Editing Gyeongbu Line (section)

==History==
[[Image:Groundbreaking ceremony of Gyeongbu Line at Busan, 1901.jpg|thumb|Groundbreaking celebration of the Keibu Railway (present Gyeongbu Line) from Keijō to Busan in 1901]]
[[File:GyeongbuTimesSpeeds.png|thumb|Evolution of shortest travel times and top speeds between Seoul and Busan on the Gyeongbu line]]

In 1894–1895, the [[Empire of Japan]] and [[Qing Dynasty|Qing China]] fought the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] for influence over Korea. Following the war, Japan competed with the [[Russian Empire]]'s railway expansion in Northeast Asia, which led it to seek the right from the [[Korean Empire]] to build a railway from Busan to [[Keijō]]. This railway line was intended by Japan to solidify its strategic positions against Russia, which it would later go to [[Russo-Japanese War|war]].<ref name="Nakano">{{cite web |last1=Nakano |first1=Akira |title=Korea's Railway Network the Key to Imperial Japan's Control |url=https://apjjf.org/-Nakano-Akira/2533/article.html |website=The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus |date=3 September 2007 |access-date=22 July 2021 |quote='From Korea's point of view, the Imperial Japanese Army brought railways with it, beginning a period of deprivation and oppression. Japan thought the Korean Peninsula was strategically crucial to its military and laid railways as tools to control the peninsula. The Russo-Japanese War was, in a way, a war over railways.' Chung [Jae Jong] went on to explain that the great powers viewed railways as key to expanding their areas of influence because of the ease with which military personnel and goods could be transported in bulk.}}</ref> Surveying began in 1896, and in spite of local protests, the Korean Empire gave Japan the right to build the line in 1898.<ref name="donga-hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?n=200708200080 |title=<nowiki>[책갈피 속의 오늘]1901년 경부선 철도 기공 </nowiki> |date=2007-08-20 |publisher=[[The Dong-a Ilbo]] |access-date=2010-10-28}}</ref> Construction of the railway started on August 20, 1901, with a ceremony at [[Yeongdeungpo|Eitōho-ku]], Keijō.<ref name="donga-hist"/> Construction was supervised by Japanese, with local Koreans commandeered into forced labor and paid with coupons.<ref name="donga-hist"/><ref name="Nakano"/>

Japan also sought to gain control of the [[Gyeongui Line|Keigi Railway]] project that was to continue tracks further north, recognizing the trunk route as a means to keep Korea under its influence.<ref name="Nakano"/> After the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan ignored Korea's declaration of neutrality and transported troops to [[Incheon]]. Japan also forced the Korean government to sign an agreement that ceded its control of the railway. Japanese military bases were established in connection with the railway, the biggest of them next to [[Yongsan Station|Ryūzan Station]] in Keijō.<ref name="Nakano"/>

