Sekihoku Main Line

Sekihoku Main Line
Sekihoku Main Line
	Okhotsk limited express train from Sapporo to Abashiri
Overview
Native name	石北本線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR Hokkaido
Locale	Hokkaido
Termini	Shin-Asahikawa; Abashiri;
Stations	40
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	JR Hokkaido, JR Freight
Rolling stock	KiHa 50, 183 Series, KiHa 54
Technical
Line length	257.8 km (160.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	110 km/h (70 mph)
Route map
Route map
	Sekihoku line map

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Sekihoku Main Line (石北本線, Sekihoku-honsen) is a Japanese railway line in Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) between Shin-Asahikawa in Asahikawa and Abashiri Station in Abashiri. The name comes from the first Kanji characters of Ishikari Province (石狩国) and Kitami Province (北見国), names of ancient provinces along the line.^[1]

On 19 November 2016, JR Hokkaido's President announced plans to rationalise the network by up to 1,237 km (769 mi), or ~50% of the current network,^[2] including the proposed conversion to Third Sector operation of the Sekihoku Main Line, but if local governments are not agreeable, the line will face closure.

Basic data

Operators, distances
- Hokkaido Railway Company (Services and tracks)
  - Whole line, from Shin-Asahikawa to Abashiri: 234.0 km (145.4 mi)
- Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
  - From Shin-Asahikawa to Kitami: 181.0 km (112.5 mi)
Signal boxes: 4
Track: single
Block system: Automatic

Services

The Okhotsk limited express train, named after the Sea of Okhotsk, runs from Sapporo to Abashiri four times a day in summer, six times a day in winter.^[3] The limited rapid train Kitami operates between Asahikawa and Kitami, with one return service daily.

Local services along the line are roughly divided into three segments. In the segment between Asahikawa and Kamikawa, the line functions as a commuter rail of Asahikawa City. There is one local train service per one to two hours. The segment between Kamikawa and Engaru is a sparsely populated area. Between Kakikawa and Shirataki, a local train runs one lap per day. For the segment between Engaru and Abashiri, there is one local train service per one to two hours.

Stations

LE: Limited Express

R: Rapid

All trains stop at stations marked +. Some trains stop at those marked *. No trains (other than local) stop at those marked -.

Station			Distance (km)	LE	R	Transfers	Location
Sōya Main Line
A28	Asahikawa	旭川	-3.7	+	+	■ Furano Line ■ Hakodate Main Line	Asahikawa
A29	Asahikawa-Yojō	旭川四条	-1.9	-	-
A30	Shin-Asahikawa	新旭川	0.0	-	-	■ Sekihoku Main Line
Sekihoku Main Line
A31	Minami-Nagayama	南永山	2.5	-	-		Asahikawa
A32	Higashi-Asahikawa	東旭川	5.2	-	-
A33	Kita-Hinode	北日ノ出	7.3	-	-
A34	Sakuraoka	桜岡	10.2	-	-
A35	Tōma	当麻	13.9	-	+		Tōma, Kamikawa
A36	Shōgunzan	将軍山	17.4	-	-
A37	Ikaushi	伊香牛	19.5	-	-
A38	Aibetsu	愛別	25.9	-	-		Aibetsu, Kamikawa
A39	Naka-Aibetsu	中愛別	32.0	-	-
A40	Aizan	愛山	36.0	-	-
A41	Antaroma	安足間	38.0	-	-
A42	Tōun	東雲	40.4	-	-		Kamikawa, Kamikawa
A43	Kamikawa	上川	44.9	+	+		Kamikawa, Kamikawa
A44	Kami-Shirataki	上白滝	78.9	closed			Engaru, Monbetsu
A45	Shirataki	白滝	82.2	*	+
A46	Kyū-Shirataki	旧白滝	88.3	closed
A47	Shimo-Shirataki	下白滝	92.7	closed
A48	Maruseppu	丸瀬布	101.9	*	+
A49	Setose	瀬戸瀬	109.7	-	-
A50	Engaru	遠軽	120.8	+	+
A51	Yasukuni	安国	128.8	-	+
A52	Ikuno	生野	132.7	-	-
A53	Ikutahara	生田原	137.7	+	+
A54	Kanehana	金華	152.7	closed			Kitami
A55	Nishi-Rubeshibe	西留辺蘂	156.2	-	-
A56	Rubeshibe	留辺蘂	158.2	+	+
A57	Ainonai	相内	169.1	-	+
A58	Higashi-Ainonai	東相内	173.7	-	+
A59	Nishi-Kitami	西北見	176.3	-	+
A60	Kitami	北見	181.0	+	+
A61	Hakuyō	柏陽	183.7	-
A62	Itoshino	愛し野	185.9	-
A63	Tanno	端野	187.3	-
A64	Hiushinai	緋牛内	194.6	-
A65	Bihoro	美幌	206.1	+			Bihoro, Abashiri
A66	Nishi-Memambetsu	西女満別	213.1	-			Ōzora, Abashiri
A67	Memambetsu	女満別	218.1	+			Ōzora, Abashiri
A68	Yobito	呼人	225.9	-			Abashiri
A69	Abashiri	網走	234.0	+		■ Senmō Main Line	Abashiri

