Construction

In 1896, Gojong of Korea gave the construction rights for a train line from Seoul to Jemulpo to American financier James R. Morse^[4] under the condition that it would be returned to the government in 15 years.^{[5][6][2]: 118} In return, the Korean government provided government land and purchased privately owned land for Morse's company.^[7]: 288 This was done in an attempt to keep the station from being appropriated by the Empire of Japan.^{[5][6][2]: 118} When construction for the railway began in 1897,^[7]: 288 the station was originally planned to be built in the Takpo (탁포) area, but complaints from local residents led the Korean government to instead reclaim tidal land by the Incheon port for the station.^[7]: 288 In 1899, the company ran out of funds and the rights to the station were sold to the Japanese Gyeongin Railway before construction was finished.^[3][6][4]

The station opened to the public on September 18, 1899^{[2]: 118–119} under the name Chemulpo Station^{[lower-alpha 2]} (제물포역; 濟物浦驛).^[5] The station was serviced by the Gyeongin Railway which operated trains from Incheon Station to Noryangjin station in Seoul;^[5] the completion of the Hangang Railway Bridge in July 1900 later expanded service to Seoul Station.^[8]: 278 The construction of the Gyeongin Railway and Incheon Station divided Incheon in half and limited development in the northern half of the city.^[7]: 289

Ownership over the station aided Japan during the 1904–5 Russo-Japanese War.^[2]: 119 In 1926, the Empire of Japan changed the station name to Hainchon Station (하인천역; 下仁川驛) because of the station's proximity to the Incheon Supervisory Office [ko].^[5] On June 1, 1948, the station name was changed to Incheon Station.^[9] Incheon Station was destroyed during the Korean War, and a makeshift building was used until the opening of the current station building in September 1960.^[3][6] In 2011, the city temporarily rebranded the station as Incheon Station (Chinatown) (인천역(차이나타운)).^[10]

Passenger rail service

In 1937, the Japanese Chosen Railway built the Suin Line to transport salt from the Sorae salt field [ko] in Incheon to Suwon.^[11] The narrow-gauge Suin Line operated until 1995, when the line was decommissioned to upgrade it into a standard-gauge railway.^[11][12] Incheon Station was connected to the expanded Suin Line in 2016 during the second of three stages of construction.^[12] The third stage of construction finished in 2020, merging the Suin Line with the Bundang Line into the Suin–Bundang Line and connecting Suwon to Incheon by rail for the first time in 25 years.^[11][12][13]

Service on the Seoul Subway Line 1 began in 1974, replacing Gyeongin Line services.^[14] Construction between 1991 and 2005 expanded the line to be double tracked.^[15]

Ridership has declined from an average of 20,000 daily riders in the 1970s to fewer than 10,000 daily riders in 2023.^[14][16]

Other services

Freight rail service at Incheon Station ended in 2020 as a result of rising logistics costs and a greater focus on passenger rail service.^[13] Deliveries of bituminous coal were redirected to the northern Pohang Station.^[13]

On October 8, 2019, a connection was opened between Incheon Station and the Wolmi Sea Train tourist monorail.^[17] The city had previously spent 85 billion won in 2009 constructing a connection between the station to Wolmido island, but operations for the line were suspended due to faulty construction.^[18]