Geibi Line

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Geibi Line
Locale	Hiroshima and Okayama Prefectures
Dates of operation	1915 – present
Track gauge	1,067 mm / 3 ft 6 in (Narrow gauge)
Length	159.1km / 98.86 miles
Headquarters	Hiroshima, Japan

The Geibi Line (芸備線, Geibisen^?) is a rail line operated by JR West in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi Station in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, and terminating at Hiroshima Station in Hiroshima, Japan. In addition to the Chūgoku Expressway, the Geibi Line is considered the main commuter and local rail line covering the route between northern Hiroshima Prefecture and the city of Hiroshima. It is used daily by people going to work and school, as well as by individuals travelling across the prefecture.

Beginning in 2007, the ICOCA card can be used in all stations between Hiroshima Station and Karuga Station (stations in the Hiroshima City Network).

Contents 1 Line data 2 Rolling stock 3 History 3.1 Geibi Railway 3.2 Shōbara Line 3.3 Sanshin Line 3.4 Geibi Line 4 Stations 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Line data

• Operator: West Japan Railway Company (Class-1 railroad)
• Official line length: 159.1km
• Gauge: 1067mm
• Stations: 44 (including Hiroshima Station)
• Double track: none (entirely single track)
• Electrified sections: none (entirely non-electrified)
• Closure system: Special automatic closure type (track circuit detection)
• Speed limit: 85km/h
• Operational command:

Bitchū Kōjiro Station — Shiomachi Station: Bingo Shōbara CTC Center

Shiomachi Station — Hiroshima Station: Hiroshima Integrated Command Center

[edit] Rolling stock

The following diesel multiple unit rolling stock are in service on the Geibi Line:

• 120 diesel series
• 58 diesel series
• 40 diesel series (2nd generation)

[edit] History

The Geibi Line began as the Geibi Railway, which ran a line between Hiroshima Station and Bingo Shōbara. The line between Bingo Shōbara and Bingo Ochiai was a provincial railroad called the Shōbara Line, and the Sanshin Line was between Onuka and Bitchū Kōjiro. In 1936, the entire rail line between Hiroshima and Bitchū Kōjiro was opened, and Geibi Railway purchased the entire line the following year. Nowadays, you can purchase a roundtrip ticket which will take you from Himeji to Tsuyama, then on to Niimi, Bingo Ochiai and Miyoshi through to Hiroshima.

[edit] Geibi Railway

• 1915-04-18: The Geibi Railway was established between Higashi Hiroshima (different than the current Higashi Hiroshima Station) and Shiwachi.
• 1915-06-01: The line was extended from Shiwachi to Miyoshi (the current Nishi Miyoshi Station).
• 1916-04-15: Hesaka Station was established.
• 1920-07-15: The line between Hiroshima and Higashi Hiroshima was opened. JNR Hiroshima Station was opened.
• 1922-06-07: The line between Miyoshi (the current Nishi Miyoshi Station) and Shiomachi (the current Kamisugi Station) was opened.
• 1923-12-08: The line between Shiomachi (the current Kamisugi Station) and Bingo Shōbara was opened.
• 1924-09-20: Nakafukawa Station and Yamanouchi Station were established.
• 1925-02-01: Wadamura Station became Shimowachi Station.
• 1929-03-20: Yaga Station and Kamifukawa Station were established.
• 1930-01-01: Shirakiyamaguchi Station, Mita Yoshinaga Station, and Tōkaichi Station were established.
• 1930-04-22: Takō Station (the current Shiomachi Station) was established.
• 1930-04-25: Mikkaichi Station was established.

[edit] Shōbara Line

• 1933-06-01: Tōkaichi Station became Bingo Tōkaichi Station and Mikkaichi Station became Bingo Mikkaichi Station. The Geibi Railway's line between Bingo Tōkaichi Station (the current Miyoshi Station) and Bingo Shōbara Station was nationalized and called the Shōbara Line.
• 1934-01-01: The former Shiomachi Station became Kamisugi Station, and Takō Station became Shiomachi Station.
• 1934-03-15: The line between Bingo Shōbara Station and Bingo Saijō Station was opened.
• 1935-12-20: The line between Bingo Saijō Station and Bingo Ochiai Station was opened.

