Asa Kaigan Railway Asatō Line

Asa Kaigan Railway ASA-101 Series train.

The Asatō Line (阿佐東線, Asatō-sen^?, "Asa East Line") is Japanese railway line between Kaifu Station, Kaiyō and Kannoura Station, Tōyō. Together with JR Shikoku Mugi Line, it has the official nickname Awa Muroto Seaside Line (阿波室戸シーサイドライン, Awa Muroto Shīsaido Rain^?). This is the only railway line Asa Kaigan Railway (阿佐海岸鉄道, Asa Kaigan Tetsudō^?, "Asa Coastal Railway") operates. The company is abbreviated as Asatetsu (阿佐鉄^?). Since the line goes through sparsely populated area, it is in the severe business condition. It is discussed whether to continue the railway line or not.

History

Japanese National Railways started the construction of Asa Line in 1959. The portion of it opened as Mugi Line in 1973, while the construction of other parts halted in 1980. The construction resumed under Asa Kaigan Railway, the newly founded third sector company. The eastern portion of the line, now called Asatō Line, opened in 1992. The western portion of the planned Asa Line opened as Tosa Kuroshio Railway Asa Line in 2002. The complete Asa Line, however, never came into reality.

Basic data

• Distance: 8.5 km / 5.3 mi.
• Gauge: 1,067 mm / 3 ft. 6 in.
• Stations: 3
• Double-track line: None
• Electric supply: Not electrified
• Railway signalling: Simplified automatic

Stations

No.	Name		Distance (km)	Connections	Location
AK28	Kaifu	海部	0.0	Shikoku Railway Company: Mugi Line (M28)	Kaiyō, Kaifu District, Tokushima Prefecture
AK29	Shishikui	宍喰	6.1
AK30	Kannoura	甲浦	8.5		Tōyō, Aki District, Kōchi Prefecture

See also

• Asa Line
• Tosa Kuroshio Railway Asa Line
• List of railway companies in Japan
• List of railway lines in Japan

External links

• Asa Kaigan Railway official website (Japanese)