The Gyeongbu line was publicly inaugurated on January 1, 1905 as the {{nihongo|'''Keibu Railway'''|京釜鐵道|Keibu tetsudō}}.<ref name="donga-hist"/><ref name="Toshikazu">{{cite web |last1=Kitayama |first1=Toshikazu |title=京釜鉄道(ソール－プサン間）建設と日露戦争 |url=http://ktymtskz.my.coocan.jp/agia/coria.htm |website=北山敏和の鉄道いまむかし |access-date=22 July 2021 |language=Japanese}}</ref> The first trains travelled the line in 17 hours 4 minutes.<ref name="korail-ts">{{cite web |url=http://info.korail.com/2007/kra/gal/gal02000/w_gal02201.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003183312/http://info.korail.com/2007/kra/gal/gal02000/w_gal02201.jsp|archive-date=2011-10-03|title=열차속도의 변천 |publisher=[[Korail]] |access-date=2011-01-14|language=ko}}</ref> By April 1906, travel time was reduced to 11 hours,<ref name="korail-ts"/> while top speed was {{convert|60|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="rn-ts">{{cite web |url=http://railnuri.wsu.ac.kr/rail/techency/t_5_34.htm |script-title=ko:차량 기술현황 |language=ko |publisher=[[Woosong University]] |access-date=2011-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317054010/http://railnuri.wsu.ac.kr/rail/techency/t_5_34.htm |archive-date=2012-03-17 }}</ref> The line developed into the backbone of transport in [[Korea under Japanese rule]]. Following the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]], from April 1, 1933, the line was traversed by direct trains from Busan to Andong (today [[Dandong]]) across the border.<ref name="kriic2">{{cite web|url=http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history2.jsp|title=History of train operation|publisher=Korea Railway Industry information Center|access-date=November 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331175712/http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history2.jsp|archive-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref> From December 1, 1936, the ''Akatsuki'' luxury express trains ran on the line with a maximum speed of {{convert|90|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, and achieved the shortest pre-war travel time of 6 hours 30 minutes<ref name="korail-ts"/> in the timetable valid from November 1, 1940.<ref name="rs-ts">{{cite web |url=http://www.railsafety.or.kr/web/FileDownload.do?file=/por/jsp/admin/board/PORAdminBoardR.jsp/korailspeed.htm |script-title=ko:한국철도 열차운전속도 변천사 |language=ko |publisher=Rail Safety Information System |access-date=2011-01-07|title=Untitled Document }}</ref>

Travel times increased greatly while the line was used for transport in [[World War II]].<ref name="rs-ts"/> Following World War II, the Seoul–Busan express train re-established on May 20, 1946,<ref name="rs-ts"/> was named ''Chosun Liberator''.<ref name="kriic2"/> During the [[Korean War]], the line transported troops and refugees.<ref name="kriic1">{{cite web|url=http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history.jsp|title=History|publisher=Korea Railway Industry information Center|access-date=November 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722141256/http://www.kric.or.kr/english/history.jsp|archive-date=July 22, 2011}}</ref> The line remained the backbone of transport in South Korea after the war,<ref name="EffectofHSR2008"/> when [[diesel locomotive]]s<ref name="kriic2"/> and the cross-country [[Mugunghwa-ho]] train class was introduced.<ref name="korail-ts"/> Following the 1961 coup, the [[Supreme Council for National Reconstruction]] started South Korea's [[Five-year plans of South Korea#1962–1966|first five-year plan]], which included a construction program to complete the railway network, to foster economic growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silvernetnews.com/?inc=newsview&no=8229&s=20&ss=0&sss=0 |title=<nowiki>철마 110년, 영고의 자취 [12] 경제개발과 철도</nowiki> |language=ko |date=2010-03-20 |publisher=Silvernet News |access-date=2010-11-16}}</ref> On the Gyeongbu Line, the effort was advertised with a new class of express trains named ''Jaegeon-ho'', (Reconstruction train) introduced on May 15, 1962.<ref name="kriic2"/> These trains reduced travel times below the best pre-WWII travel times for the first time, connecting Seoul and Busan in 6 hours 10 minutes at a top speed of {{convert|100|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="korail-ts"/>

From the 1960s, road construction began to make road transport more attractive and faster. Although top speed rose to {{convert|110|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} and the Seoul–Busan travel time along the Gyeongbu Line was reduced to 4 hours 50 minutes by June 10, 1969,<ref name="korail-ts"/> on the parallel [[Gyeongbu Expressway]], completed in 1970, travel time was only 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes.<ref name="EffectofHSR2008"/> [[Korail#History|Korean National Railroad]] responded by introducing the [[Saemaul-ho]] class of elevated-comfort express trains on August 15, 1974.<ref name="korail-ts"/> with the introduction of new [[Streamliner|streamlined]] diesel locomotives and then [[diesel multiple unit]]s in Saemaul-ho service,<ref name="kriic2"/> top speed was raised to {{convert|140|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} and travel time was reduced to 4 hours 10 minutes with the timetable valid from November 16, 1985.<ref name="korail-ts"/>