[edit] Sanshin Line

• 1930-02-10: The Sanshin Line was established by opening the line between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Yagami Station.
• 1930-11-25: The line between Yagami Station and Tōjō Station was opened.
• 1935-06-15: The line between Tōjō Station and Onuka Station was opened.
• 1936-10-10: The line between Onuka Station and Bingo Ochia Station was opened. The Shōbara Line was absorbed into the Sanshin Line, which now included everything between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Bingo Tōkaichi Station.
• 1936-11-21: Dōgoyama Station was opened.

[edit] Geibi Line

• 1937-07-01: The Geibi Railway line between Hiroshima Station and Bingo Tōkaichi Station was nationalized, and the Sanshin Line was absorbed into the Geibi Line. Kawatachi Station became Kamikawatachi Station, Mita Yoshinaga Station became Kamimita Station, Shirakiyamaguchi Station became Shirakiyama Station, and Yaguchi Station became Akiyaguchi Station.
• 1941-08-10: Kamifukawa Station and Yaga Station were closed.
• 1942-10-28: While Yaga Station was closed, a signal box was installed.
• 1943-04-02: Because of the Yaga signal box, Yaga Station was reopened.
• 1948-08-10: Kamifukawa Station was reopened.
• 1952-02-01: Hirako Station was opened.
• 1953-10-01: Ichioka Station was opened.
• 1954-11-10: The former Miyoshi Station was renamed Nishi Miyoshi Station.
• 1954-12-10: Bingo Tōkaichi Station was renamed Miyoshi Station.
• 1955-07-20: Uchina Station was opened.
• 1955-11-11: The Chidori began service.
• 1956-12-20: Bingo Kumano Station was renamed Hibayama Station.
• 1959-04-13: The Chidori was upgraded to a local express train.
• 1962-03-15: The Taishaku began service.
• 1968-03-05: The Taishaku and Chidori were upgraded to regular express trains.
• 1983-03-01: The line between Miyoshi Station and Hiroshima Station began to use CTC.
• 1983-10-31: The line between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Miyoshi began to use CTC.
• 1985-03-15: The regular express Miyoshi began service.
• 1986-11-01: Freight service stopped on the Geibi Line.
• 1987-04-01: Japanese National Railways was privatized and split, and the Geibi Line became part of West Japan Railway Company
• 1991-04-01: The line between Niimi Station and Miyoshi Station began running Oneman service.
• 1991-11-01: The line between Miyoshi Station and Hiroshima Station began running Oneman service.
• 2002-03-22: The Chidori and Taishaku express services were absorbed into the Miyoshi express service.
• 2003-10-01: The Miyoshi Liner and Tsūkin Liner began service.
• 2006-04-23: Due to the widening of the Hiroshima Prefectural Route 37 between Hiroshima and Miyoshi, the Geibi Line between Kamikawatachi Station and Kōtachi Station was altered.
• 2006-07-19: Due to large amounts of rain damaging parts of the Geibi Line, service between Bingo Ochiai Station and Bingo Saijō Station was suspended. Interim bus service was offered beginning the following day.
• April 2007: Train service is expected to resume.

[edit] Stations

Listed in order from Bitchū Kōjiro Station to Hiroshima Station, though the chart shows through Niimi Station for convenience as most schedules show through Niimi and the train will indicate the last stop as Niimi.

• A ● indicates a station at which the train stops, and ｜ indicates a station at which that particular train does not stop. Local trains stop at all stations.
• Stations marked in aqua (■) are part of the Hiroshima City Network.

