Thus the Kyŏngŭi Line was rapidly built, being opened by the Temporary Military Railway for freight traffic on 5 November 1905 and to passengers on 3 April 1906.

By 1 April 1908, when the "Ryuki" express train from Busan to Sinŭiju entered service, every station on the line was operational.

After the Pacific War and the end of Japanese rule in 1945, Korea was partitioned along the 38th parallel, with the northern half under Soviet control.

[5] On 31 December 1950 a train consisting of the locomotive "Mate 10" and 25 cars, going from Hanp'o to Munsan, was ordered to stop at Changdan by the US Army and was destroyed.

[1] After having been closed since 1948, on 15 June 2000 an inter-Korean Joint Declaration was made, announcing the intention to reconnect the railways between North and South.

On 17 May 2007 the first train between North and South crossed the DMZ, carrying invited dignitaries from both sides of the inner-Korean border.

From then on, freight trains from the south to the Kaesŏng Industrial District were operated until 28 November 2008, when the North temporarily closed the line due to changes in the political situation.

Tensions between North and South escalated again in 2013, leading to the closure of the border again on 4 May of that year,[7] remaining closed until 16 September when it was reopened.

Major commodities arriving at Sariwŏn include anthracite, fertilizer, steel, logs, stone, sand, and gravel.

Hwangju, Sŏhŭng, Kŭmch'ŏn, and P'yŏngsan stations are transfer points for passengers from Yŏnt'an, Rinsan and T'osan counties, which have no railways.

There is only one express train operating on this line, due to a far greater demand for short-distance commuter service than long-distance travel.