Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line

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The Main Line (本線 Honsen?) of Sanyo Electric Railway is a railway line connecting Kobe and Himeji via Akashi, Kakogawa and other municipallities in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The line runs parallel to West Japan Railway Company Sanyo Main Line, with closest sections between Sanyo Suma and Sanyo Akashi, and competes with the JR line for its entire stretch.

Contents

[edit] Description

  • Gauge: 1.435m
  • Track: dual
  • Electrification: 1500V DC
  • Length: 54.7km
  • Stations: 43 (including both ends)

[edit] History

East of Akashi was opened in 1910 onwards by Hyōgo Electric Tramway (兵庫電気軌道 Hyōgo Denki Kidō?), west of Akashi was built and operated by Kōbe Himeji Electric Railway (神戸姫路電気鉄道 Kōbe Himeji Denki Tetsudō?). A then Japanese major electricity Ujigawa Electric (宇治川電気 Ujigawa Denki?) absorbed both in 1927, but different origin of the lines had had difficulties of direct operation. After spin off of Ujigawa Electricity, Sanyo Electric Railway had modified the line and cars for easier operation.

In place of through operation to Kobe Rapid Railway in 1968, the road track from Dentetsu Hyogo (電鉄兵庫), then the start of the line, to Nisidai was closed. Until 1998 through services to Hankyu Railway Rokko Station and Hanshin Electric Railway Oishi Station both by Sanyo's car, and from Sumaura Koen Station by Hankyu and Hanshin, both up to Umeda terminal in Osaka were operated. Direct operation to and from Hankyu was stopped then, and Limited Express service between Hanshin Umeda and Sanyo Himeji by both operator's car was introduced.

[edit] Operation

Sumaura-koen Station
Sumaura-koen Station

Though Nishidai is the nominal start of the line, most trains start or end at Sannomiya Stations on Hanshin Main Line or Hankyu Kobe Line, or farther Umeda of Hanshin in Osaka, via Kobe Rapid Railway Tozai Line.

[edit] Train types

All day operation:

  • Hanshin-Sanyo Limited Express (直通特急) (Hanshin Umeda - Sanyo Himeji): Jointly operated by Hanshin and Sanyo, this train makes limited stops on both the Hanshin Main Line and the Sanyo Railway Main Line.
  • Local (普通) (Hankyu Sannomiya/Hanshin Sannomiya - Sanyo Himeji): Makes every stop on the Sanyo Main Line and Kobe Rapid Railway Tozai Line. At night, westbound trains start at Kosoku Kobe and eastbound trains terminate at Shinkaichi.

Morning and night only:

  • Sanyo Limited Express (山陽特急) (Hanshin Sannomiya - Sanyo Himeji): Makes the same stops as the Hanshin-Sanyo Limited Express but does not go east beyond Sannomiya. Operates in the mornings between Kosoku Kobe or Higashi-Futami and Sanyo Himeji, and at nights between Hanshin Sannomiya and Sanyo Himeji.
  • S Limited Express (S特急) (Hankyu Sannomiya/Hanshin Sannomiya - Sanyo Himeji): Makes more stops than the other limited express trains. Operates eastbound in the mornings from Shikama, Ōshio or Higashi-Futami to Hankyu Sannomiya or Hanshin Sannomiya, and westbound late nights from Hankyu Sannomiya or Hanshin Sannomiya to Sanyo Himeji.

