Sanriku Railway

Retro styled Sanriku Railway 36-600 series train
line map
red:Kita-Riasu Line
blue:Minami-Riasu Line

The Sanriku Railway (三陸鉄道, Sanriku Tetsudō) is a railway company in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan. The company and its lines are also known as Santetsu (三鉄). The company was founded in 1981, as the first "third sector" (half public, half private) railway line in the country, excluding special cases such as freight railways in seaports. Its lines are former Japanese National Railways (JNR) lines, that were going to be closed. Santetsu acquired these lines in 1984. The company also operates a travel agency and other businesses.

Lines

Kita-Rias Line

Kita-Rias Line
A train arriving at Shiraikaigan Station in May 2008
Overview
Native name 北リアス線
Locale Iwate Prefecture
Termini Miyako
Kuji
Stations 16
Operation
Owner Sanriku Railway
Technical
Line length 71.0 km (44.1 mi)
Number of tracks Single track
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification none

Station list

Station Japanese Distance
(km)		 Transfers Location
Miyako 宮古 0.0 ■ Yamada Line Miyako, Iwate
Yamaguchi Danchi 山口団地 1.6
Ichinowatari 一の渡 6.2
Sabane 佐羽根 9.1
Tarō 田老 12.7
Settai 摂待 21.5
Iwaizumi-Omoto 岩泉小本 25.1 Iwaizumi, Iwate
Shimanokoshi 島越 33.4 Tanohata, Iwate
Tanohata 田野畑 35.6
Fudai 普代 44.9 Fudai, Iwate
Shiraikaigan 白井海岸 48.3
Horinai 堀内 51.4
Noda-Tamagawa 野田玉川 55.9 Noda, Iwate
Tofugaura-Kaigan 十府ヶ浦海岸 57.6
Rikuchū-Noda 陸中野田 59.9
Rikuchū-Ube 陸中宇部 63.3 Kuji, Iwate
Kuji 久慈 71.0 ■ Hachinohe Line

    History

    The Japanese National Railways (JNR) opened the Miyako to Taro section in 1972 and the Kuji to Fudai section in 1975. It constructed the Taro to Fudai section, and transferred the entire line to Sanriku on the day it opened in 1984. The line features 42 tunnels, including the Masaki (6,532 m) and Omoto (5,174 m) tunnels, both opened in 1984.

    Minami-Rias Line

    Minami-Rias Line
    A train arriving at Sakari Station in July 2014
    Overview
    Native name 南リアス線
    Locale Iwate Prefecture
    Termini Sakari
    Kamaishi
    Stations 10
    Operation
    Owner Sanriku Railway
    Technical
    Line length 36.6 km (22.7 mi)
    Number of tracks Single track
    Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
    Electrification none

    Station list

    Station Japanese Distance
    (km)    		 Transfers Location
    Sakari 盛 0.0 ■ Ōfunato Line Ōfunato, Iwate
    Rikuzen-Akasaki 陸前赤崎 3.7
    Ryōri 綾里 9.1
    Koishihama 恋し浜 12.0
    Horei 甫嶺 14.3
    Sanriku 三陸 17.0
    Yoshihama 吉浜 21.6
    Tōni 唐丹 27.7
    Heita 平田 33.1 Kamaishi, Iwate
    Kamaishi 釜石 36.6

    History

    JNR opened the Sakari to Ryori section in 1970, extending the line to Yoshihama in 1973. It constructed the section to Kamaishi and transferred the entire line to Sanriku on the day it opened in 1984. The line features 20 tunnels.

    2011 earthquake and tsunami damage

    Both lines were heavily damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[1] The two lines suffered damage at 300 locations, including damage to station buildings and bridges. The tsunami washed away 5.8 km of railway tracks on the lines. Full restoration of service on the lines was completed in April 2014.[2]

    Diesel railcars damaged by the earthquake and tsunami were replaced by three new diesel railcars funded by Kuwait. The new cars were introduced in January 2014.[3]

    The two sections of the Sanriku Railway are separated by a destroyed segment of the Yamada Line. It is currently being rebuilt and is scheduled to reopen 22 March 2019.[4] Once rebuilt it will be transferred to Sanriku Railway, resulting in continuous service between Kuji and Ofunato.

    See also

    References

    This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

    1. ↑
    2. ↑ "Tsunami-hit Sanriku line fully operational". The Japan Times. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
    3. ↑ 三陸鉄道、新車両3両投入へ [Sanriku Railway to introduce 3 new cars]. Tetsudo.com (in Japanese). Japan: Asahi Interactive. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
    4. ↑ 三陸鉄道はいま、ひとつにつながるリアス線 (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.