Akō Line

Template:Short description is a railway line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Aioi, Hyōgo to Okayama, Okayama in Japan. A loop line off the Sanyō Main Line, the Akō Line commences at Aioi, is situated south of the main line approximately paralleling the Seto Inland Sea, and rejoins the main line at Higashi-Okayama.

The entire line is single track. Only one train runs the entire length of the line, with service divided at Banshū-Akō, and no trains terminate at either of the official terminals. Trains from the east continue from Himeji on the Sanyō Main Line and terminate at Akō, while westbound services originating from Akō continue past Higashi-Okayama and continue on the Sanyō Main Line to Okayama and beyond. "Rapid" and "Special Rapid" trains from Kyoto and beyond make local stops between Aioi and Banshū-Akō, and the segment of the line is part of JR West's Kinki region Urban Network.

Stations

The line is split into two sections at Banshū-Akō Station, where passengers would have to interchange for train services to/from the Keihanshin region and the Okayama region.

Common name	Official line name	No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Transfers	Location
							City	Prefecture
File:JRW kinki-A.svg Sanyō Main Line	Sanyō Main Line	Template:RouteBox	Himeji			File:Shinkansen jrw.svg Sanyō Shinkansen File:JRW kinki-A.svg JR Kobe Line (Template:RouteBox) File:JRW kinki-J.svg Bantan Line File:JRW kinki-K.svg Kishin Line	Himeji	Hyōgo
			Agaho
			Harima-Katsuhara
			Aboshi
			Tatsuno				Tatsuno
			Aioi		0.0	File:Shinkansen jrw.svg Sanyō Shinkansen File:JRW kinki-A.svg Sanyō Main Line	Aioi	Hyōgo
File:JRW kinki-A.svg Akō Line	Akō Line
			Nishi-Aioi		3.0
			Sakoshi		7.8		Ako
			Banshū-Akō		10.5	File:JRW oka-N.svg Akō Line (for Okayama)
File:JRW oka-N.svg Akō Line						File:JRW kinki-A.svg Akō Line (for Himeji)
			Tenwa		14.5
			Bizen-Fukukawa		16.4
		Template:RouteBox	Sōgo		19.6		Bizen	Okayama
		Template:RouteBox	Hinase		22.1
		Template:RouteBox	Iri		27.7
		Template:RouteBox	Bizen-Katakami		31.0
		Template:RouteBox	Nishi-Katakami		32.3
		Template:RouteBox	Inbe		34.5
		Template:RouteBox	Kagato		38.5
		Template:RouteBox	Osafune		42.3		Setouchi
		Template:RouteBox	Oku		45.9
		Template:RouteBox	Odomi		48.0
		Template:RouteBox	Saidaiji		51.2		Higashi-ku, Okayama
		Template:RouteBox	Ōdara		54.1
		Template:RouteBox	Higashi-Okayama		57.4	File:JRW oka-S.svg Sanyō Main Line	Naka-ku, Okayama
File:JRW oka-S.svg Sanyō Main Line	Sanyō Main Line
		Template:RouteBox	Takashima
		Template:RouteBox	Nishigawara
		Template:RouteBox	Okayama			File:Shinkansen jrw.svg Sanyō Shinkansen File:JRW oka-S.svg File:JRW oka-W.svg Sanyō Main Line File:JRW oka-T.svg Tsuyama Line File:JRW oka-L.svg Uno Line (File:JRW oka-M.svg Seto-Ōhashi Line) File:JRW oka-U.svg Kibi Line (Momotaro Line) Okayama Electric Tramway Higashiyama Main Line	Kita-ku, Okayama

History

File:Akou Railway Banshu Akou station.jpg

Opening ceremony for the Ako Railway at Banshu-Ako station, 14 April 1921

File:Katakami kiha312.jpg

Dowa Mining Co. diesel rail car

The initial section between Aioi and Banshu-Ako opened in 1951, and the line was opened progressively, to Hinase in 1955, Inbe in 1958, and Higashi-Okayama in 1962. The Aioi - Banshu-Ako section was electrified in 1961, and the rest of the line in 1969.

CTC signalling was commissioned between Higashi-Okayama and Banshu-Ako in 1983.

Former connecting lines

• Banshu-Ako Station: The Ako Railway operated a gauge line to Une on the Sanyo Main Line between 1921 and 1951.
• Nishi-Katakami Station: The Dowa Mining Co. opened a line to Yanahara, to haul iron sulphide ore, between 1923 and 1931. The line is also connected to Wake station on the Sanyo Main Line. Passenger services commenced in 1931, freight services ceased in 1988 and the line closed in 1991.

See also

Main line alternate routes

• Gotemba Line
• Kure Line
• Ube Line

References

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