Manchukuo National Railway
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| Locale | Manchukuo |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1933–1945 |
| Predecessor |
Fengshan Railway, Huhai Railway, Jichang Jidun Railway, Jihai Railway, Qike Railway, Shenhai Railway, Sitao Railway, Taoang Railway, Taosuo Railway |
| Successor |
China Changchun Railway (1949–1952) China Railway (since 1952) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) Russian gauge ex CER |
| Headquarters |
Mukden, Manchukuo (1933–1943); Xinjing, Manchukuo (1943–1945) |
The Manchukuo National Railway (滿洲國有鐵道, Chinese: Mǎnzhōu Guóyǒu Tiědào; Japanese: Manshū Kokuyū Tetsudō) was the state-owned national railway company of Manchukuo. Generally called the "國線" ("National Line", Chinese Guóxiàn, Japanese Kokusen), it was controlled by the Manchukuo Ministry of Transportation and had its lines primarily in the central and northern parts of the country. In local newspapers it was simply referred to it as "國鉄" (Japanese: Kokutetsu, "National Rail")
Although officially it was a state-owned railway, in reality it was built, operated and managed by the South Manchuria Railway, and the Kwantung Army frequently intervened in its affairs. As a result, the Ministry of Transportation only nominally supervised the National Railway and issued publications regarding its affairs; essentially, it was a "puppet railway" that was not a puppet of the puppet government.
In Manchuria, the division of rights in Mainland China manifested itself in the form of competition in railway construction. As a result, following the end of the Russo-Japanese War, railway rights in Manchuria were split between Russia, which operated the Chinese Eastern Railway, and Japan, which operated the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu). Meanwhile, in the western part of Manchuria there operated a Chinese-owned railway on the Beijing–Shanhaiguan–Fengtian route, the Jingfeng Railway, which had been built with a loan given by the British Hongkong Shanghai Bank. In 1913 and 1918, China and Japan concluded two railway agreements which strengthened Japanese rights in Manchuria, further increasing the dominance of the great powers in China. After the 1922 establishment of the Republic of China, political and military activities were undertaken to reclaim Chinese rights. In Manchuria this movement also reached the railways, in the form of attacks against Mantetsu and Japanese interests.
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