Rapid Transit in North Korea - Construction

Construction

Construction of the metro network started in 1965, and stations opening between 1969 and 1972 by former President Kim Il-sung. In 1971, there was a major accident during the construction of a tunnel under the Taedong River for the Ponghwa (Korean: 봉화) station. Some sources say at least 100 workers died in the accident. This particular piece of tunnel was never completed; the metro network is now completely located on the western side of the river.

Pyongyang Metro is the deepest metro in the world—the track is approximately 110 meters (about 360 feet) deep underground. (The Saint Petersburg Metro also claims to be the deepest, based on the average depth of all its stations. The Arsenalna station on Kiev Metro's Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line is currently the deepest station in the world at 105.5 metres.) The Pyongyang Metro has a museum devoted to its construction and history.

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