TheYamada Line(Sơn điền tuyến,Yamada-sen)is a regional railway line inJapanoperated byEast Japan Railway Company(JR East).[1][2]The railway line connectsMorioka StationinMorioka CitytoMiyako StationinMiyako City,and is named after the town ofYamadainIwate Prefecture,which the line used to serve. The railway line traverses through theKitakami Mountains,[1]running parallel toNational Route 106for most of its length.
| Yamada Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A KiHa 110 series DMU car on the Yamada Line in March 2012 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | Sơn điền tuyến | ||
| Status | In operation | ||
| Owner |  JR East | ||
| Locale | Iwate Prefecture | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 15 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| Operator(s) | JR East | ||
| Rolling stock | KiHa 110 seriesDMU | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 10 October 1923 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 102.1 km (63.4 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | Entire line single tracked | ||
| Character | Rural | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm(3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | None | ||
| Operating speed | 85 km/h (53 mph) | ||
| |||
Yamada Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History
edit19th to 20th century
editThe Yamada Line was planned to connect Morioka with theSanrikuregion, and was originally planned to run fromMoriokatoRikuchu-Yamada,as stipulated in theRailway Construction Law of 1892.[1]An environmental survey was carried out, but because the proposed route of the Yamada Line was to cross through theKitakami Mountainsbetween Morioka and Miyako at an altitude of over 1,000m (751m above sea level), construction of the line initially failed to materialise.[1]It was not until 1920, whenHara Takashi,who had become thePrime Minister of Japantwo years prior and had been a native ofIwate Prefecture,made the decision to build the line. The Yamada Line later opened in stages; the section from Morioka toKami-Yonaiopened on 10 October 1923, and the rest of the line to Rikuchu-Yamada opened by 1935.[1]
An extension of the Yamada Line south of Rikuchu-Yamada was planned to be constructed as part of the "Railway from Yamada to Kamaishi to Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture", as defined in Appendix No. 7 of theRevised Railway Construction Act.[2]The extension of the Yamada Line from Rikuchu-Yamada up toKamaishiwas opened by 1939,[2]prior to the outbreak ofWorld War II.
After the opening of the Yamada Line, passenger trains travelling between Morioka andMiyakobecame so congested that it was often impossible to sit down and people had to stand up on the trains. Prior to the final extension of theKamaishi Linein 1950 to Kamaishi, the Yamada Line was the only direct line between the coast and the inland areas of northern Iwate,[1]and upon the extension of the Yamada Line to Kamaishi by 1939,[2]freight traffic began using the Yamada Line throughout the day and night, as it formed the sole rail connection between Kamaishi and theTohoku Main Line.
In November 1946, after thePacific War,the Yamada Line was closed for a long time betweenHiratsutoandToyomane Stationsdue to wind and flood damage. As a replacement for the closed section of the Yamada Line, theSupreme Commander for the Allied Powersordered theKamaishi Lineto be rebuilt and extended to Kamaishi.[2]Following the opening of the Kamaishi Line extension to Kamaishi, the principal route for inland freight transport from Kamaishi was shifted away from the Yamada Line to the Kamaishi Line, and the relative importance of the Yamada Line declined. Freight services on the Yamada Line would later cease altogether on 1 November 1986,[1]and ownership of the Yamada Line was transferred over toJR Eastfollowing the privatisation ofJapanese National Railways(JNR) on 1 April 1987, which integrated the line into the JR East network.[1]
21st century
editThe2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunamion 11 March 2011 flooded 21.7 km of the railway line between Miyako and Kamaishi (55.4 km), destroying four of the 13 stations, 10% of the tracks, six railway bridges and ten embankments, forcing the closure of the entire Yamada Line. While the section of the Yamada Line between Morioka and Miyako reopened on 26 March 2011, the railway line between Miyako and Kamaishi, which parallels the Sanriku-Kaigan area of the Pacific coast, was extensively damaged or washed away altogether. Rail service on this section would not resume for eight years.
