San'yō Main Line

Sanyō Main Line
321 series and 223-1000 series EMUs on a 4-track section in Kobe
Overview
Native name	山陽本線
Type	Heavy rail, commuter rail
System	Urban Network (Kōbe - Kamigōri, Hyōgo - Wadamisaki) Hiroshima City Network (Shiraichi - Minami-Iwakuni)
Locale	Kansai, Chugoku, Kyushu regions
Termini	Kōbe, Hyōgo Moji, Wadamisaki
Stations	124
Operation
Opened	1872
Owner	JR West JR Kyushu
Operator(s)	JR West JR Kyushu JR Freight
Technical
Line length	537.1 km (333.7 mi) 528.1 km (328.1 mi) (Kōbe - Shimonoseki) 6.3 km (3.9 mi) (Shimonoseki - Moji) 2.7 km (1.7 mi) (Hyōgo - Wadamisaki)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary (Kōbe - Shimonoseki, Hyōgo - Wadamisaki) 20 kV AC 60 Hz overhead catenary (Shimonoseki - Moji)
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph) (Kōbe - Okayama) 120 km/h (75 mph) (Okayama - Shimonoseki) 85 km/h (55 mph) (Shimonoseki - Moji, Hyōgo - Wadamisaki)

The Sanyō Main Line (山陽本線 San'yō-honsen) is major railway line owned by JR Group companies in western Japan, connecting Kobe Station and Moji Station, largely paralleling the coast of the Inland Sea, in other words the southern coast of western Honshu. The Sanyō Shinkansen line largely parallels its route. The name Sanyō derived from the ancient region and highway Sanyōdō, the road on the sunny (south) side of the mountains.

The Sanyō Main Line is operated by the two JR companies West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The Wadamisaki Line, a short section of line in length of 2.7 km between Hyōgo and Wadamisaki stations in Kobe is technically part of the Sanyō Main Line. A short section connecting Kitakyushu Freight Terminal also forms part of the Sanyō Main Line.

Basic data

• Operators, distances: 537.1 km / 333.7 mi.
  • West Japan Railway Company (Category-1, Services and tracks)
    • From Kobe to Shimonoseki: 528.1 km / 328.1 mi.
    • From Hyōgo to Wadamisaki: 2.7 km / 1.7 mi.
  • Kyushu Railway Company (Category-1, Services and tracks)
    • From Shimonoseki to Moji: 6.3 km / 3.9 mi.
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Category-2, Services)
    • From Kobe to Kitakyushu Freight Terminal: 534.4 km / 332.1 mi.
• Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Stations:
  • Passenger stations: 124
  • Freight terminals: 5
• Track:
  • Quadruple-track line:
    • From Kobe to Nishi-Akashi: 22.8 km / 14.1 mi.
    • From Kaitaichi to Hiroshima: 6.4 km / 4.0 mi.
  • Double-track line:
    • From Nishi-Akashi to Kaitaichi: 275.5 km / 171.2 mi.
    • From Hiroshima to Moji: 208.0 km / 129.2 mi.
  • Single-track line:
    • From Hyōgo to Wadamisaki
• Electric supply: Whole the line (1,500 V DC. Excluding inside Moji Station and Kitakyūshū Freight Terminal, which is 20,000 V AC, 60 Hz.)
• Railway signalling:
  • From Kobe to Moji: Automatic
  • From Hyōgo to Wadamisaki: Special Automatic (Track Circuit Detection); a simplified automatic system.
• Maximum speed at service:
  • From Kobe to Himeji: 130 km/h
  • From Himeji to Okayama: Tilting trains 130 km/h, others 120 km/h
  • From Okayama to Shimonoseki: 120 km/h
  • From Shimonoseki to Moji: 85 km/h
  • From Hyōgo to Wadamisaki: 85 km/h
• CTC centers:
  • From Kobe to Kamigōri: Shin-Ōsaka Operation Control Center
  • From Kamigōri to Itozaki: Okayama Transportation Control Room
  • From Itozaki to Shimonoseki: Hiroshima Operation Control Center
  • From Shimonoseki to Moji: Hakata Operation Control Center
• CTC system:
  • From Kobe to Kamigōri: Safety Urban Network Traffic System (SUNTRAS)

Stations

From Kobe to Himeji (JR Kobe Line)

See the JR Kobe Line article for the list.