Line	Station	Official distance (km)	Express	Express: "Miyoshi Liner"	Express: Tsūkin Liner	Connecting Lines	Location
Hakubi Line	Niimi Station (新見駅)		●			JR West: Kishin Line	Niimi	Okayama Prefecture
	Nunohara Station (布原駅)		｜
	Bitchū Kōjiro Station (備中神代駅)	0.0	｜			JR West: Hakubi Line
Geibi Line
	Sakane Station (坂根駅)	3.9	｜
	Ichioka Station (市岡駅)	6.4	｜
	Yagami Station (矢神駅)	10.0	●
	Nochi Station (野馳駅)	13.6	｜
	Tōjō Station (東城駅)	18.8	●				Shōbara	Hiroshima Prefecture
	Bingo Yawata Station (備後八幡駅)	25.3	●
	Uchina Station (内名駅)	29.0	●
	Onuka Station (小奴可駅)	33.6	●
	Dōgoyama Station (道後山駅)	37.8	●
	Bingo Ochiai Station (備後落合駅)	44.6	●			JR West: Kisuki Line
	Hibayama Station (比婆山駅)	50.2
	Bingo Saijō Station (備後西城駅)	53.2
	Hirako Station (平子駅)	57.4
	Taka Station (高駅)	62.3
	Bingo Shōbara Station (備後庄原駅)	68.5
	Bingo Mikkaichi Station (備後三日市駅)	70.5
	Nanatsuka Station (七塚駅)	72.2
	Yamanouchi Station (山ノ内駅)	75.2
	Shimowachi Station (下和知駅)	80.1					Miyoshi
	Shiomachi Station (塩町駅)	83.2				JR West: Fukuen Line
	Kamisugi Station (神杉駅)	84.7				JR West: Fukuen Line
	Yatsugi Station (八次駅)	88.0				JR West: Fukuen Line
	Miyoshi Station (三次駅)	90.3		●	●	JR West: Fukuen Line JR West: Sankō Line
	Nishi Miyoshi Station (西三次駅)	91.9		｜	●
	Shiwachi Station (志和地駅)	99.6		｜	●
	Kamikawatachi Station (上川立駅)	102.2		｜	●
	Kōtachi Station (甲立駅)	106.5		●	●		Akitakata
	Yoshidaguchi Station (吉田口駅)	109.9		｜	●
	Mukaihara Station (向原駅)	116.1		●	●
	Ibaraichi Station (井原市駅)	122.0		｜	●		Asakita-ku, Hiroshima
	Shiwaguchi Station (志和口駅)	126.0		｜	●
	Kamimita Station (上三田駅)	129.5		｜	●
	Nakamita Station (中三田駅)	134.0		｜	●
	Shirakiyama Station (白木山駅)	136.3		｜	●
	Karuga Station (狩留家駅)	138.5		●	●
	Kamifukawa Station (上深川駅)	140.7		●	｜
	Nakafukawa Station (中深川駅)	143.5		●	｜
	Shimofukawa Station (下深川駅)	144.9		●	●
	Kumura Station (玖村駅)	146.8		●	｜
	Akiyaguchi Station (安芸矢口駅)	149.3		●	｜
	Hesaka Station (戸坂駅)	152.1		●	｜		Higashi-ku, Hiroshima
	Yaga Station (矢賀駅)	156.9		●	｜
	Hiroshima Station (広島駅)	159.1		●	●	JR West: Sanyō Shinkansen, Sanyo Main Line Hiroshima Electric Railway: Main Line	Minami-ku, Hiroshima
Line	Station	Official distance (km)	Express	Express: "Miyoshi Liner"	Express: Tsūkin Liner	Connecting Lines	Location

[edit] See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) 芸備線応援サイト・安芸矢口企画 (Geibi Line fan site)

JR West lines
Main	Hokuriku – Kansai – Kisei – San'in – Sanyō – Tōkaidō
Local	Ako – Bantan – Fukuchiyama – Fukuen – Gantoku – Geibi – Hakubi – Inbi – Kabe – Kakogawa – Kibi – Kishin – Kisuki - Kure – Ohama – Oito – Onoda – Sakai – Sanko – Tsuyama – Ube – Uno – Wakayama – Yamaguchi