[edit] Stations

  • S: stop; |: pass; ||: Not running
  • *1: by trains of Hanshin; *2: half by Hanshin
Station Distance (km) Sanyo Local 普通 Hanshin Local *1 阪神普通 Hanshin Express *1 阪神急行 Hanshin Limited Express *1 阪神特急 Sanyo S Limited Express S特急 Sanyo Limited Express 特急 Hanshin Sanyo Through Limited Express *2 直通特急 Connection Location
Kobe Rapid Railway Tozai Line to Hankyu Sannomiya
Sannomiya 三宮, Hankyu 5.7 S         S       Chūō-ku, Kōbe Hyōgo Prefecture
Hanakuma 花隈 4.4 S S  
Kobe Rapid Railway Tozai Line to Hanshin Motomachi
Up to     Sannomiya (Hanshin) Umeda (Hanshin) Umeda (Hanshin) Umeda (Hanshin)   Sannomiya (Hanshin) Sannomiya (Hanshin) Umeda (Hanshin)   Chūō-ku, Kōbe Hyōgo Prefecture
Motomachi 元町, Hanshin 5.0 || S S S S || S S S
Nishi-Motomachi 西元町 4.2 || S S S S || | S S (limited hours)  
Kosoku Kobe 高速神戸 3.5 S S S S S S S
Shinkaichi 新開地 2.9 S S S S S S S Hyōgo-ku, Kōbe
Daikai 大開 1.9 S S S S S S S (limited hours)  
Kosoku Nagata 高速長田 0.9 S S S S S S S
  • Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line (Nagata Station)
 Nagata-ku, Kōbe
Main Line
Nishidai 西代 0.0 S S S S S | | Nagata-ku, Kōbe Hyōgo Prefecture
Itayado 板宿 1.0 S S S S S S S
  • Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line
 Suma-ku, Kōbe
Higashi-Suma 東須磨 1.8 S S S S | | |  
Tsukimiyama 月見山 2.6 S   S (westbound) S S | |  
Sumadera 須磨寺 3.3 S S (westbound) S | | |  
Sanyo Suma 山陽須磨 3.7 S S (westbound) S S S S
Sumaura-kōen 須磨浦公園 5.1 S S (terminating) S | | |  
Sanyo Shioya 山陽塩屋 6.8 S     | | | Tarumi-ku, Kōbe
Takinochaya 滝の茶屋 7.8 S S S (limited hours) S (limited hours)  
Higashi-Tarumi 東垂水 8.6 S | | |  
Sanyo Tarumi 山陽垂水 9.6 S S S S
Kasumigaoka 霞ヶ丘 10.7 S S | |  
Maiko-kōen 舞子公園 11.5 S | S S
Nishi-Maiko 西舞子 12.4 S | | |  
Ōkuradani 大蔵谷 14.3 S | | |   Akashi
Hitomarumae 人丸前 14.9 S | | |  
Sanyo Akashi 山陽明石 15.7 S S S S
Nishi-Shimmachi 西新町 16.9 S | | |  
Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan 林崎松江海岸 18.4 S | | |  
Fujie 藤江 20.4 S S | |  
Nakayagi 中八木 21.8 S | | |  
Eigashima 江井ヶ島 23.5 S | | |  
Nishi-Eigashima 西江井ヶ島 24.9 S | | |  
Sanyo Uozumi 山陽魚住 25.6 S | | |  
Higashi-Futami 東二見 27.3 S S S S  
Nishi-Futami 西二見 28.6 S S | |  
Harimachō 播磨町 29.9 S S | |   Harima, Kako District
Befu 別府 32.2 S S | |   Kakogawa
Hamanomiya 浜の宮 34.1 S S | |  
Onoenomatsu 尾上の松 35.5 S S | |  
Takasago 高砂 37.3 S S S S   Takasago
Arai 荒井 38.5 S S | |  
Iho 伊保 39.7 S S | |  
Sanyo Sone 山陽曽根 41.3 S S | |  
Ōshio 大塩 42.8 S S S S   Himeji
Matogata 的形 44.2 S S | |  
Yaka 八家 46.2 S S | |  
Shirahamanomiya 白浜の宮 47.6 S S | |  
Mega 妻鹿 49.0 S S | |  
Shikama 飾磨 50.9 S S S S
Kameyama 亀山 52.3 S S | |  
Tegara 手柄 53.4 S S | |  
Sanyo Himeji 山陽姫路 54.7 S S S S
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