Hokkaido Railway Company
The Hokkaido Railway Company (北海道旅客鉄道株式会社, Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of JR Hokkaido (JR北海道, Jeiāru Hokkaidō). It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, in autumn 2008.
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Native name | 北海道旅客鉄道株式会社 |
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Romanized name | Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō ("Hokkaido Passenger Railway") kabushiki gaisha |
State-owned KK | |
Industry | Private railway |
Predecessor | Japanese National Railways (JNR) |
Founded | April 1, 1987 (privatization of JNR) |
Headquarters | , Japan |
Area served | Hokkaido |
Products | Kitaca (a rechargeable contactless smart card) |
Services | Passenger rail Freight services Intercity bus |
Owner | Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (100%) |
Number of employees | 7,970 (as of April 1, 2007) |
Subsidiaries | JR Hokkaido Bus |
Website | www |
At the time of its privatization in 1987, JR Hokkaido operated 21 railway lines totalling 3,176.6 kilometres (1,973.8 mi) of narrow-gauge (1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)) track, as well as a ferry service to Aomori. Since then, that figure has dwindled to just below 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi), as unprofitable lines have been shut down or spun off (in the case of the Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway). The ferry service has also been replaced by the Seikan Tunnel.
On 19 November 2016, JR Hokkaido's President announced plans to further rationalize its network by the withdrawal of services from up to 1,237 km, or about 50% of the current network,[1] including closure of the remaining section of the Rumoi Main Line (the Rumoi - Mashike section closed on 4 December 2016), the Shin-Yubari - Yubari section of the Sekisho Line (closed on 1 April 2019), the non-electrified section of the Sassho Line (closed 17 April 2020) and the Nemuro Line between Furano and Kami-Ochiai Junction. Other lines including the Sekihoku Main Line, Senmo Main Line, the Nayoro - Wakkanai section of the Soya Line and Kushiro - Nemuro section of the Nemuro Line are proposed for conversion to Third Sector operation, but if local governments are not agreeable, such sections will also face closure.
Hokkaido Railway's headquarters are in Chūō-ku, Sapporo.[2]
History
- April 1, 1987: Upon the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), the Hokkaido Railway Company was formed
- October 25, 2008: Kitaca contactless smart card introduced in Sapporo area
- March 26, 2016: First Hokkaido Shinkansen service between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto launched.
Headquarters and branch offices
- Headquarters: 1-1-15 Kita-11-jō-Nishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo
- Branch offices:
- Asahikawa branch office: 6-4152-2 Miyashita-dōri, Asahikawa
- Hakodate branch office: 12-5 Wakamatsu-chō, Hakodate
- Kushiro branch office: 5-14 Kita-ōdōri, Kushiro
Lines and key stations


Shinkansen
- Hokkaido Shinkansen:
- Shin-Aomori - Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (148.9 km (92.52 mi))
Trunk lines
- Chitose Line:
- Shiroishi - Numanohata (60.2 km (37.41 mi))
- Minami-Chitose - New Chitose Airport (2.6 km (1.62 mi))
- Hakodate Main Line([* 1])
- Hakodate - Ōnuma-Kōen - Otaru - Sapporo - Asahikawa (423.1 km (262.90 mi))
- Nanae - Oshima-Sawara - Mori (35.3 km (21.93 mi))
- Muroran Main Line
- Oshamanbe - Higashi-Muroran - Oiwake - Iwamizawa (211.0 km (131.11 mi))
- Higashi-Muroran - Muroran (7.0 km (4.35 mi))
- Nemuro Main Line
- Sekishō Line
- Minami-Chitose - Shintoku (132.4 km (82.27 mi))
- Most trains run between Sapporo and Oshamanbe.
