Jeolla Line

The Jeolla Line is a railway line in North and South Jeolla Provinces in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul (via the Gyeongbu and Honam Lines) to Yeosu. This line is planned to have KTX service by April 2011.

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.