From Himeji to Itozaki

Ra: Rapid (快速 Kaisoku)

SR: Special Rapid (新快速 Shin-Kaisoku)

SL: Rapid Sun Liner (快速サンライナー Kaisoku Sanrainā)

• All trains stop at stations signed "+". Some trains stop at "*". No trains (other than local) stop at "-".
• Rapid trains coming from Osaka/Kobe area become local trains from Akashi and westward.
• Rapid Sun Liner becomes a local train except between Okayama and Fukuyama.
• Rapid trains from Hiroshima City Network stop at all the stations in this section. They become local trains from Okayama and eastward.

Station name	Japanese	Total distance (km)	Ra	SR	SL	Transfers	Location
JR West
Himeji	姫路	54.8	+	+		Bantan Line, Kishin Line, Sanyō Main Line (JR Kobe Line), Sanyō Shinkansen Sanyo Railway Main Line (Sanyō Himeji)	Himeji	Hyōgo
Agaho	英賀保	59.4	+	+
Harima-Katsuhara	はりま勝原	62.2	+	+
Aboshi	網干	65.1	+	+
Tatsuno	竜野	71	+	+			Tatsuno
Aioi	相生	75.5	+	+		Akō Line, Sanyō Shinkansen	Aioi
Une	有年	83.1	+	+			Akō
Kamigōri	上郡	89.6	+	+		Chizu Express Chizu Line	Kamigōri, Akō
Mitsuishi	三石	102.4					Bizen	Okayama
Yoshinaga	吉永	109.5
Wake	和気	114.8					Wake, Wake
Kumayama	熊山	119.4					Akaiwa
Mantomi	万富	123.5					Higashi-ku, Okayama
Seto	瀬戸	128.0
Jōtō	上道	132.7
Higashi-Okayama	東岡山	136.1				Akō Line	Naka-ku, Okayama
Takashima	高島	138.9
Nishigawara	西川原	140.8
Okayama	岡山	143.4			+	Kibi Line, Sanyō Shinkansen, Tsuyama Line, Uno Line (Seto-Ōhashi Line) ■ Okayama Electric Tramway Higashiyama Line and ■ Okayama Electric Tramway Seikibashi Line (both at Okayama-Ekimae)	Kita-ku, Okayama
Nishi-Okayama Freight Terminal	西岡山(貨)	145.9			-
Kitanagase	北長瀬	146.8			-
Niwase	庭瀬	149.9			-
Nakashō	中庄	154.6			-		Kurashiki
Kurashiki	倉敷	159.3			+	Hakubi Line Mizushima Main Line (Kurashikishi)
Nishiachi	西阿知	163.3			-
Shin-Kurashiki	新倉敷	168.6			+	Sanyō Shinkansen
Konkō	金光	174.9			*		Asakuchi
Kamogata	鴨方	178.4			*
Satoshō	里庄	182.4			*		Satoshō, Asakuchi
Kasaoka	笠岡	187.1			+		Kasaoka
Daimon	大門	194.2			-		Fukuyama	Hiroshima
Higashi-Fukuyama	東福山	197.5			-
Fukuyama	福山	201.7			+	Fukuen Line, Sanyō Shinkansen
Bingo-Akasaka	備後赤坂	207.5
Matsunaga	松永	212.4
Higashi-Onomichi	東尾道	215.3					Onomichi
Onomichi	尾道	221.8
Itozaki	糸崎	230.9					Mihara

From Itozaki to Tokuyama (Hiroshima City Network)

Ra: Rapid Service

• All trains stop at stations signed "+". No trains (other than local) stop at "-".
• Rapid Service runs from suburbs to Hiroshima on morning.

