San'in Main Line

San'in Main Line route map

Legend JR Central: Tōkaidō Shinkansen Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line) Nara Line Kyoto Municipal Subway: Karasuma Line 0.0 Kyoto Kintetsu: Kyoto Line JR Central: Tōkaidō Shinkansen Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyoto Line) The section is popularly called the Sagano Line 34.2 Sonobe Sonobe-Ayabe section Kyoto-Jukan Expressway 38.2 Funaoka 41.9 Hiyoshi 44.3 Shinkyūdaigakumae 47.1 Goma 51.9 Shimoyama Yura River 58.6 Wachi Yura River 60.7 Aseri 65.5 Tachiki 69.0 Yamaga Maizuru Line 76.2 Ayabe Ayabe-Fukuchiyama section 80.3 Takatsu Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway 82.8 Isa Haze River Fukuchiyama Line 88.5 Fukuchiyama Fukuchiyama Train District Hokutan Railway Kitakinki Tango Railway：Miyafuku Line Fukuchiyama-Wadayama section 95.2 Kamikawaguchi 102.4 Shimo-Yakuno 109.8 Kami-Yakuno Kyoto-Hyōgo border 115.6 Yanase Maruyama River Bantan Line 119.0 Wadayama Wadayama-Toyooka section 124.2 Yabu 131.2 Yōka Shukunami Signal Box 138.7 Ebara Izushi Railway 142.4 Kokufu 148.4 Toyooka Kitakinki Tango Railway: Miyazu Line Toyooka-Kinosaki Onsen section 153.7 Gembudō 158.0 Kinosaki Onsen Kinosaki Onsen-Tottori section 166.0 Takeno (Nozomi) Kirihama Beach-1996 Aidani Signal Box 173.4 Satsu 175.7 Shibayama 180.0 Kasumi 185.4 Yoroi Amarube Kyōryō 187.2 Amarube 191.8 Kutani 197.9 Hamasaka 199.8 Moroyose 204.2 Igumi Hyōgo-Tottori border 207.5 Higashihama 211.9 Iwami Iwaichō Eikidō 214.8 Ōiwa 219.1 Fukube Takiyama Signal Box Inbi Line 230.3 Tottori Tottori-Kurayoshi section Sendai River 234.5 Koyama 235.8 Tottoridaigakumae 239.6 Suetsune 244.7 Hōgi 247.6 Hamamura 252.8 Aoya 258.9 Tomari 264.6 Matsuzaki Kurayoshi Line 270.1 Kurayoshi Kurayoshi-Hōki-Daisen section Tenjin River 275.2 Shimohōjō 280.1 Yura 285.8 Urayasu 287.6 Yabase 291.3 Akasaki 295.5 Nakayamaguchi 297.7 Shimoichi 303.6 Mikuriya 304.7 Nawa 308.8 Daisenguchi 312.7 Yodoe Hakubi Line 318.2 Hōki-Daisen Hōki-Daisen-Yonago section Hino River 321.2 Higashiyamakōen Sakai Line Hinomaru Bus: Hosshōji Electric Railway Line Yonago City Station 323.0 Yonago/ (left) Yonago Station Mae Station Yonago Electric Railway Yonago-Shinji section Tottori-Shimane border 331.8 Yasugi Iinashi River Ichibata Electric Railway: Hirose Line 336.6 Arashima 342.2 Iya 345.3 Higashi-Matsue 351.9 Matsue 354.6 Nogi 358.5 Tamatsukuri-Onsen 364.5 Kimachi 368.9 Shinji Kisuki Line Shinji-Izumoshi section 373.0 Shōbara 379.1 Naoe Hii River Ichibata Electric Railway: Kitamatsue Line Dentetsu Izumoshi 384.6 Izumoshi Ichibata Electric Railway: Tachikue Line Taisha Line 389.4 Nishi-Izumo Izumo Railway Rolling Stock Office Nishi-Izumo-Gōtsu section 391.4 Izumo-Jinzai 393.5 Kōnan 400.1 Oda 404.0 Tagi 411.5 Hane 413.7 Kute 417.2 Ōdashi 420.2 Shizuma 422.8 Isotake 428.9 Nima 431.9 Maji 434.8 Yusato 437.9 Yunotsu 440.8 Iwami-Fukumitsu 443.6 Kuromatsu 448.0 Asari Gō River Sankō Line 454.3 Gōtsu Station Gōtsu-Masuda section 458.7 Tsunozu 460.5 Uyagawa 463.3 Hashi 465.6 Kushiro 469.7 Shimokō 473.3 Hamada 478.7 Nishi-Hamada 482.8 Sufu 487.6 Orii 492.6 Miho-Misumi 497.6 Okami 502.7 Kamate 507.2 Iwami-Tsuda 514.5 Masuda Station Yamaguchi Line Masuda-Nagatoshi section Takatsu River 524.3 Todakohama 528.0 Iinoura Shimane-Yamaguchi border 533.8 Esaki 540.4 Susa 549.2 Utagō 555.6 Kiyo 560.2 Nago 564.5 Nagato-Ōi 569.1 Koshigahama 572.0 Higashi-Hagi Abu River 575.8 Hagi 578.2 Tamae 583.9 Sammi 588.1 Ii 594.5 Nagato-Misumi Senzaki Senzaki Branch Line 599.6 Nagatoshi Mine Line Nagatoshi-Hatabu section 604.9 Kiwado 609.0 Nagato-Furuichi 613.5 Hitomaru 617.9 Igami 622.1 Nagato-Awano 627.4 Agawa 631.1 Kottoi 635.1 Takibe 639.9 Nagato-Futami 643.5 Ukahongō 645.7 Yutama 650.2 Kogushi 652.9 Kawatana-Onsen 655.4 Kuroimura 658.8 Umegatō 662.7 Yoshimi 665.6 Fukue 668.2 Yasuoka Kajikuri Station 669.6 Kajikuri-Gōdaichi 670.7 Ayaragi Sanyō Main Line 673.8 Hatabu Sanyō Electric Railway: Hatabu Line Sanyō Main Line Shimonoseki

