Sekihoku Main Line

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Sekihoku Main Line (石北本線, Sekihoku Honsen^?) is a railway line in Hokkaidō operated by JR Hokkaidō, between Shin-Asahikawa, Asahikawa and Abashiri Station, Abashiri City. Its name comes from Ishikari (石狩, Ishikari^?) and Kitami (北見, Kitami^?).

Contents 1 Basic Data 2 History 3 Services 4 Stations 5 Gallery 6 See Also 7 External links

[edit] Basic Data

• Operators, distances
  • Hokkaidō Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • Whole the line, from Shin-Asahikawa to Abashiri: 234.0 km / Approx. 145.4  mi.
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
    • From Shin-Asahikawa to Kitami: 181.0 km / Approx. 112.5  mi.
• Stations: 40
• Signal boxes: 4
• Gauge: 1067 mm / 3 ft. 6 in.
• Double-track line: None
• Electric supply: Not electrified
• Block system: Automatic (special); a simplified automatic system.

[edit] History

Historically, the route between Sapporo and Abashiri Subprefecture has changed for many times. Originally, the route took Hakodate Main Line to Asahikawa, then took southbound Nemuro Main Line and branched off from Ikeda, through Abashiri Main Line (網走本線, Abashiri Honsen^?) to Kitami. The route shortened a little when Nemuro Main Line opened the shortcut segment between Takikawa and Furano in 1913.

Another route, northbound from Nayoro to Kitami was completed as Nayoro Main Line (名寄本線, Nayoro Honsen^?) and Yūbetsu Line (湧別線, Yūbetsu-sen^?) in 1921.

The third route was a shortcut between Asahikawa and Engaru, straight through the Kitami Pass. Sekihoku Line (石北線, Sekihoku-sen^?), completed in 1932, finally opened the link route still used today.

The current Sekihoku Main Line is consisted of what these three lines have left. The section between Shin-Asahikawa and Engaru is from Sekihoku Line, the one between Engaru and Kitami from Yūbetsu Line, and the one between Kitami and Abashiri from Abashiri Main Line.

[edit] Services

The Okhotsk (オホーツク, Ohōtsuku^?) intercity limited express train, named after the Sea of Okhotsk, runs from Sapporo to Abashiri 4 laps a day in summer, 6 laps a day in winter. There is also the limited rapid train Kitami (きたみ, Kitami^?) between Asahikawa and Kitami 1 lap a day.

As for the local service, the line is roughly divided into 3 segments. In the segment between Asahikawa and Kamikawa, the line functions as a commuter rail of Asahikawa City. There is one local train service per 1 to 2 hours. The segment between Kamikawa and Engaru is a sparsely populated area. Between Kakikawa and Shirataki, a local train runs just 1 lap per a day. For the segment between Engaru and Abashiri, there is one local train service per 1 to 2 hours.

[edit] Stations

Station name	Japanese	Total distance	Limited Express 1	Limited Rapid 1	Transfers	Location (all in Hokkaido)
Sōya Main Line
Asahikawa	旭川	-3.7 km	+	+	JR Hakodate Main Line	Asahikawa
Asahikawa-Yojō	旭川四条	-1.9 km	-	-
Shin-Asahikawa	新旭川	0.0 km	-	-	JR Sekihoku Main Line
Sekihoku Main Line
Shin-Asahikawa	新旭川	0.0 km	-	-	JR Sōya Main Line	Asahikawa
Minami-Nagayama	南永山	2.5 km	-	-
Higashi-Asahikawa	東旭川	5.2 km	-	-
Kita-Hinode	北日ノ出	7.3 km	-	-
Sakuraoka	桜岡	10.2 km	-	-
Tōma	当麻	13.9 km	-	+		Tōma, Kamikawa
Shōgunzan	将軍山	17.4 km	-	-
Ikaushi	伊香牛	19.5 km	-	-
Aibetsu	愛別	25.9 km	-	-		Aibetsu, Kamikawa
Naka-Aibetsu	中愛別	32.0 km	-	-
Aizan	愛山	36.0 km	-	-
Antaroma	安足間	38.0 km	-	-
Tōun	東雲	40.4 km	-	-		Kamikawa, Kamikawa
Kamikawa	上川	44.9 km	+	+
Nakakoshi S.B.	中越(信)	57.2 km	-	-
Kamikoshi S.B.	上越(信)	64.9 km	-	-
Oku-Shirataki S.B.	奥白滝(信)	73.9 km	-	-		Engaru, Monbetsu
Kami-Shirataki	上白滝	78.9 km	-	-
Shirataki	白滝	82.2 km	*	+
Kyū-Shirataki	旧白滝	88.3 km	-	-
Shimo-Shirataki	下白滝	92.7 km	-	-
Maruseppu	丸瀬布	101.9 km	*	+
Setose	瀬戸瀬	109.7 km	-	-
Engaru	遠軽	120.8 km	+	+
Yasukuni	安国	128.8 km	-	+
Ikuno	生野	132.7 km	-	-
Ikutahara	生田原	137.7 km	+	+
Jōmon S.B.	常紋(信)	148.0 km	-	-		Kitami
Kanehana	金華	152.7 km	-	+
Nishi-Rubeshibe	西留辺蘂	156.2 km	-	-
Rubeshibe	留辺蘂	158.2 km	+	+
Ainonai	相内	169.1 km	-	+
Higashi-Ainonai	東相内	173.7 km	-	+
Nishi-Kitami	西北見	176.3 km	-	+
Kitami	北見	181.0 km	+	+
Hakuyō	柏陽	183.7 km	-
Itoshino	愛し野	185.9 km	-
Tanno	端野	187.3 km	-
Hiushinai	緋牛内	194.6 km	-
Bihoro	美幌	206.1 km	+			Bihoro, Abashiri
Nishi-Memanbetsu	西女満別	213.1 km	-			Ōzora, Abashiri
Memanbetsu	女満別	218.1 km	+
Yobito	呼人	225.9 km	-			Abashiri
Abashiri	網走	234.0 km	+		JR Senmō Main Line

¹: All the trains stop at stations signed "+". Some trains stop at "*". No trains (other than local) stop at "-".

[edit] Gallery

Rapid train "Kitami" and a freight train.	Ikuno Station. A yellow bus is the "station building".	Ikutahara Station, attached to a library.	There is a railway zig zag in Engaru Station.
Kitami Station.

[edit] See Also

• List of railway lines in Japan

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) JR Hokkaidō official website
• (English) JR Hokkaidō official website