Sōya Main Line
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The is a Japanese railway line 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
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 ...
. The line connects
Asahikawa Station is a railway station in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Asahikawa Station is the central train station for the city of Asahikawa, which is the second largest city in Hokkaido by population af ...
in
Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...
and
Wakkanai Station is a railway station on the Sōya Main Line in the city of Wakkanai, Hokkaido, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). It is the northern terminus of the Sōya Main Line, and is also the northernmost railway station in Japan. Lines ...
in
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 ...
, and is the northernmost railway line in Japan. The name comes from
Sōya Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Its population is estimated to be 77,500 as of July 31, 2004 and its area is . It is the northernmost subprefecture of Japan. Wakkanai Airport is located in Wakkanai. Rishiri Airport is locate ...
. On 19 November 2016, JR Hokkaido's President announced plans to rationalise the network by up to 1,237 km, or ~50% of the current network, including proposed conversion of the Nayoro - Wakkanai section of the Soya Line to Third Sector operation, but if local governments are not agreeable, the section will face closure.


Services

One '' Sōya''
limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common ...
service operates each way between and daily, and two '' Sarobetsu'' limited express services also operate each way between Asahikawa and Wakkanai daily. All-stations "Local" train services operate between and , at approximately 1 to 2 hour intervals. All-stations "Local" train services operate between Nayoro and Wakkanai, at approximately 3 to 4 hour intervals. Four Rapid ''Nayoro'' services operate between Nayoro and Asahikawa in each direction daily.


Stations

:L: Limited Express ('' Sōya'' / ''Sarobetsu'' ) :R: All Rapid ''Nayoro'' services :r: Some Rapid ''Nayoro'' services :-: Some local trains skip marked stations Northern extremity: W80 Wakkanai


Closed stations

* Ashikawa, Kami-onoppunai and Shimo-nakagawa: Since 1 July 2001 * and Minami-shimonuma: Since 18 March 2006 * W39 , W50 , W71 , W41 , W35 , W53 , W33 , W56 , W43 , W75 , W58 and W69 : Since 13 March 2021, of which Toyoshimizu is downgraded to a signal base * W65 : Since 12 March 2022


History

The line was originally built as part of a link between mainland Japan and the then Japanese northern frontier of
Karafuto Karafuto Prefecture ( ja, 樺太庁, ''Karafuto-chō''; russian: Префектура Карафуто, Prefektura Karafuto), commonly known as South Sakhalin, was a prefecture of Japan located in Sakhalin from 1907 to 1949. Karafuto became t ...
(southern half of
Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...
Island). From Wakkanai Port, a ferry to then Ōdomari (present Korsakov) operated until the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The first segment of the line from Asahigawa (present Asahikawa) to Nagayama was built by the Hokkaido Government Railway in 1898. The line was extended to Nayoro in 1903, and to Wakkanai in 1922 along the route of the later Tempoku Line (, Tenpoku-sen) via Hamatombetsu. The present route via was opened as part of the Teshio Line (, Teshio-sen). After Japan's defeat in the war, the line lost its function as a link to Sakhalin, but remained important as a trunk line into the northern part of Hokkaido. The Sōya Main Line gradually lost all of its branch lines, and presently constitutes a long branch from the
Hakodate Main Line The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate and Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawara Line, a 35 km loop line from Ōnuma to Mo ...
.


Timeline

*August 12, 1898: Opened as (I) of Hokkaido Government Railway, between Asahigawa (present Asahikawa) and Nagayama *November 25, 1898: Extended to Ranru *November 15, 1899: Extended to Wassamu *August 5, 1900: Extended to Shibetsu *September 3, 1900: Extended to Nayoro *April 1, 1905: Transferred to
Imperial Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways ( ja, 鉄道省, Tetsudō-shō, ) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Rai ...
*November 3, 1911: Extended to Onnenai *September 21, 1912: Renamed *November 5, 1912: Extended to Otoineppu *October 20, 1919: Renamed *October 5, 1921: Renamed Sōya Line *November 1, 1922: Completed to Wakkanai (present Minami-Wakkanai) via later Tempoku Line *November 4, 1922: Renamed back to Sōya Main Line *November 8, 1922: Teshio Line (II) between Otoineppu and Pompira (present Teshio-Nakagawa) *May 1, 1923: commenced Wakkanai - Ōdomari *November 10, 1923: Extended to Toikambetsu *June 25, 1924: opened Wakkanai - Kabutonuma. Teshio Line renamed *July 20, 1925: Teshio South Line extended to Horonobe *September 25, 1926: Teshio South and North lines connected, renamed to (II), Otoineppu - Wakkanai *December 26, 1928: Extended to Wakkanaikō (present Wakkanai). *April 1, 1930: Entire stretch of the Teshio Line became a part of Sōya Main Line. The section Otoineppu - Hamatombetsu - Wakkanai separated as , later . *June 30, 1935: Teshio Line (III), later from Horonobe opened. *August 25, 1945: Chihaku Ferry ceased operation when all of Sakhalin becomes part of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. *July 15, 1965: The 1256m Shimodaira Tunnel and realignment opened to avoid an avalanche trouble-spot. *November 10, 1984: Automated block system introduced, ticketing of most (29) stations unstaffed *November 1, 1986: CTC implemented, above noted stations completely unstaffed. *April 1, 1987:
Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
privatized,
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 ...
succeeded the entire line as Category 1,
Japan Freight Railway Company , 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 ...
as Category 2 between Asahikawa and Nayoro. All the temporary stations were reclassified as regular stations *1995: The ferry between Wakkanai and Korsakov "resumed" after 50 years, although not directly connected to the railway. *March 2000: Tracks of Asahikawa - Nayoro upgraded for faster operation. The ''
Super Sōya Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butt ...
'' limited express train commenced.