Station name	Japanese	Total distance (km)	Ra	Transfers	Location
JR West
Itozaki	糸崎	230.9			Mihara	Hiroshima
Mihara	三原	233.3		Kure Line, Sanyō Shinkansen
Hongō	本郷	242.8
Kōchi	河内	255.1			Higashihiroshima
Nyūno	入野	259.5
Shiraichi	白市	263.9
Nishitakaya	西高屋	268.3
Saijō	西条	272.9	+
Hachihommatsu	八本松	278.9	+
Seno	瀬野	289.5	-	Skyrail Midorizaka Line (Midoriguchi)	Aki-ku, Hiroshima
Nakanohigashi	中野東	292.4	-
Aki-Nakano	安芸中野	294.4	-
Kaitaichi	海田市	298.3	+	Kure Line	Kaita, Aki
Mukainada	向洋	300.6	-		Fuchū, Aki
Tenjingawa	天神川	302.4	-		Minami-ku, Hiroshima
Hiroshima Freight Terminal	広島貨物ターミナル	303.1	-
Hiroshima	広島	304.7	+	■ Route 1, ■ 2, ■ 5, ■ 6; Hiroden Main Line Geibi Line, Sanyō Shinkansen
Shin-Hakushima	新白島	306.5	+	Hiroshima Rapid Transit Astram Line; Sanyō Main Line; Kabe Line	Nishi-ku, Hiroshima
Yokogawa	横川	307.7	+	■ Route 7 and ■ 8; Hiroden Yokogawa Line Kabe Line
Nishi-Hiroshima	西広島	310.2	+	■ Route 2 and ■ 3; Main Line and Hiroden Miyajima Line (Hiroden-nishi-hiroshima)
Shin-Inokuchi	新井口	314.4	+	■ Route 2; Miyajima Line (Shōkō Center-iriguchi)
Itsukaichi	五日市	316.8	+	■ Route 2; Miyajima Line (Hiroden-itsukaichi)	Saeki-ku, Hiroshima
Hatsukaichi	廿日市	320.2	-	■ Route 2; Miyajima Line (Hiroden-hatsukaichi)	Hatsukaichi
Miyauchi-Kushido	宮内串戸	321.8	+	■ Route 2; Miyajima Line (Miyauchi)
Ajina	阿品	324.8	-	■ Route 2; Miyajima Line (Hiroden-ajina)
Miyajimaguchi	宮島口	326.5	+	■ Route 2; Miyajima Line (Hiroden-miyajima-guchi) JR Miyajima Ferry
Maezora	前空	328.3	-
Ōnoura	大野浦	331.4	-
Kuba	玖波	336.4	-		Ōtake
Ōtake	大竹	340.8	+
Waki	和木	342.3	-		Waki, Kuga	Yamaguchi
Iwakuni	岩国	346.1	+	Gantoku Line	Iwakuni
Minami-Iwakuni	南岩国	350.7
Fujū	藤生	353.4
Tsuzu	通津	358.6
Yū	由宇	361.6
Kōjiro	神代	366.8
Ōbatake	大畠	371.9			Yanai
Yanaiminato	柳井港	376.4
Yanai	柳井	379.2
Tabuse	田布施	385.4			Tabuse, Kumage
Iwata	岩田	390.9			Hikari
Shimata	島田	395.9
Hikari	光	400.7
Kudamatsu	下松	406.9			Kudamatsu
Kushigahama	櫛ヶ浜	411.5		Gantoku Line	Shūnan
Tokuyama	徳山	414.9		Sanyo Shinkansen

Tokuyama to Moji

• Hiroshima City Network Rapid trains stop at all the stations in this section.

