Sōya Main Line

nihongo|Sōya Main Line|宗谷本線|Sōya Honsen is a Japanese railway line of Hokkaido Railway Company in Hokkaidō, the northernmost railway line in Japan. The line is between Asahikawa Station in Asahikawa and Wakkanai Station in Wakkanai. The name comes from Sōya Subprefecture.

Basic data

*Distances: 259.4 km
*Operators
**Hokkaidō Railway Company (Category 1)
***Asahikawa - Wakkanai: 259.4 km
**Japan Freight Railway Company (Category 2)
***Asahikawa - Nayoro: 76.2 km
***:Trains operated only Asahikawa - Kita-Asahikawa, nominal Kita-Asahikawa - Nayoro with motor vehicles
*Stations: 54
*Gauge: 1067 mm
*Track
**Asahikawa - Shin-Asahikawa 3.7 km: double
**Shin-Asahikawa - Wakkanai: single
*Electrification:
**Asahikawa - Shin-Asahikawa 3.7 km: 20,000 V AC)
**:For train forwarding only, to Kita-Asahikawa depot from Asahikawa Station
**Shin-Asahikawa - Wakkanai: not electrified
*Block system:
**Asahikawa - Kita-Asahikawa: Automatic, with CTC and PRC
**Kita-Asahikawa to Nagayama: Automatic (special) (自動閉塞式(特殊)), with CTC and PRC; Only one singnal block between each station.
**Nagayama - Minami-Wakkanai: Special Automatic Electronic Signal Verification (電子符号照査式); Signal blocks on each station only, none between stations, with a wireless confirmation from a train
**From Minami-Wakkanai to Wakkanai: Special Automatic Track Circuit Detection (軌道回路検知式); Signal blocks on each station only, none between stations, without a confirmation from a train

History

The line was originally built as a link line between Mainland Japan and the then Japanese northern frontier Karafuto (southern half of Sakhalin Island). From Wakkanai Port, ferry to then Ōdomari (present Korsakov) served until the end of World War II.

The first segment of the line from Asahigawa (present Asahikawa) to Nagayama was built by the nihongo|Hokkaidō Government Railway|北海道官設鉄道|Hokkaidō Kansetsu Tetsudō in 1898. The line eventually extended to Nayoro in 1903, and a railway to Wakkanai was completed in 1922 in the route of the later Nihongo|Tempoku Line|天北線|Tenpoku-sen via Hamatombetsu. The present route via ja-stalink|Horonobe was first made as the Nihongo|Teshio Line|天塩線|Teshio-sen.

After Japan's defeat of the war, the line lost the function as a link to Sakhalin, but remained important as a trunk line into the northern part of Hokkaidō. The heavily declining population of the surrounding area in recent decades, however, have made networked railway lines disappear one by one. The Sōya "Main" Line lost all branch lines, presently it is a long branch from Hakodate Main Line.

Timeline

*August 12, 1898: Opened as Nihongo|Teshio Line|天塩線|Teshio-sen (I) of Hokkaidō 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 nihongo|Imperial Japanese Government Railways|官設鉄道|Kansetsu Tetsudō
*November 3, 1911: Extended to Onnenai
*September 21, 1912: Renamed to nihongo|Sōya Line|宗谷線|Sōya-sen
*November 5, 1912: Extended to Otoineppu
*October 20, 1919: Renamed to nihongo|Sōya Main Line|宗谷本線|Sōya Honsen
*October 5, 1921: Renamed back to 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: nihongo|Chihaku Ferry|稚泊連絡船|Chihaku Renrakusen commenced Wakkanai - Ōdomari
*November 10, 1923: Extended to Toikambetsu
*June 25, 1924: nihongo|Teshio North Line|天塩北線|Teshio-hokusen opened Wakkanai - Kabutonuma. Teshio Line renamed to nihongo|Teshio South Line|天塩南線|Teshio-nansen
*July 20, 1925: Teshio South Line extended to Horonobe
*September 25, 1926: Teshio South and North lines connected, renamed to nihongo|Teshio Line|天塩線|Teshio-sen (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 nihongo|Kitami Line|北見線|Kitami-sen, later nihongo|Tempoku Line|天北線|Tempoku-sen
*June 30, 1935: Teshio Line (III), later nihongo|Haboro Line|羽幌線|Haboro-sen from Horonobe opened
*August 25, 1945: Chihaku Ferry ceased operation
*November 10, 1984: Automated block system introduced, ticketing of most (29) stations unmanned
*November 1, 1986: CTC implemented, above noted stations completely unmanned
*April 1, 1987: Japanese National Railways privatized, Hokkaido Railway Company succeeded the entire line as Category 1, Japan Freight Railway Company as Category 2 between Asahikawa and Nayoro. All the Nihongo|temporal stations|仮乗降場|Kari jōkōjō classified ordinary ones
*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 limited express train nihongo|Super Sōya|スーパー宗谷 commenced

ervices

Intercity limited expresses run from Sapporo to Wakkanai, nihongo|Super Sōya|スーパー宗谷 2 laps a day, nihongo|Sarobetsu|サロベツ 1 lap a day.

Local train services between Asahikawa and Nayoro one per 1 to 2 hours, the Rapids nihongo|Nayoro|なよろ 4 laps a day. Between Nayoro and Wakkanai, one local per 3 to 4 hours.

Connections

Lines are of JR Hokkaidō unless noted

Present

*At Asahikawa
**■ Furano Line
**■ Hakodate Main Line
*At Shin-Asahikawa
**■ Sekihoku Main Line

Past

*At Asahikawa-Yojō
**Nihongo|Asahikawa Electric Tramway|旭川電気軌道|Asahikawa Denki Kidō lines
*At Nayoro
**Nayoro Main Line
**Shimmei Line
*At Bifuka
**Japanese National Railways (JNR): Bikō Line
*At Otoineppu
**Tempoku Line
*At Horonobe
**JNR: Haboro Line
*At Minami-Wakkanai
**Tempoku Line

tations

:R: All Rapids, r: some Rapids:L: Limited Expresses

:¹: manned station:²: station with passing loops

Gallery

ee also

*List of railway lines in Japan