ŌshidaandAsagishiStations were temporarily closed from January until 15 March 2013 due to low passenger numbers during the winter months.[3]The two stations would later be closed permanently, following the last day of services on 25 March 2016.[4]
HiratsutoStation was closed permanently on 17 March 2023, owing to declining passenger numbers.
Failed temporary BRT proposals
editIn February 2012, JR East submitted a proposal to formally close the Yamada Line permanently between Miyako and Kamaishi, and the line's right-of-way converted into abus rapid transit(BRT) route instead.[5]On 25 June 2012, a Public Transport Security Council, which consisted of the representatives of four cities and towns along the Yamada Line,Iwate Prefecture,and other organisations, was convened in a meeting held behind closed doors to discuss the restoration of the remaining section of the Yamada Line between Miyako and Kamaishi.[6]The meeting discussed measures to ensure the continuity of alternative forms ofpublic transportuntil the restoration of the Yamada Line, which was damaged in the earthquake, and concluded that the restoration of the line would take a considerable amount of time, as there were many issues to be addressed in each area, such as ensuring safety and consistency with urban development. JR East proposed to convert the damaged section of the Yamada Line into a right-of-way for a bus rapid transit route as a "temporary" measure; the conversion would be similar to how theKesennuma LineandOfunato Linehad their heavily damaged sections converted into BRT routes. The cost of paving the railway line's right-of-way into a deliciated road for BRT buses would be borne by JR East, but as the Yamada Line has many damaged railway bridges, the proposed BRT route would use the parallelNational Route 45in areas where the railway line was too damaged to be repaired, with the dedicated road being approximately 10 km long.[6]However, the representatives of the four cities and towns criticised JR East's BRT proposal, citing how the BRT would have to compete with existing private buses that have been running since before the earthquake, and that their "town planningis based on the premise that the railway line will be restored ". As a result, the four local municipalities rejected JR East's BRT proposal.
On 25 September 2013, JR East re-proposed the introduction of BRT on the Yamada Line. In response to criticism of JR East's previous BRT proposal, the new proposal by JR East would have restored four bridges that were washed out by the tsunami, and increased the total length of the dedicated road by approximately 16 km compared to the previous proposal, for a total length of 25.3 km (which is 46% of the distance between Miyako and Kamaishi). However, the four local municipalities again rejected the new proposal.
Transfer to Sanriku Railway
editOn 31 January 2014, JR East stated that it would bear¥14 billion of the estimated ¥21 billion cost of restoring the line and facilities to their original state; the remaining ¥7 billion cost would be borne by local authorities and public funds. The restoration of the damaged railway tracks and station buildings, and the cost of ¥500 million to make up for the deficit over 10 years, would be borne by JR East, and the damaged section of the Yamada Line would be transferred toSanriku Railway.[7][8][9]As a result, the two former lines of Sanriku Railway (Kita-Rias in the north and Minami-Rias in the south), were connected and began operation as a single line (the Rias Line), allowing for a "compact, community-based management and a highly sustainable management structure".[10]
Consequently, JR East abandoned its BRT proposals in 2015 and the closed section of the line began to be rebuilt, with the aim of transferring the closed section toSanriku Railway.[11]
On 23 March 2019, the section of the Yamada Line between Miyako and Kamaishi reopened, and was transferred to theSanriku Railway,which integrated the section to become part of theRias Line.[12]
Operation
editService
editJR East offers two different services on the Yamada Line:
- Local- Trains stop at all stations along the line, exceptHiratsuto Station.
- RapidRias- Trains stop at selected stations along the line
Station list
editRapidRiastrains stop at stations marked "●" and skip stations marked "｜".
