is a Japanese third-sector railway company funded by

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

and the city of

Koka KOKA (980 Kilohertz, kHz, "KOKA 980 AM, 93.3 FM") is an American radio station city of license, licensed to Shreveport, Louisiana. The station is broadcasting an Urban contemporary gospel, urban gospel format. The station serves the Shreveport� ...

. The railway operates the Shigaraki Line (信楽線), a former

JR West , 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, ...

line that was transferred to the third sector in 1987. The Shigaraki Line connects Kibukawa on the JR West

Kusatsu Line The is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Tsuge on the Kansai Main Line with Kusatsu on the Biwako Line (Tōkaidō Main Line). Overview Kusatsu line mainly runs through area around ...

with Shigaraki.

Route data

*Operating Company: **Shigaraki Kohgen Railway Co. *Distance: **Kibukawa — Shigaraki: 14.7 km *

Gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

: *Stations: 6 *Double-track: None *Electrification: Not electrified

Stations

Rolling stock

* SKR310 series (since 2001) * SKR400 series (since 2015) * SKR500 series (since 5 February 2017) , the company operates a fleet of four diesel railcars: SKR310 series cars SKR311 and SKR312, SKR400 series car SKR401, and SKR500 series car SKR501. The two SKR310 series diesel railcars were introduced in 2001, based on the earlier SKR300 series design but with more powerful engines. SKR400 series diesel railcar SKR401 was delivered to the line in September 2015. This replaced car SKR301, which was withdrawn from service on 3 October 2015. New SKR500 series diesel railcar SKR501 entered revenue service on the line from 5 February 2017. This replaced SKR205, which made its last run on 4 February 2017. While similar in design to the earlier SKR400 series car SKR401, SKR501 has transverse seating, whereas SKR401 has longitudinal bench seating. File:SKR310.jpg, An SKR310 series diesel car File:Shigaraki SKR 401 20170122.jpg, SKR401 in January 2017 File:Shigaraki SKR 501 approaching Shigarakigushi station.jpg, SKR501 in March 2017

Former rolling stock

* SKR200 series (x5, from 1987 until February 2017) * SKR300 series (x1, from 1995 until October 2015) Five SKR200 series railcars were introduced between 1987 and 1992. One SKR300 series car was introduced in 1995. File:071020 Shigaraki Station Koga Shiga pref Japan02s3.jpg, SKR200 series diesel railcar SKR205 in October 2007 File:SKR300 Shigaraki 20060903.jpg, SKR301 in September 2006

History

The line was opened by the

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national rail transport, railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese ...

on May 8, 1933. Freight services ceased in 1982. The company was established on February 10, 1987, and started the railway operation on July 13, 1987, following the end of the operation by JR West the day before. Originally the company owned the railway facilities, but on April 1, 2013, the asset was transferred to the city of Kōka for 10-year free lease to the company as a part of the restructuring.

Service disruptions

The line has an unfortunate record in this regard, with services suspended between 1943 and 1947 due to being deemed non-essential during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the track removed. The citizens' volunteer work contributed to the reopening of the line on July 25, 1947. A bridge was washed out in 1953, and the line was out of service for a year whilst it was rebuilt. The 1991 collision (see below) resulted in the suspension of services for six months. The line was out of service from September 16, 2013, to November 29, 2014, as a result of another bridge washout caused by

Typhoon Man-yi Typhoon Man-yi, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pepito, was a powerful and long-tracked tropical cyclone that impacted the Philippines in mid–November 2024. Closely following Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoons Kong-rey, Yinxing, T ...

Accidents

The

Shigaraki train disaster The was a railway accident that occurred in Shigaraki, Shiga, Shigaraki (now Koka, Shiga, Koka), Shiga Prefecture, Japan on May 14, 1991. A Shigaraki Kōgen Railway (SKR) train and a West Japan Railway Company (JR West) train head-on collision, ...

happened on the line in May 1991, when a through train from JR West collided head-on with a Shigaraki Kohgen Railway train, killing 42 people.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shigaraki Kogen Railway Rail transport in Shiga Prefecture Railway companies of Japan Railway companies established in 1987 Japanese third-sector railway lines