The Sanin Main Line (山陰本線, San'in-honsen) is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyoto, Hyōgo, Tottori, Shimane, and Yamaguchi prefectures. The main portion from Kyoto to Hatabu is the longest single continuous railway line in Japan at 673.8 km, although no regularly scheduled train operates over the entire line.

The section between Kyoto and Sonobe, connecting Kyoto and its northern suburbs, is a part of JR West's Urban Network and is nicknamed the Sagano Line.

Basic data

• Distances: 676.0 km
• Operators
  • West Japan Railway Company (Category 1)
    • Kyoto - Hatabu: 673.8 km
    • Nagatoshi - Senzaki: 2.2 km
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Category 2)
    • Hōki-Daisen - Higashi-Matsue: 27.1 km

      Yonago - Higashi-Matsue temporary closed

    • Okami - Masuda: 16.9 km
• Track:
  • Double: Kyoto – Sonobe, Ayabe – Fukuchiyama, Hōki-Daisen – Yasugi, Higashi-Matsue – Matsue, Tamatsukuri-Onsen – Kimachi
  • Single: the rest
• Electric supply:
  • Kyoto - Kinosaki-Onsen, Hōki-Daisen - Nishi-Izumo: 1,500 V DC
• Railway signalling:
  • Kyoto - Nishi-Izumo: Automatic
  • Nishi-Izumo - Hatabu, including "Senzaki branch line": Special Automatic; a simplified automatic system
• Maximum speed in service (km/h):
  • Kyoto - Saga-Arashiyama: 120
  • Saga-Arashiyama - Umahori: 130
  • Umahori - Ayabe: 120
  • Ayabe - Fukuchiyama: 130
  • Fukuchiyama - Tottori: 95
  • Tottori - Izumoshi: 120
  • Izumoshi - Masuda: 110
  • Masuda - Hatabu: 95
  • Nagatoshi - Senzaki: 85

Stations

From Kyoto to Sonobe (Sagano Line)

See the Sagano Line for stopping patterns.

Stations on this segment

Kyoto - Tambaguchi - Nijo - Emmachi - Hanazono - Uzumasa - Saga-Arashiyama - Hozukyo - Umahori - Kameoka - Namikawa - Chiyokawa - Yagi - Yoshitomi - Sonobe

From Sonobe to Tottori

Rapid trains are operated as local trains and stop at every station between Sonobe and Fukuchiyama.

From Tottori to Masuda

TL: Rapid Tottori Liner (快速とっとりライナー)

AL: Rapid Aqua Liner (快速アクアライナー)

CL: Rapid Commuter Liner (快速通勤ライナー)

• All the trains stop at stations signed "+". Most trains stop at "‡". Most trains do not stop at "*". No trains (other than local) stop at "-".
• Rapid Commuter Liner runs from Nishi-Izumo to Yonago, one direction alone

From Masuda to Shimonoseki

Senzaki Branch Line

History

The line was built by three different private companies, which were subsequently nationalised and connected by the Japanese Government Railway (JGR). The Kyoto Railway opened the section to Sonobe between 1897 and 1899. The Bantsuru Railway opened the Ayabe to Fukuchiyama section (as part of the current Maizuru Line) in 1904. Both companies were nationalised in 1907.