Former connecting lines

* Shibetsu station - A 762mm (2'6") gauge line was constructed between 1920-25 along the Teshio River valley to transport forestry products, extending 21.4 km to 'Upper' Shibetsu, where it connected to the Shibetsu Forest Railway. Initially horse drawn, a steam locomotive was introduced in 1928. The line closed in 1959. * Nayoro station - A 138 km line known as the Nayoro Main Line was built from Nayoro to Engaru on the
Sekihoku Main Line is a railway line in Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) between in Asahikawa and Abashiri Station in Abashiri. The name comes from the first Kanji characters of and , names of ancient provinces along the lin ...
between 1915-1921, operating until 1989. There were four lines connecting to the Nayoro Main line: ** The 20 km Kohin'nan line from Okoppe to Om, operated from 1935-85. Some construction work on a proposed extension to Kitami Esashi (see below) was undertaken before the proposal was abandoned. ** The 34 km line from Shokotsu to Kitami Takinoue, opened 1923 and closed 1985. ** The 28 km 762mm gauge line from Monbetsu to Motoyama, which operated from 1943–73 ** The 6 km 762mm gauge line from Yubetsu to Saromako, which operated from 1930–39 * Nayoro was also the junction for the to Fukagawa on the
Hakodate Main Line The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate and Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawara Line, a 35 km loop line from Ōnuma to Mo ...
, which reached the Soya line in 1941, closing in 1995. A 51.2 km line was proposed from on that line to on the (see below) with construction commencing in 1959. A substantial steel truss bridge was constructed before work was abandoned in 1962. * Bifuka station - A 21 km 762mm gauge line was built to Niupu in 1935. In 1960 it was decided to replace the line with a 1067mm gauge line and extend it 58 km to Kitami Esashi, the terminus of a line from Hamatonbetsu on the Tempoku line (see below). The 762mm gauge line closed in 1963 and the 1067mm line opened in 1964. Substantial construction of the line to Kitami Esashi continued until abandoned in 1979, after 13.3 Billion Yen had been expended. The Bifuka - Niupu section closed in 1985. * Otoineppu station - The Tempoku line was constructed north commencing in 1914, reaching Minami-Wakkanai in 1922. It closed in 1989. This line had the Hamatonbetsu - Kitami Esashi branch line operating from 1936 until 1985. The Utanobori Municipal Tramway was a network of 762mm gauge lines, with a 16.2 km line from Shotonbetsu to Kitami Esashi and 2 branch lines, each 10 km long. It operated 1929-70, being horse drawn until 1933. * Toyotomi station - The Nisso Coal Co. operated an 18 km line to Sanko from 1940/45 until the mine closed in 1972. * Toikanbetsu station - The Horonobe Municipal Tramway was a 16 km 762mm gauge line to Kamitoikan, which operated 1930-71. It was extended 4 km to a coal mine in 1941, at which time a steam locomotive was introduced. The coal mine and extension closed in 1958. * Horonobe station - The initial northern section of the opened in 1935. The initial southern section from Rumoi opened in 1927, and the sections were linked in 1958. The line closed in 1987.


See also

*
List of railway lines in Japan List of railway lines in Japan lists existing railway lines in Japan alphabetically. The vast majority of Japanese railways are classified under two Japanese laws, one for and another for . The difference between the two is a legal, and not alwa ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soya Main Line Rail transport in Hokkaido Lines of Hokkaido Railway Company 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Railway lines opened in 1898