Paldang Station is a station on the Jungang Line

Jungang Line

The Jungang Line is a railway line connecting Cheongnyangni in Seoul to Gyeongju in South Korea, traversing central South Korea from the northwest to the southeast.-History:...

, located in the city of Namyangju

Namyangju

Namyangju is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City.-History of Namyangju:...

 by the northern banks of the Han River

Han River (Korea)

The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...

. Although it is one of the older train stations in Korea (built prior to the 1945 liberation), the area around the station is not developed to a great degree, and only a few passenger trains stop at the station every day.

Cultural Heritage

The old station is well-preserved, and is one of the best surviving examples of the architectural style of Japanese occupation era. The blue roof is typical of early train stations in Korea, and for this reason, it was recently designated as a national cultural asset. The old station building is currently juxtaposed to the newly renovated station (completed in 2007), and is a striking example of how Korean railroads have evolved so rapidly over a relatively short period of time.

Subway

Many residents near the station commute to Seoul daily, but the infrequent passenger train service previously rendered the area much more isolated than it should have been. Because of this problem, residents urged local politicians and Ministry of Construction for reducing inconvenience. In response to these complaints, Dosim & Paldang Stations were incorporated into the Jungang Line commuter rail system earlier than originally planned. The opening of this service has reduced commute times by over 30 minutes.