The Tempoku Line (天北線 Tempoku-sen) was a railway line most recently operated by

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) in Hokkaidō, Japan. The 148.9 kilometres line connected from Otoineppu to Minami-Wakkanai via Nakatonbetsu,

Hamatonbetsu is a town located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 3,841, an area of ., and a density of 9.6 persons per km². The town is in a long period of sustained population loss. It i ...

and Sarufutsu until its closure in 1989. This railway line was named after

Teshio Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō, corresponding to all of modern-day Rumoi Subprefecture and the northern half of Kamikawa Subprefecture. History After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional admi ...

and

Kitami Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Sōya Subprefecture and Abashiri Subprefecture minus part of Abashiri District. History After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional ...

History

The first section from Otoineppu to Shō-Tombetsu was opened in 1914. All section was opened in 1922, as the first railway line for

Wakkanai ' meaning "cold water river" is a city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture. It contains Japan's northernmost point, Cape Sōya, from which the Russian island of Sakhalin can be seen. As of ...

. In 1926, Teshio line via Horonobe was opened. From Otoineppu to Wakkanai, the distance of this line was longer than Teshio line. In 1930, Teshio line was integrated into

Sōya Main Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) in Hokkaido. The line connects Asahikawa Station in Asahikawa and Wakkanai Station in Wakkanai, and is the northernmost railway line in Japan. The name comes fr ...

, and this line was separated from it and renamed Kitami line.田中和夫（監修）『写真で見る北海道の鉄道』上巻国鉄・JR線北海道新聞社（編集）2002年7月15日。 In 1961, Kitami line was renamed to Tempoku line. In 1987, JNR was privatized, and this line was inherited by JR Hokkaido, but abandoned on 1 May 1989.

Stations

After discontinuing

Soya Bus The is a Japanese bus company. It was established on 1 July 1952 to inherit part of the business of the Dohoku Bus. History The SOYA bus operates around the northernmost part of Japan. The bus company belonged to Tokyu Group from 1959 until 2009 ...

(Belong to

Tokyu Group The is a railway keiretsu whose parent company is the Tokyu Corporation railway company, which links Tokyo and its suburbs. Many companies in the group are designed to enhance the value of the Tokyu rail network. In addition to the railroad syst ...

until 1999) have altered the Tenpoku Line since 1989. But the altered line was partly discontinued in 2011.

References

{{Specified local lines, state=collapsed Defunct railroads 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan

History

Stations

After discontinuing

See also

References