Nankai Wakayamakō Line

Nankai Wakayamakō Line
Gauge:	1067
Voltage:	1500 DC
Legend Namba Nankai Main Line Kisei Main Line 0.0 Wakayamashi Wakayamakō Line Owned by Nankai 0.8 Prefecture-Company Boundary (Kubochō) Owned by Wakayama Prefecture 1.5 Tsukijibashi abandoned in 2005 2.3 Chikkōchō abandoned in 2005 2.8 Wakayamakō 5.4 Suiken abandoned in 2002

The Wakayamakō Line (和歌山港線, Wakayamakō-sen^?) is a railway line operated by Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway that runs in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, between Wakayamashi and Wakayamakō stations.

The purpose of the line is to provide a railway link to Wakayama Port that has ferry service to Tokushima in Shikoku. The line is jointly owned by Nankai and Wakayama Prefecture.

History

Opened in 1956 by Nankai from Wakayamashi to later Chikkōchō (then Wakayamakō) for rail connection to its ferry to Shikoku. In 1971 the line was extended to Suiken via present Wakayamakō, by Wakayama Prefecture for the expansion of the port and to provide freight access to then planned lumber transport. The section between Wakayamakō and Suiken was closed in 2002, until then freight train had never operated. The stations between Wakayamashi and Wakayamakō were abandoned in 2005 due to few passengers, then Kubochō Station was renamed the "Prefecture-Company Boundary" (県社分界点, Ken-sha Bunkai ten^?).

Descriptions

• Operators:
  • Nankai Electric Railway

  Category-1 railway business: Wakayamashi Station - Prefecture-Company Boundary (0.8 km)

  Category-2 railway business: Prefecture-Company Boundary - Wakayamakō Station (2.0 km)

  • Wakayama Prefecture

  Category-3 railway business: Prefecture-Company Boundary - Wakayamakō Station (2.0 km)

• Track: Single track

Operations

All trains except one earliest in the morning are operated through to the Nankai Main Line up to Namba as Limited Express (mostly named "Southern") or Express trains. Connections to/from ferry are considered, nearly one service per hour.

Stations

Station	Remarks
Wakayamashi
Prefecture-Company Boundary	Until 2005 named "Kubochō" with passenger traffic
Tsukijibashi	Abandoned in 2005
Chikkōchō	Abandoned in 2005. Named "Wakayamakō" until 1971
Wakayamakō
Suiken	Abandoned in 2002