The first section opened by the JGR was between Yonago and Mikuriya in 1902, and the line was then progressively extended eastward, reaching Tottori in 1907 and Iwami in 1908, the same year the current Bantan Line opened to Wadayama and Yoka. Construction of that line continued westward, and the two lines were connected in 1912. In the meantime, the Sonobe to Ayabe section was opened in 1910, and the Fukuchiyama to Wadayama section the following year. In addition, construction from Yonago progressed westward, opening to Matsue in 1908 and Izumoshi in 1910, resulting in the a 385 km continuous line upon the 1912 connection mentioned above. At the western end, the Choshu Railway opened the Hatabu to Kogushi section in 1914.

From Izumoshi, construction continued progressively westward, opening to Masuda in 1923, and to Todakobama in 1925, the year that the Choshu Railway was nationalised and the Kogushi to Takibe section opened, with construction then continuing from both directions until the two sections were connected in 1933, completing the current line.

Double-tracking

The Yonago to Hoki-Daisen section was double-tracked between 1962 and 1966, with the Ayabe to Fukuchiyama section double-tracked in between 1968 and 1969, and the Tamatsukuri-Onsen to Kimachi section in 1970. The Matsue to Higashi-Matsue section was double-tracked in 1979, and the Yonago to Yasugi section in 1980. The original Saga-Arashiyama to Umahori section was built on the banks of the Hozugawa in a narrow gorge. A new double-track alignment was opened in 1989, and the original alignment became the Sagano Scenic Railway. Further double-tracking occurred in stages, with the entire Kyoto to Sonobe section double-tracked by 2010.

Electrification

The Hoki-Daisen to Izumoshi section was electrified in 1982 in conjunction with the electrification of the Hakubi Line. The Fukuchiyama to Kinosaki section was electrified in 1986 in conjunction with the electrification of the Fukuchiyama Line. The Sonobe to Fukuchiyama section was electrified between 1985 and 1986, and the Kyoto to Sonobe section in 1990.

Former connecting lines

An Izushi Railway train

Yamamori Station circa 1981

• Fukuchiyama Station: The Hokutan Railway operated a 12 km line to Koumori between 1923 and 1971.

• Ebara Station: The Izushi Railway operated an 11 km line to Izushi between 1929 and 1970.

• Iwami Station: The Iwai Prefectural Government opened a 3 km 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Iwai Onsen in 1925. In June 1934, 149 of the 216 buildings at Iwai Onsen burnt down, and then in September that year Typhoon Muroto caused such extensive damage to the line that it was out of service until February 1936. In 1944, the line was closed and materials recycled for the Japanese war effort.

• Kurayoshi Station: In 1912, a 4 km line to Kamii opened, and was extended 11 km to Sekigane in 1941 and a further 5 km (as a passenger-only section) to Yamamori in 1958. Freight services ceased in 1974 and the line closed in 1985.

• Yonago Station: The Hakuhi Electric Railway operated a 12 km line, electrified at 600 V DC, to Hosshoji between 1924 and 1967. A 6 km electrified branch from Aga to Mori operated between 1930 and 1944.

• Arashima Station: The Hirose Railway opened an 8 km line, electrified at 600 V DC to Izumo Hirose in 1928. In 1954, the company merged with the Ichibata Electric Railway, and the line closed in 1960.

• Izumoshi Station: On the northern side of the station, the 8 km Taisha Line opened in 1912, on the opposite bank of the Ogamogawa to the Izumo-Taisha Station on the Ichibata Electric Railway line. Freight services ceased in 1974, and the line closed in 1990.

• Nishi-Hamada Station: A 2 km freight-only line to Hamada Minato to service the port operated between 1955 and 1982.

• 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

References

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

JR West lines Shinkansen Sanyō (Hakata-Minami) Hokuriku Main Hokuriku Kansai Kisei San'in San'yō Takayama Tōkaidō Local Akō Bantan Etsumi-Hoku Fukuchiyama Fukuen Gantoku Geibi Hakubi Hanwa Himi Honshi-Bisan Inbi Jōhana JR Tōzai Kabe Kakogawa Kansai Airport Katamachi Kibi Kishin Kisuki Kosei Kure Kusatsu Maizuru Mine Nanao Nara Obama Ōito Onoda Osaka Higashi Osaka Loop Sakai Sakurai Sakurajima Sankō Tsuyama Ube Uno Wakayama Yamaguchi Other Biwako JR Kyoto JR Kobe Sagano Past Gannichi Hokuriku Main Ishikawa Ainokaze Toyama Echigo Tokimeki Nihonkai Hisui Kajiya Miki Miyafuku Miyazu Noto Shigaraki Taisha Toyamakō Wakasa