The is a railway line in

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

, Japan, operated by the

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West). The line connects

Shin-Yamaguchi Station is a railway station operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, and is a stopping point for the Sanyō Shinkansen and the Sanyō Main Line, and serves as termini of Yamaguchi Line and Ube Line. It is also the start ...

in Yamaguchi and

Ube Station is a railway station in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Ube Station is served by the Sanyō Main Line and the Ube Line. See also * List of railway stations in Japan The links below con ...

in Ube.

Stations

All stations are in

Rolling stock

* 105 series 2-car EMUs * 123 series single-car EMUs

History

The Ube Light Railway Co. opened the Ube – Ube-Shinkawa section in 1914, extending the line to Tokonami in 1923 and Ogori (now Shin-Yamaguchi) in 1925. The line was electrified at 1500 VDC in 1929. In 1928 the Ube Electric Railway Co. opened a 1 km line from Ube-Shinkawa to Ubeko, with a 2 km branch to the Okinoyama coal mine, both electrified at 1500 VDC. Both companies merged in 1941, becoming the Ube Railway Co. which was nationalised in 1943. Passenger services to Ubeko ceased in 1952, and both branches closed in 1961. CTC signalling was commissioned in 1983, and freight services ceased in 1999. ''Wanman''

driver only operation One-person operation (OPO), also known as driver-only operation (DOO), one-man operation (OMO), single person train operation (SPTO), or one-person train operation (OPTO), similarly to Driver Controlled Operation, is operation of a train, bus ...

commenced on the section between and on 1 June 1990, using 105 and 123 series EMUs. The entire line was switched to driver only operation on 14 March 1992.

Former connecting lines

* Ube station – The Funaki Railway Co. opened a 6 km 762mm gauge line in 1916. The line was converted to 1067mm gauge in 1922, and extended 12 km to Kibe in 1926. The last 8 km closed in 1944, and the balance of the line in 1961.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia {{West Japan Railway Company Lines Rail transport in Yamaguchi Prefecture Lines of West Japan Railway Company 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan