![Kaikyo Line between Tappi-Kaitei Station and Tsugaru-Imabetsu Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Kaikyo_Line_between_Tappi-Kaitei_Station_and_Tsugaru-Imabetsu_Station.jpg)
The is an 87.8-kilometer long railway line operated mainly by the
Hokkaido Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...
(JR Hokkaido). The line connects
Naka-Oguni Station
is a railway station on the Tsugaru Line in the town of Sotogahama, Aomori, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Naka-Oguni Station is served by the JR East Tsugaru Line and is 31.4 km from the southern terminus ...
in
Sotogahama,
Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...
, through the
Seikan Tunnel
The Seikan Tunnel ( ja, 青函トンネル, or , ), is a dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern isla ...
between
Honshu
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...
and
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
, to
Kikonai Station
is a railway station in Kikonai, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) and South Hokkaido Railway Company.
Lines
Kikonai Station is served by the following lines.
* South Hokkaido Railway Line
*Kaikyō Line (freig ...
in
Kikonai, Hokkaido. Two stations on the Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line,
Tappi-Kaitei Station
was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Sotogahama, Aomori, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station is located within the Seikan Tunnel below the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait linking the main Japanese island o ...
and
Yoshioka-Kaitei Station
was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Fukushima, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station was underground and was located within the Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait linking the main Japanese ...
(both closed since 2014), were inside the tunnel.
Facilities
The approximately 82 km section of concrete-slab track-bed was built to accommodate the
Hokkaido Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...
, and is
dual gauge
In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to c ...
, with both narrow (national standard)
1,067 mm gauge and
1,435 mm gauge track. As all regular passenger services are
Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...
, the Kaikyō Line is normally used only by freight trains.
The line was originally electrified at 20 kV AC (50 Hz) and was changed in 2016 to the Shinkansen-standard 25 kV AC (50 Hz).
To comply with freight operations,
JR Freight
, or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station.
The Japan Railways Group was foun ...
introduced
Class EH800 dual-voltage locomotives.
Stations
*
Naka-Oguni Station
is a railway station on the Tsugaru Line in the town of Sotogahama, Aomori, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Naka-Oguni Station is served by the JR East Tsugaru Line and is 31.4 km from the southern terminus ...
*
Okutsugaru-Imabetsu Station
is a railway station on the Hokkaido Shinkansen in the town of Imabetsu in Aomori Prefecture, on the island of Honshu, Japan. It is operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), and is the last stop in Honshu before the Seikan Tunnel to Ho ...
(Shinkansen station with facilities for freight trains on the Kaikyō Line)
*''
Tappi-Kaitei Station
was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Sotogahama, Aomori, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station is located within the Seikan Tunnel below the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait linking the main Japanese island o ...
'' (closed 2014)
*''
Yoshioka-Kaitei Station
was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Fukushima, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station was underground and was located within the Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait linking the main Japanese ...
'' (closed 2014)
*''
Shiriuchi Station
was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Shiriuchi, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Opened in 1990, it closed in March 2014. The undersea Seikan Tunnel to the main Japanese island of Honshu is not far fro ...
'' (closed 2014)
*
Kikonai Station
is a railway station in Kikonai, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) and South Hokkaido Railway Company.
Lines
Kikonai Station is served by the following lines.
* South Hokkaido Railway Line
*Kaikyō Line (freig ...
History
The line was opened on 13 March 1988 in conjunction with the opening of the Seikan Tunnel. Originally the line ran both freight and passenger trains; the latter included daytime limited express ''
Hakuchō'' and night train ''
Hokutosei
The was a limited express sleeping car train service in Japan which operated between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Sapporo Station in the northern island of Hokkaido, taking approximately 16½ hours. It was operated jointly by East Japan R ...
''.
Three of the stations on the Kaikyō Line, Tappi-Kaitei, Yoshioka-Kaitei, and Shiriuchi, were closed on 15 March 2014 due to construction work connected with the
Hokkaido Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...
, which opened on 26 March 2016.
From that time, all passenger services through the line were discontinued.
See also
*
Seikan Tunnel Tappi Shako Line
The Seikan Tunnel ( ja, 青函トンネル, or , ), is a dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern isla ...
References
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaikyo Line
Lines of Hokkaido Railway Company
Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line
1067 mm gauge railways in Japan
Seikan Tunnel