Jeolla Line - History

History

The first railway along a section of what became the Jeolla Line was the Chonbuk Line, a private narrow-gauge railway centered on Jeonju, which was opened on November 12, 1917. In 1927, the line was nationalised. Work on a normal-gauge replacement line started on April 18, 1929. The Jeonju–Namwon section was completed in October 1931, the Namwon–Gokseong section followed in October 1933, finally the Gokseong–Suncheon section on December 16, 1936. The Suncheon–Yeosu section, which was completed on December 25, 1930, as part of the Gwangyu Line from Songjeong-ri to Yeosu, was integrated with the line from Jeonju under the new name Jeolla Line. The line was completed with the reconstruction of the Iri (today Iksan) to Jeonju section in March 1937.