Korean State Railway

Korean State Railway
조선 민주주의 인민 공화국 철도성

Map of rail lines in North Korea
Locale	North Korea
Dates of operation	1946–
Predecessor	South Manchuria Railway, Chosen Government Railway, various private railways
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) 1,524 mm (5 ft) (dual-gauge Tumanggang to Rajin)
Electrification	3000 V DC (1,435 mm) 1500 V DC (762 mm)
Length	4,725 km (2,936 mi) (1,435 mm) 523 km (325 mi) (762 mm) 134 km (83 mi) (1,524 mm)
Headquarters	P'yŏngyang

The Korean State Railway is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (조선 민주주의 인민 공화국 철도성, Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk Ch'ŏldosŏng) and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chon Kil-su, who has held the position since 2009.

The railway lines of North Korea were originally built during the Japanese occupation of Korea by the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu), the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) and various privately owned railway companies such as the Chosen Railway (Chōtetsu). When Korea was partitioned, the Kyŏngwŏn Line was divided at the 38th parallel, and on 25 August 1945 the Soviet Army began operating trains on the Kyŏngŭi Line north of Sariwŏn. In May 1946 it was made illegal to cross the 38th parallel without a permit, and on 9 August of that year identification cards were made compulsory for rail travel in the northern part of Korea.

The beginnings of the Korean State Railway as an independent entity can be traced to 10 August 1946, when the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised all railways in the Soviet occupation zone, but its actual establishment dates to 1948, when the People's Democratic Republic of Korea was established. The Pacific War had left Korea's railways massively damaged. However, reconstruction work began immediately after the partition of Korea, and when the Korean State Railway was formally established in 1948, it had 3,767 km (2,341 mi) of railway was in functional condition, including the restoration of the electrification on the Yangdŏk-Ch'ŏnsŏng section of the P'yŏngra Line, and the new electrification of the Kaego-Koin section of the Manp'o Line. Also in 1948, the assets of the Chosen Government Railway were formally divided between North and South, leaving the KSR with around 500 steam locomotives, 8 electric locomotives, 1,280 passenger cars and 9,154 freight cars.