Nishikigawa Seiryū Line

The Nishikigawa Seiryū Line (錦川清流線, Nishikigawa Seiryū-sen, "Nishiki River Limpid Stream Line") is a Japanese railway line connecting Kawanishi and Nishikichō stations, all within Iwakuni, Yamaguchi. As the name suggests, the line parallels the Nishiki River (Nishiki-gawa). This is the only railway line Nishikigawa Railway (錦川鉄道, Nishikigawa Tetsudō) operates. The third-sector company (in Japanese sense) took former West Japan Railway Company (JR West) line in 1987. The line was proposed to be extended to Nichihara, on the Yamaguchi Line, but was not completed (see History section below). The company also operates bus lines and a travel agency.

NT-3000 series DMU nicknamed "Seseragi-gō"
A diesel railcar at Nishikicho Station

Basic data edit

  • Distance: 32.7 km (20.3 mi)
  • Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
  • Stations: 13
  • Track: single
  • Electric supply: not electrified
  • Railway signalling:
    • Kawanishi — Kita-Gōchi: Automatic
    • Kita-Gōchi — Nishikichō: Simplified automatic

Stations edit

Name Distance (km) Connections Location
Iwakuni 岩国 0.0 Sanyō Main Line Iwakuni, Yamaguchi
Nishi-Iwakuni 西岩国 3.7 Gantoku Line
Kawanishi 川西 5.6 Gantoku Line
Seiryū-Shin-Iwakuni 清流新岩国 9.5 Sanyō Shinkansen (Shin-Iwakuni)
Shuuchi-Kasagami 守内かさ神 11.0  
Minami-Gōchi 南河内 14.2  
Yukaba 行波 16.8  
Kita-Gōchi 北河内 19.5  
Mukuno 椋野 23.3  
Naguwa 南桑 26.4  
Seiryu Miharashi 清流みはらし 28.1  
Nekasa 根笠 29.1  
Kawayama 河山 33.5  
Yanaze 柳瀬 36.6  
Nishikichō 錦町 38.3  

History edit

The Gannichi Line (岩日線, Gannichi-sen) opened to Kawayama on 1 November 1960, operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and was extended to Nishikichō in 1963.[1][2] Construction of the proposed extension to Nichihara on the Yamaguchi Line commenced in 1967, and about 50% of the roadbed had been completed when construction was abandoned in 1980.

The Nishikigawa Railway was established on 1 April 1987, renaming and taking over operations of the line from 25 July of the same year.[1]

See also edit

References edit

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

  1. ^ a b Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  2. ^ 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. 176. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.

External links edit