Station name	Japanese	Total distance (km)	Transfers	Location
JR West
Tokuyama	徳山	414.9	Sanyo Shinkansen	Shūnan	Yamaguchi
Shinnan-yō	新南陽	421.9
Fukugawa	福川	425.7
Heta	戸田	425.7
Tonomi	富海	434.2		Hōfu
Hōfu Freight Terminal	防府(貨)	437.2
Hōfu	防府	441.4
Daidō	大道	449.2
Yotsutsuji	四辻	454.0		Yamaguchi
Shin-Yamaguchi	新山口	459.2	Sanyō Shinkansen, Ube Line, Yamaguchi Line
Kagawa	嘉川	463.2
Hon-Yura	本由良	467.7
Kotō	厚東	478.0		Ube
Ube	宇部	484.5	Ube Line
Onoda	小野田	488.0	Onoda Line	Sanyōonoda
Asa	厚狭	494.3	Mine Line, Sanyō Shinkansen
Habu	埴生	502.6
Ozuki	小月	508.8		Shimonoseki
Chōfu	長府	515.0
Shin-Shimonoseki	新下関	520.9	Sanyō Shinkansen
Hatabu	幡生	524.6	Sanin Main Line
Shimonoseki	下関	528.1
JR Kyushu
Shimonoseki	下関			Shimonoseki	Yamaguchi
Moji	門司	534.4	Kagoshima Main Line	Moji-ku, Kitakyushu	Fukuoka

Wadamisaki Line

See the Wadamisaki Line article.

Rolling stock

JR West 117 series EMU

JR Kyushu 415 series EMU

Freight train with Class EF67 bank engine

JR West

Limited Express

• 285 series EMUs (Sunrise Izumo/Sunrise Seto service)
• 381 series EMUs (Yakumo service)
• KiHa 187 series DMUs (Super Inaba service)
• Chizu Express HOT 7000 series (Super Hakuto service)

Local Trains

• 103 series EMUs
• 105 series EMUs
• 113 series EMUs
• 115 series EMUs
• 117 series EMUs
• 123 series EMUs
• 207 series EMUs
• 213 series EMUs
• 221 series EMUs
• 223-1000/2000/6000 series EMUs
• 225-0 series EMUs
• 321 series EMUs

New 2- and 3-car 227 series electric trains are scheduled to be introduced in the Hiroshima area on the Sanyo Main Line during fiscal 2014, replacing older 115 series trains.^[1]

JR Kyushu

• 415 series EMUs

History

The entire line between Kobe Station and Shimonoseki Station was originally opened by the private Sanyō Railway company. The section between Hyōgo Station (in Kobe) and Akashi Station (in Akashi, Hyōgo) opened first in 1888. In 1889 the line was extended to the east to Kobe Station (as a dual track section) and Tatsuno Station (in Tatsuno, Hyōgo Prefecture) to the west. The Sanyō Railway was progressively extended to the west, reaching Okayama and the Fukuyama in 1891, Hiroshima in 1894 and in 1901 it reached Bakan (now Shimonoseki) Station. Under the Railway Nationalization Act of 1906 it was purchased by the Japanese government and renamed Sanyō Main Line.

The Hyogo - Himeji section was duplicated in 1899, and the Hiroshima - Kaitaichi section in 1903. After the line was nationalised, further duplications occurred between Kamigori - Yoshinaga in 1910/11, Hatabu - Shimonoseki in 1915 and Himeji - Agaho in 1917. Work to duplicate the remainder of the line commenced in 1921, and opened in stages until completed in 1930, with the exception of the section between Iwakuni and Kushigahama, where construction of a new direct line had commenced. This direct line, which bypassed the coastal section via Yanai involved significant tunnelling, and unexpected geological instability delayed completion of the line until 1934, and then as a single track. Although the new line became the Sanyo Main Line at that time, in 1944 the original coastal alignment was duplicated and returned to the formal Sanyo Main Line, with the former bypass line becoming the Gantoku Line.

The Kobe - Akashi section was electrified in 1934, extended to Himeji in 1958, Hiroshima in 1962 and (except for the Wadamisaki Line, which was electrified in 2001) the entire line was electrified in 1964, to coincide with the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka the same year.

The Sanyō Main Line parallels the Inland Sea but some parts could be shortened by tunnels. In 1934, the Gantoku Line between Iwakuni and Tokuyama (today Shūnan, Yamaguchi) was opened and replaced the former line which traverses Yanai adjacent to the Inland Sea. In 1944, this new alignment was replaced again by the previous coastal alignment because the coastal line was upgraded to dual tracks.

The Sanyō Main Line was connected to Kyushu by ferry from Shimonoseki and Shimonosekiko Station (Port Shimonoseki). In 1942, the Kanmon Tunnel under the Kanmon Straits was completed and the Sanyō Main Line was extended to Moji Station. A second tunnel duplicating the section opened in 1944.

