Gyeongbu Line - History

History

The Gyeongbu Line was originally constructed as a vehicle of colonialism. In 1894-1895, Imperial Japan and Qing Dynasty China fought the First Sino-Japanese War for influence over Korea. Following the war, in competition with Russia's rail expansion across China, Japan sought the right from the Korean Empire to build a railway from Busan to Seoul, the Gyeonbu Line. Surveying began in 1896, and in spite of local protests, the Korean Empire gave Japan the right to build the line in 1898. Construction of the Gyeongbu Line started on August 20, 1901, with a ceremony at Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. Construction was done by locals commanded to do forced labour, and paid with coupons.

Japan also sought to gain control of the Gyeongui Line project that was to continue tracks further north, recognising the trunk route as a means to keep Korea under its influence. The line was also advanced for military considerations in expectation of a confrontation with Russia, which came in 1904 as the Russo-Japanese War. At the start of the war, Japan ignored Korea's declaration of neutrality and transported troops to Incheon, and forced the Korean government to sign an agreement that gave Japan's military control of the railway. Troop bases were established in connection with the railway, the biggest of them next to Yongsan Station in Seoul.

Construction of the Gyeongbu Line was completed on January 1, 1905. The first trains travelled the line in 17 hours 4 minutes. By April 1906, travel time was reduced to 11 hours, while top speed was 60 km/h (37 mph). 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. From December 1, 1936, the Akatsuki luxury express trains ran on the line with a maximum speed of 90 km/h (56 mph), and achieved the shortest pre-war travel time of 6 hours 30 minutes in the timetable valid from November 1, 1940.

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. 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. 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 100 km/h (62 mph).

From the 1960s, road construction began to make road transport more attractive and faster. Although top speed rose to 110 km/h (68 mph) 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 140 km/h (87 mph) and travel time was reduced to 4 hours 10 minutes with the timetable valid from November 16, 1985.