The Kajiya Line (鍛冶屋線, Kajiya-sen) was a railway line of West Japan Railway Company between Nishiwaki and Taka District all within Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The line closed on April 1, 1990.

Kajiya Line
A KiHa 37 DMU at Nishiwaki Station on the Kajiya Line in December 1986
Overview
Native name鍛冶屋線
StatusCeased operation
OwnerLogo of the West Railway Company (JR West) JR West
LocaleHyogo
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeCommuter rail line
Operator(s)JR West
History
Opened10 August 1913; 110 years ago (1913-08-10)
Closed1 April 1990
Technical
Line length13.2 km (8.2 mi)
Number of tracksEntirely Single-tracked
CharacterRural and urban
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone

Stations edit

Name Distance
(km)
Connections Location
Nomura1 野村 0.0 Kakogawa Line Nishiwaki Hyōgo
Nishiwaki 西脇 1.6  
Ichihara 市原 4.7  
Hayasu 羽安 7.0  
Sogai 曽我井 8.8   Naka2
Nakamuramachi 中村町 10.9  
Kajiya 鍛冶屋 13.2  
Notes
1: Nomura Station was renamed Nishiwakishi Station upon closure of the Kajiya Line.
2: The former town of Naka became a part of the town of Taka in 2005.

History edit

The Banshū Railway (播州鉄道, Banshū Tetsudō) opened the line between 1913 and 1923. The railway was acquired by the Bantan Railway (播丹鉄道, Bantan Tetsudō) in 1923 and nationalised in 1943 together with other Bantan Railway lines, i.e. the Kakogawa Line, the Takasago Line, the Miki Line, and the Hōjō Line.[1]

Under the operation of Japanese National Railways (JNR), freight services ceased in 1974. JR West succeeded the line in 1987 and closed it in 1990, concurrently with the Miyazu Line and the Taisha Line, as the last of 83 "specified local lines" selected for closure.[2]

References edit

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

  1. ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 171. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  2. ^ "JNR/JR 25年の大アルバム". Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). No. 390. Koyusha. October 1993. p. 50.