Prior to the opening of the Sanyo Shinkansen, many expresses operated on the Sanyō Main Line and it serves as a major transport corridor through Western Honshu and connecting to Kyushu. The Shinkansen was extended as the Sanyō Shinkansen line, first to Okayama Station in 1972, and then to Hakata Station in 1975. On both occasions many express services on the Sanyo Main Line were withdrawn, and since 1972, the line has been mainly used by local and freight services. CTC signalling was commissioned between Mihara and Shimonoseki in 1984. The section between Kobe and Nishi Akashi was severely damaged by the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, and took ten weeks to repair.

Former connecting lines

Iwakuni Electric Railway train

• Hyogo Station: A 5 km lne to the Hyogo Port operated between 1911 and 1984.
• Tsuchiyama Station: A 4 km line to Befu-Ko operated between 1923 and 1984. It connected to the Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line at Befu.
• Himeji Station: The Bantan Railway built a 16 km line east to Shikama-Kou (near Kakogawa), opened in 1895 and closed in 1986.
• Aboshi Station: The Tatsuno Electric Railway opened a 17 km 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge line electrified at 600 V DC from Shingu-Cho to Aboshiko between 1909 and 1915, which connected at this station. The line closed in 1934. A 6 km line to Hamadako operated between 1943 and 1989.
• Une Station: The Ako Railway operated a 13 km 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Banshu-Ako on the Ako Line between 1921 and 1951.
• Wake Station: The Dowa Mining opened a 34 km line between Nishi-Katakamito on the Ako Line and Yanahara, to haul iron sulphide ore, between 1923 and 1931. Passenger services commenced in 1931, freight services ceased in 1988 and the line closed in 1991.
• Takashima Station: The Saidaiji Railway operated a 915 mm (3 ft) gauge line between Saidaiji and Korakuen between 1911 and 1962.
• Kasaoka Station: The Ikasa Railway operated a 19 km 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Ihara between 1913 and 1971. It had a 6 km branch from Kitagawa to Yakage that operated between 1921 and 1967. At Ihara, it connected to the company's line to Kannabe on the Fukuen Line.
• Hiroshima Station: The Sanyo Railway was commissioned by the Japanese Army to build a 6 km line to Ujina Port following the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894. In 1897, the company leased the line from the army and commenced a passenger service, and when the company was nationalised in 1906, ownership of the line transferred from the army to JGR. The army leased the line in 1915 for use during World War I and subsequent hostilities in China, and passenger services were suspended between 1919 and 1930. The line was not damaged by the atomic bomb attack, but was damaged by Typhoon Marurazaki which hit the area six weeks later. Passenger service ceased in 1972, and the line closed in 1986. The Kirin Brewery operated a 2 km line to its complex between 1937 and 1986.
• Shin-Yamaguchi Station: The Dainippon Railway opened a 13 km line from Ogori (renamed Shin-Yamaguchi in 2003) to Yamaguchi in 1908, which closed in 1913 when the JGR opened its parallel line.
• Ube Station: The Funaki Railway opened a 6 km 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line in 1916. The line was converted to 1,067 mm gauge in 1922, and extended 12 km to Kibe in 1926. The last 8 km closed in 1944, and the rest of the line in 1961.

A Nagato Railway train

• Ozuki Station: The Nagato Railway opened an 18 km line to Nishi-Cho in 1918. JGR assumed control of the line as a wartime measure in 1942, a situation which continued until 1949. The line closed in 1956.
• Hatabu Station: The Choshu Railway opened a 27 km line from Higashi-Mozeki to Kogushi in 1914. A proposed extension to Nagato was not built due to funding constraints, but the line was electrified at 600 V DC in 1926. The company merged with the Sanyo Electric Railway in 1928, and the line closed in 1971.

See also

• JR Kobe Line

References

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

1. "JR西日本、広島地区に227系近郊形直流電車を投入" [JR West to introduce 227 series DC suburban trains in Hiroshima area]. The Page (in Japanese). Japan: Wordleaf Corporation. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.