Chōsen Coal Industry Company
The Chōsen Coal Industry Company (Japanese: 朝鮮石炭工業株式會社 Chōsen Sekitan Kōgyō Kabushiki Kaisha; Korean: 조선석탄공업주식회사 Joseon Seoktaneop Jusikhoesa) was a kabushiki kaisha in colonial Korea that operated collieries in Aoji, Sinaoji and Obong in Gyeongheung County, North Hamgyeong Province. In addition to the mines, after the Chōsen Synthetic Oil Company opened a large factory in Aoji-ri (now Haksong-ri) in 1937[1] to produce synthetic oil from the bituminous coal mined in the area,[2] the Chosen Coal Industry Company built a railway line, called the Ao Line, to connect its mines to the chemical factory and to the South Manchuria Railway's North Chōsen East Line, opening the line in two parts in 1938 and 1942.[3][4]
Native name | 조선석탄공업주식회사 朝鮮石炭工業株式會社 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Korean: Joseon Seoktaneop Jusikhoesa Japanese: Chōsen Sekitan Kōgyō Kabushiki Kaisha |
| Formerly | Chōsen Synthetic Oil Company 조선합성유주식회사 朝鮮合成油株式会社 |
| Type | Kabushiki kaisha |
| Industry | Mining, Railway |
| Defunct | 1945 |
| Fate | Nationalised |
| Headquarters | Haksong-ri , |
| Ao Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other name(s) | Obong Line (오봉선 (梧鳳線)) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Native name | 아오선 (Korean: Ao-seon) 阿梧線 (Japanese: Ao-sen) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Chosen Coal Industry Company | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | North Hamgyŏng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
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| Stations | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Heavy rail, Regional rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Chosen Coal Industry Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 9 September 1938 (Aoji−Hoeam) 14 September 1942 (Hoeam−Obong) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 10.4 km (6.5 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | Single track | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Following the partition of Korea and the establishment of North Korea, the company was nationalised. The Ao Line, along with all other railway lines in the country, was nationalised on 10 August 1946, becoming part of the Korean State Railway.[5]
References
- "Aoji-ri Chemical Complex". NTI. March 1, 2003.
- "북한 아오지 탄광과 석유화학공업(1편)". Bemil (in Korean). June 11, 2009.
- 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea (in Japanese) (Shōwa No. 3505). 20 September 1938.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea) (in Japanese) (Shōwa No. 4695). 14 September 1942.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Kokubu, Hayato (January 2007). 将軍様の鉄道. Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō. p. 131. ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6.