Railway Nationalization Act
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The Railway Nationalization Act (鉄道国有法, Tetsudō Kokuyū-hō, Law No. 17 of 1906) brought many of Japan's private railway lines under national control. The Diet of Japan promulgated the Act on March 31, 1906. The Act was repealed by Article 110 of the Japan National Railway Reform Act of 1988, which formed the modern Japan Railways Group.
Between 1906 and 1907, 2,812 miles (4,525 km) of track were purchased from seventeen private railway companies. The national railway network grew to about 4,400 miles (7,100 km) of track, and private railways were relegated to providing local and regional services.
| Date | Railway | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| mi | km | ||
| October 1, 1906 | Hokkaido Colliery and Railway | 204.5 | 329.1 |
| Kōbu Railway | 27.8 | 44.7 | |
| November 1, 1906 | Nippon Railway | 860.8 | 1,385.3 |
| Ganetsu Railway | 49.5 | 79.7 | |
| December 1, 1906 | Sanyō Railway | 414.9 | 667.7 |
| Nishinari Railway | 4.6 | 7.4 | |
| July 1, 1907 | Kyūshū Railway | 442.8 | 712.6 |
| Hokkaidō Railway | 159.0 | 255.9 | |
| August 1, 1907 | Kyōto Railway | 22.2 | 35.7 |
| Hankaku Railway | 70.3 | 113.1 | |
| Hokuetsu Railway | 85.8 | 138.1 | |
| September 1, 1907 | Sōbu Railway | 73.2 | 117.8 |
| Bōsō Railway | 39.4 | 63.4 | |
| Nanao Railway | 34.4 | 55.4 | |
| Tokushima Railway | 21.5 | 34.6 | |
| October 1, 1907 | Kansai Railway | 275.2 | 442.9 |
| Sangū Railway | 26.1 | 42.0 | |