Tōbu Kinugawa Line

The nihongo|Tōbu Kinugawa Line|東武鬼怒川線|Tōbu Kinugawa-sen is a 16.2-kilometre long Japanese railway line from Shimo-Imaichi Station in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture and Shin-Fujiwara Station in the same local government.

It is owned and operated by Tobu Railway. Its name was taken after Kinugawa Onsen hot spring resort area the line serves.

At Shimo-Imaichi Station it connects with Tōbu Nikkō Line. At Shin-Fujiwara Station it connects with Yagan Railway Aizu Kinugawa Line (YRAKL) Some trains goes beyond the YRAKL terminus Aizu-Kōgen Oze-guchi Station onto Aizu Railway Aizu Line (ARAL).

The line runs surcharged, seat-reserved limited express services from and to Tokyo's Asakusa and Shinjuku Stations.

The whole line is electrified (1500 volts DC) but it is single tracked except a 0.8 km double-tracked section at Kinugawa-Onsen Station.

tations

(From the south to the north)Shimo-Imaichi Station (origin), Daiya-Mukō Station, Ōkuwa Station, Shin-Takatoku Station, Kosagoe Station, Kinugawa-Onsen Station, Kinugawa-Kōen Station, Shin-Fujiwara Station (terminus).

History

1915: nihongo|Fujiwara Trackroad Co.,Ltd.|藤原軌道株式会社|"Fujiwara Kidō Kabushiki-gaisha was licensed to lay 762 millimetre-gauge steam powered trackroad. It was renamed nihongo|Shimotsuke Trackroad Co.,Ltd.|下野軌道株式会社|"Shimotsuke Kidō Kabushiki-gaisha in the same year.

2 January 1917: A 3.6-mile (4.9 km) section from Daiya-gawa Hokugan Station to Kinugawa Nangan Station was opened. Another 2.5 mile (4.0 km) was added in the same year.

March 1919: Ōhara Station to Shimotaki Station section was opened.

October 1919: Daiya Mukō Imaichi Station to Shin-Imaichi Station section was opened.

1 January 1920: Shimotaki Station to Fujiwara Station section was open to complete the whole 10.9 mile (16.2 km) line.

6 June 1921: The company name was renamed nihongo|Shimotsuke Electric Railway Co.,Ltd.|下野電気鉄道株式会社|"Shimotsuke Denki Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha|SER.

9 March 1922: The whole line was electrified 600 volt DC.

April 1927: The corporate headquarters was relocated to the Tobu Railway headquarters in Tokyo.

22 October 1929: The 1067-millimetre (3 ft 6 in) gauge operation began on all the line.

1931: The voltage was elevated to 1500 volts.

1 May 1943: SER was bought out by Tobu Railway. The line became Tōbu Kinugawa Line.

9 October 1986: YRAKL through service began.

12 October 1990: ARAL through service to Aizu Tajima Station began.

References

Excerpts from as of 2007-06-29T17:21:25.