History

The principal route between Sapporo and Okhotsk Subprefecture has changed several times. Originally, the route was the Hakodate Main Line to Asahikawa, then the southbound Nemuro Main Line and then the northbound line from Ikeda, via the Abashiri Main Line (網走本線, Abashiri-honsen) to Kitami. The route shortened by 53.5 km (33.2 mi) when the section between Takikawa and Furano on the Nemuro Main Line opened in 1913.^{[citation needed]}

Another route, northbound from Asahikawa to Nayoro, then southeast to Kitami was completed as the Nayoro Main Line (名寄本線, Nayoro-honsen) and Yūbetsu Line (湧別線, Yūbetsu-sen) in 1921.^{[citation needed]}

A third route was a shortcut between Asahikawa and Engaru, straight through the Kitami Pass. The Sekihoku Line (石北線, Sekihoku-sen), completed in 1932, finally completed the main route still used today.^{[citation needed]}

The current Sekihoku Main Line consists of the remnants of these three lines. The section between Shin-Asahikawa and Engaru is from the Sekihoku Line, the section between Engaru and Kitami from the Yūbetsu Line, and the section between Kitami and Abashiri from the Abashiri Main Line.^{[citation needed]}

The first of the abovementioned sections to open was from Abashiri to Kitami in 1912. The Kitami to Engaru line was opened between 1912 and 1915 as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line, but was converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge in 1916.^{[citation needed]}

The Asahikawa to Kamikawa section opened between 1922 and 1923, and the Engaru to Shiritaki section between 1927 and 1929. The final section, including the Ishikita tunnel, opened in 1932.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2015, JR Hokkaido announced that it would be closing four stations line (Shimo-Shirataki Station, Kyu-Shirataki Station, Kami-Shirataki Station, and Kanehana Station) in March 2016, due to low passenger usage.^[4]

References

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

^ JTB Timetable, February 2011 issue
^ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/19/business/jr-hokkaido-says-cant-maintain-half-railways/#.WDjkB9J96Ul
^ http://www.jrasahi.co.jp/contents/facilities/facil_top.html
^ 上白滝・旧白滝・下白滝の３駅も廃止　ＪＲ石北線、来年３月に [3 JR Sekihoku Line stations Kami-Shirataki, Kyu-Shirataki, and Shimo-Shirataki to close next March]. Doshin (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.

External links

[1] JTB Timetable, February 2011 issue

[2] ttp://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/19/business/jr-hokkaido-says-cant-maintain-half-railways/#.WDjkB9J96Ul

[3] ttp://www.jrasahi.co.jp/contents/facilities/facil_top.html

[doshin20150722-4] 上白滝・旧白滝・下白滝の３駅も廃止　ＪＲ石北線、来年３月に [3 JR Sekihoku Line stations Kami-Shirataki, Kyu-Shirataki, and Shimo-Shirataki to close next March]. Doshin (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Mass transit in Hokkaido
JR Hokkaido lines	Hokkaido Shinkansen ■■ Chitose ■ Furano ■■■ Hakodate ■ Hidaka ■ Kaikyō ■■ Muroran ■■ Nemuro ■ Rumoi ■ Sasshō ■ Sekihoku ■ Sekishō ■ Senmō ■ Sōya
JR named trains	Hayabusa Hayate Hokuto Kamui Kitami Lilac Okhotsk Ōzora Sarobetsu Sōya Suzuran Taisetsu Tokachi
Discontinued JR named trains	Cassiopeia Hakuchō Hamanasu Ishikari Super Hakuchō Super White Arrow Twilight Express White Arrow
Sapporo Municipal Subway	Namboku Line Tōzai Line Tōhō Line
Other railways	South Hokkaido Railway Company Hakodate Streetcar Sapporo Streetcar Taiheiyō Coal (freight only)
Terminals	Rail Hakodate Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Sapporo Ōdōri Shin-Sapporo Asahikawa Airports Asahikawa New Chitose Hakodate Kushiro Memanbetsu Monbetsu Nakashibetsu Okadama Okushiri Rishiri Tokachi–Obihiro Wakkanai Ports Hakodate Otaru Tomakomai Kushiro
Public Ferries	Heart Land Ferry (ja) (Wakkanai—N. Islands) Silver Ferry (Tomakomai—Hachinohe) Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry (Hakodate—Aomori) Seikan Ferry (Hakodate—Aomori) Shin Nihonkai Ferry MOL Ferry Taiheiyō Ferry Haboro-Enkai Ferry (ja) (Haboro—Yagishiri Island)
Miscellaneous	Cards Kitaca SAPICA Tunnels Seikan Tunnel
Japan transit: Tokyo Keihanshin Nagoya Fukuoka Hakone Fuji Izu Hokkaido Aomori Sendai Akita Niigata Toyama Nagano Okayama Hiroshima Shikoku Metro systems Shinkansen trams (list) aerial lifts (list)