Nayoro Main Line
The Nayoro Main Line (名寄本線) was a rail line which was operated by Japanese National Railways and later under JR Hokkaido, which extended from Nayoro to Engaru, where it connected with the Sekihoku Main Line. It had a branch line known as the Yubetsu Line (湧別線) which ran between Naka-Yubetsu and Yubetsu, and was originally a light rail line before it was converted in 1916.
| Nayoro Main Line | |
|---|---|
 A freight train driven by a Type 9600 steam engine between Ichinohashi Station and Kami-Okoppe Station, March 1973 | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 40 |
| History | |
| Opened | November 1, 1915 (Yubetsu Line; as Yubetsu Light Rail Line) October 20, 1919 (Main Line; as Nayoro Line) |
| Closed | May 1, 1989 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 138.1 km (85.8 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
The line opened in 1919 as the Nayoro Line (名寄線), and was designated as a main line in 1923. It was designated as one of the specified local lines under the JNR Reconstruction Act, and the entire line was closed on May 1, 1989. The Nishi-Okoppe and Yubetsu stations are now the site of a hotel and fire station respectively.[1][2]
Services
In 1962, three services would start using the line - the Monbetsu, which ran between Sapporo and Engaru; the Asahikawa, which was a round trip service that made stops at Engaru and Nayoro before returning to Asahikawa; and the Tento, which ran between Okoppe and Abashiri.[3]
Stations
Main Line
| Station | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nayoro | 名寄駅 | 0.0 | ■ Sōya Main Line
Shinmei Line (closed September 4, 1995)[4] |
Kamikawa Subprefecture | Nayoro |
| Naka-Nayoro | 中名寄駅 | 5.8 | |||
| Kami-Nayoro | 上名寄駅 | 9.7 | Kamikawa, Hokkaido | ||
| Yabumi | 矢文駅 | 12.1 | |||
| Gifubashi | 岐阜橋駅 | 13.8 | |||
| Shimokawa | 下川駅 | 16.5 | |||
| Ninohashi | 二ノ橋駅 | 21.4 | |||
| Kōsei | 幸成駅 | (25.0) | |||
| Ichinohashi | 一ノ橋駅 | 27.9 | |||
| Kami-Okoppe | 上興部駅 | 38.9 | Okhotsk Subprefecture | Monbetsu District, Hokkaido | |
| Nishi-Okoppe | 西興部駅 | 45.2 | |||
| Rokkō | 六興駅 | (48.8) | |||
| Naka-Okoppe | 中興部駅 | 52.2 | |||
| Panke | 班渓駅 | (55.3) | |||
| Utsu | 宇津駅 | 58.6 | |||
| Hakkō | 北興駅 | 64.3 | |||
| Okoppe | 興部駅 | 67.8 | Kōhin South Line (closed July 15, 1985)[4] | ||
| Asahigaoka | 旭ヶ丘駅 | (69.1) | |||
| Toyono | 豊野駅 | 73.0 | |||
| Saruru | 沙留駅 | 77.7 | |||
| Tomioka | 富丘駅 | (81.4) | |||
| Shokotsu | 渚滑駅 | 88.9 | Shokotsu Line (closed April 1, 1985)[4] | Monbetsu City, Hokkaido | |
| Shiomichō | 潮見町駅 | 91.9 | |||
| Monbetsu | 紋別駅 | 93.1 | |||
| Moto-Monbetsu | 元紋別駅 | 97.7 | |||
| Ipponmatsu | 一本松駅 | (102.6) | |||
| Komukai | 小向駅 | 105.9 | |||
| Kōdō | 弘道駅 | (108.2) | |||
| Numanoue | 沼ノ上駅 | 112.6 | |||
| Asahi | 旭駅 | 117.2 | Monbetsu District, Hokkaido | ||
| Kawanishi | 川西駅 | 119.3 | |||
| Naka-Yubetsu | 中湧別駅 | 121.9 | Yubetsu Line
Yūmō Line (closed March 20, 1987)[4] | ||
| Hokuyū | 北湧駅 | (125.0) | |||
| Kami-Yubetsu | 上湧別駅 | 126.5 | |||
| Kyōshin | 共進駅 | 129.7 | |||
| Kaisei | 開盛駅 | 133.6 | |||
| Kita-Engaru | 北遠軽駅 | 135.4 | |||
| Engaru | 遠軽駅 | 138.1 | ■ Sekihoku Main Line | ||
Yubetsu Line
| Station | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naka-Yubetsu | 中湧別駅 | 0.0 | Nayoro Main Line
Yūmō Line[4] |
Okhotsk Subprefecture | Monbetsu District, Hokkaido | Kamiyūbetsu, Hokkaido |
| Shigōsen | 四号線駅 | (3.0) | Monbetsu, Hokkaido | |||
