer to the Korean State RailwayM&A

  After Japan’s surrender and Korea’s partition, the railway lay within the Soviet occupation zone.

  What changed. The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised the railway on 10 August 1946 along with other railways in the zone.

  Aftermath. The private company ceased to operate as an independent entity, and its infrastructure became part of the Korean State Railway.

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• 1944Western route transferred to the Chosen Government RailwayM&A

  The company’s original route had been completed as a continuous line only shortly before the transfer.

  What changed. On 1 April 1944, the Seunghori–Sinseongcheon section was nationalised and incorporated into the P'yŏngyang Colliery Line.

  Aftermath. The West Chōsen Central Railway continued operating its truncated eastern network and pursued extensions toward Deokcheon and Jangsang.

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• 1943Expanded locomotive fleet during wartime traffic growthOther

  Rising traffic volumes during the Pacific War created a shortage of motive power, while locomotive production capacity in Japan and Korea was constrained.

  What changed. The company acquired eight Mikasa-class 2-8-2 locomotives during 1943 and 1944 and supplemented them with borrowed Mikaro-class locomotives from the South Manchuria Railway.

  Aftermath. The additional motive power supported the company’s industrial operations during its final wartime years.

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• 1940Approved extension toward Deokcheon and the Jangsang coal fieldsStrategy

  The railway sought to support coal extraction in an area where the Chosen Anthracite Company had opened mines in 1938.

  What changed. The Railway Bureau approved an extension from Bukchang toward Deokcheon and the Jangsang coal fields on 21 June 1940.

  Aftermath. Sections toward Okcheon, Jangan and Deokcheon opened during 1944 and 1945, although the proposed connection onward to Gujang was not completed before the end of the war.

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1. West Chōsen Central Railway