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | RapidRias | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morioka | Thịnh cương | 0.0 | ● | Morioka | Iwate Prefecture | |
| Kami-Morioka | Thượng thịnh cương | 2.8 | ● | |||
| Yamagishi | Sơn ngạn | 4.9 | ● | |||
| Kami-Yonai | Thượng mễ nội | 9.9 | ● | |||
| Chí lớn điền | 19.2 | ｜ | ||||
| Thiển ngạn | 27.6 | ｜ | ||||
| Kuzakai | Khu giới | 35.6 | ｜ | Miyako | ||
| Matsukusa | Tùng thảo | 43.6 | ｜ | |||
| Bình tân hộ | 52.2 | ｜ | ||||
| Kawauchi | Xuyên nội | 61.5 | ｜ | |||
| Hakoishi | Rương thạch | 65.7 | ｜ | |||
| Rikuchū-Kawai | Lục trung xuyên giếng | 73.5 | ● | |||
| Haratai | Bụng mang | 82.6 | ｜ | |||
| Moichi | Mậu thị | 87.0 | ● | |||
| Hikime | Mạc mục | 91.5 | ｜ | |||
| Kebaraichi | Hoa nguyên thị | 94.2 | ｜ | |||
| Sentoku | Ngàn đức | 98.8 | ● | |||
| Miyako | Cung cổ | 102.1 | ● | Sanriku Railway Rias Line | ||
Footnotes
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^abcdefghTakayuki Haraguchi (24 November 2009).Lịch sử でめぐる thiết nói toàn lộ tuyến quốc thiết ・JR số 21(in Japanese).Asahi Shimbun Publishing.p. 18.Retrieved27 February2021.
- ^abcde"RJNET-JP thiết nói ジャーナル".Railway Journal(in Japanese).21(1):111–112. January 1987.Retrieved27 February2021.
- ^Áo vũ ・ sơn điền tuyến dịch を mùa đông dừng へ[Ou & Yamada Line stations to be closed during winter season].Japan Railfan Magazine.Vol. 53, no. 622. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. February 2013. p. 163.
- ^Tai hoạ による thiết nói vận hưu, chấn tai trước の bị tai khu gian が toàn て giải tiêu…3 cuối tháng[Suspended rail lines - All lines closed before earthquake to be reopened by end of March].Response(in Japanese). Japan: IID Inc. 1 April 2016.Retrieved5 May2016.
- ^Bị tai ２ lộ tuyến, 廃 ngăn しバス chuyên dùng nói đề án へ ＪＲ đông, nham tay huyện に[JR East proposes to scrap two lines and convert to bus routes].The Asahi Shimbun Digital(in Japanese). Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. 8 February 2012.Retrieved11 March2012.
- ^abCompany, The Asahi Shimbun (26 June 2012)."Sơn điền tuyến “ＢＲＴで” 仮 khôi phục lại cái cũ, ＪＲが đề án nham tay ".Mặt trời mới mọc tin tức デジタル(in Japanese).The Asahi Shimbun.Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2022.Retrieved16 October2022.
{{cite news}}:|last1=has generic name (help) - ^"Sơn điền tuyến の không ràng buộc nhượng độ kiểm thảo JR đông Nhật Bản, あす mà nguyên đề án"(in Japanese). 30 January 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 17 December 2014.Retrieved16 October2022.
- ^"Sơn điền tuyến の bị tai không thông khu gian, tam lục thiết nói へ の vận hành di quản を đề án JR đông が nham tay huyện などに".MSN sản kinh ニュース.31 January 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2014.
- ^Naoki Osaka (2 March 2014)."Bị tai lộ tuyến を đột nhiên di quản, JR đông が変 tâm した lý do".Đông Dương kinh tế オンライン(in Japanese).Weekly Toyo Keizai:Toyo Keizai.Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2022.Retrieved16 October2022.
- ^"Di quản trước の sơn điền tuyến khôi phục lại cái cũ nói rõ JR đông xã trưởng ｢140 trăm triệu yên gánh nặng ｣"(in Japanese). 5 February 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2014.Retrieved16 October2022.
- ^"Sanriku Railway approaches major turning point on railroad to recovery".The Japan Times Online.6 April 2018.
- ^Đông Nhật Bản đại chấn tai phục hưng thiết lộ つながった ８ năm ぶり cung cổ － phủ thạch, tam lục thiết nói に[Great East Japan Earthquake Railway have been rebuilt and connected after 8 years reconstruction between Miyako-Kamaishi, Sanriku Railway].mainichi.jp(in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd. 23 March 2019.Retrieved24 March2019.