| Yubetsu | 湧別駅 | 4.9 | ||||
History
In 1915, the Yubetsu Light Rail Line was extended from Nokkeushi (which was renamed to Kitami in 1942) to Shanabuchi (later Kaisei). The light railroad lines of the national railroads were built with the same gauge of 1067mm as the other lines, but only the Yubetsu Light Rail Line had a gauge of 762mm. In the following year, the gauge was changed to 1067mm.[5][3]
The section of the line from Nayoro to Naka-Yubetsu, on the other hand, was constructed from both sides as the Nayoro West Line and the Nayoro East Line to avoid the difficult Sekihoku and Kitami Passes, and the entire line was opened to traffic as the Nayoro Line between 1919 and 1921. In 1922, with the repeal of the Light Railways Act, the Yubetsu Light Rail Line was renamed to the Yubetsu Line, and in 1923, the Nayoro Line was designated as a main line, and was renamed to the Nayoro Main Line.[5][3]
In 1932, after the Kitami Pass was overcome and the Sekihoku Line (later the Sekihoku Main Line) became fully operational, the section of the Yubetsu Line between Naka-Yubetsu and Nokkeushi would be transferred to other lines - the section between Engaru and Naka-Yubetsu became part of the Nayoro Main Line, whilst the section between Engaru and Nokkeushi became part of the Sekihoku Line.[6]
Closure
When the National Railways Restructuring Act was passed in 1980, the line was designated as a specified local line, but its abolition was delayed along with that of the Tempoku, Chihoku, and Shibetsu lines due to insufficient alternative transportation at that time, especially in winter. However, in 1985, the approval was given for their abolition as the problem had been fixed.[7][6]
After the privatization of Japan National Railways in April 1987, the towns of Engaru, Monbetsu, and Shimokawa along the line continued to campaign for the continuation of the line by subsidizing the use of the line by their residents. It was proposed that the sections of the line between Nayoro and Shimokawa and between Monbetsu and Engaru be transferred to third-sector operation, as these sections were used most frequently by passengers. However, the idea of continuing the line as a railroad was eventually abandoned, and the entire line was closed to passengers on April 30, 1989.[3][7]
References
- 『鉄道廃線跡を歩くVII』 [Walking on Abandoned Railway Tracks - VII] (in Japanese). JTB Publishing. January 2000. pp. 40–.
- 『鉄道廃線跡を歩くVIII』 [Walking on Abandoned Railway Tracks - VIII] (in Japanese). JTB Publishing. August 2001. pp. 36–37.
- "名寄本線代替バス運営協議会『名寄本線』" [Nayoro Main Line Replacement Bus Operation Council - Nayoro Main Line]. Hokkai Minyū Shimbun (in Japanese). February 28, 1990. pp. 54–55.
- Imao, Keisuke, ed. (2008). 日本鉄道旅行地図帳 [Japan Railway Travel Map] (in Japanese). pp. 18–19, 37, 48–49.
- "第5編資料/1年表。" [Part 5: Documents/1: Chronological Table.]. 『北海道鉄道百年史 下巻』 [A Hundred Year History of Hokkaido Railways] (in Japanese). Hokkaido General Bureau, JNR. 1981.
- "＜オホーツク 廃止鉄路を訪ねて＞６＊名寄本線＊「札幌日帰り」かなう" [A Tour of Obsolete Railways in Okhotsk - Nayoro Line - "One Day Trip to Sapporo" Comes True]. Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). Hokkaido Shimbun Co. Ltd. 4 July 2008. p. 25.
- "名寄本線代替バス運営協議会『名寄本線』" [Nayoro Main Line Replacement Bus Operation Council - Nayoro Main Line]. Hokkai Minyū Shimbun (in Japanese). February 28, 1990. pp. 158–180.
