Kashima Railway Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kashima Railway Line
Railcars of Kashima Railway at Ishioka Station, January 2007
Overview
StatusClosed
OwnerKashima Railway Company
LocaleIbaraki Prefecture
Termini
Stations17
Service
Depot(s)Ishioka
History
Opened8 June 1924
Closed31 March 2007
Technical
Line length27.2 km (16.9 mi)
Number of tracksSingle
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius300 m
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed70 km/h (45 mph)[1]

The Kashima Railway Line (鹿島鉄道線, Kashima Tetsudōsen) was the sole line operated by the Kashima Railway Company in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It operated between Ishioka Station and Hokota Station.[2] It closed on 31 March 2007.

Stations[edit]

The line had 17 stations as shown below. As of 2002, only two stations, Ishioka and Hitachi-Ogawa, were staffed.[1]

Station name Japanese Date opened Distance (km) Transfers Location
Ishioka 石岡 8 June 1924 0.0 Jōban Line Ishioka, Ibaraki
Ishioka-Minamidai 石岡南台 16 June 1987 1.5
Higashi-Tanaka 東田中 18 November 1964 2.5
Tamari 玉里 1 November 1951 3.6 Omitama, Ibaraki
Shin-Takahama 新高浜 8 June 1924 4.2
Shikamura 四箇村 1 October 1951 5.1
Hitachi-Ogawa 常陸小川 8 June 1924 7.1
Ogawakōkō-shita 小川高校下 1 April 1988 7.8
Momoura 桃浦 15 August 1926 10.7 Namegata, Ibaraki
Yakimaki 八木蒔 1 October 1951 12.8
Hama 15 August 1926 14.4
Tamatsukurimachi 玉造町 1 February 1928 15.8
Enokimoto 榎本 6 May 1929 19.5
Kariyado-mae 借宿前 1 October 1951 21.4 Hokota, Ibaraki
Tomoegawa 巴川 16 April 1929 23.7
Sakado 坂戸 19 November 1956 25.0
Hokota 鉾田 6 May 1929 27.1

History[edit]

The line first opened on 8 June 1924 as the steam-operated Kashima Sangu Railway (鹿島参宮鉄道), using steam operation between Ishioka and Hitachi-Ogawa.[1] The full line to Hokota was opened on 16 May 1929.[1]

Diesel operation commenced on 6 September 1930.[1]

From 1 June 1965, the railway became the Kantō Railway Hokota Line, and from 1 April 1979, it became the separate Kashima Railway.[1]

Freight operations ceased in 2002.

In 2006, the company announced the planned closure of the line, and the line finally closed on 31 March 2007.

The section between Ishioka and Shikamura stations was replaced with a BRT on August 2010.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 40/190. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.
  2. ^ MLIT Railway Bureau (2005). Tetsudō Yōran (Heisei 17 Nendo) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Denkisha Kenkyūkai. ISBN 4-88548-106-6.
  3. ^ "BRT:JR石岡駅東口に専用ターミナル /茨城". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-03-08.