Other lines
- Furano Line
- Furano - Asahikawa (54.8 km (34.05 mi))
- Hidaka Main Line
- Sekihoku Main Line
- Shin-Asahikawa - Kitami - Abashiri (234.0 km (145.40 mi))
- Kaikyō Line
- Naka-Oguni - Tsugaru-Imabetsu - Kikonai (87.3 km (54.25 mi))
- Rumoi Main Line
- Sasshō Line
- Sōen - Hokkaidō-Iryōdaigaku (28.9 km (17.96 mi))
- Senmō Main Line
- Higashi-Kushiro - Abashiri (166.2 km (103.27 mi))
- Sōya Main Line
Under construction
- Hokkaido Shinkansen
- Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto - Sapporo (211.3 km (131.30 mi)) scheduled to open in 2031
Former lines
- Chihoku Line
- Esashi Line
- Goryōkaku - Kikonai (37.8 km (23.49 mi)) transferred to South Hokkaido Railway Company on March 26, 2016
- Kikonai - Esashi (42.1 km (26.16 mi)) closed on May 12, 2014
- Hakodate Main Line branch
- Sunagawa - Kami-Sunagawa (7.3 km (4.54 mi)) closed on May 16, 1994
- Horonai Line
- Iwamizawa - Ikushumbetsu (18.1 km (11.25 mi)) and Mikasa - Horonai (2.7 km (1.68 mi)) closed on July 13, 1987
- Matsumae Line
- Kikonai - Matsumae (50.8 km (31.57 mi)) closed on February 1, 1988
- Nayoro Main Line
- Rumoi Main Line
- Shibetsu Line
- Shinmei Line
- Tempoku Line
- Otoineppu - Minami-Wakkanai (148.9 km (92.52 mi)) closed on May 1, 1989
- Utashinai Line
- Sunagawa - Utashinai (14.5 km (9.01 mi)) closed on April 25, 1988
- Sekishō Line
- Yūbari - Shin-Yūbari (16.1 km (10.00 mi)) closed on March 31, 2019
- Sasshō Line
- Hokkaidō-Iryōdaigaku - Shin-Totsukawa (47.6 km (29.58 mi)) closed on April 17, 2020
The company also operated the Seikan Ferry until 1988.
Former JNR lines closed before JR Hokkaido formation
These lines have been closed by JNR in Hokkaido before April 1, 1987.
- Aioi Line
- Bihoro - Kitami-Aioi (36.8 km (22.87 mi)) closed on April 1, 1985
- Bikō Line
- Bifuka - Niupu (21.2 km (13.17 mi)) closed on September 17, 1985
- Haboro Line
- Hiroo Line
- Iburi Line
- Kutchan - Datemombetsu (83.0 km (51.57 mi)) and Kyōgoku - Wakikata (7.5 km (4.66 mi)) closed on November 11, 1986
- Iwanai Line
- Kozawa - Iwanai (14.9 km (9.26 mi)) closed on September 1, 1985
- Kōhin'hoku Line
- Hama-Tombetsu - Kitami-Esashi (30.4 km (18.89 mi)) closed on July 1, 1985
- Kōhin'nan Line
- Ōmu - Okoppe (19.9 km (12.37 mi)) closed on July 15, 1985
- Konpoku Line
- Shiretoko-Shari - Koshikawa (12.8 km (7.95 mi)) closed on December 1, 1970
- Manji Line
- Shibun - Manji-Tanzan (23.8 km (14.79 mi)) closed on April 1, 1985
- Setana Line
- Kunnui - Setana (48.4 km (30.07 mi)) closed on March 16, 1987
- Shihoro Line
- Obihiro - Tokachi-Mitsumata (78.3 km (48.65 mi)) closed on March 23, 1987
- Shiranuka Line
- Shiranuka - Hokushin (33.1 km (20.57 mi)) closed on October 23, 1983
- Shokotsu Line
- Shokotsu - Kitami-Takinoue (34.3 km (21.31 mi)) closed on April 1, 1985
- Temiya Line
- Minami-Otaru - Temiya (2.8 km (1.74 mi)) closed on November 5, 1985
- Tomiuchi Line
- Mukawa - Hidakachō (82.5 km (51.26 mi)) closed on November 1, 1986
- Yūmō Line
- Naka-Yūbetsu - Abashiri (121.8 km (75.68 mi)) closed on March 20, 1987
- Sasshō Line
- Shin-Totsukawa - Ishikari-Numata (34.9 km (21.69 mi)) closed on June 19, 1972
References
- http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/19/business/jr-hokkaido-says-cant-maint ain-half-railways/#.WDjkB9J96Ul
- "会社概要 Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine." Hokkaido Railway Company. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Hokkaido Railway Company. |
- JR Hokkaido - Official site (in Japanese)
- JR Hokkaido - Official site (in English)
- "Company history books (Shashi)". Shashi Interest Group. April 2016. Wiki collection of bibliographic works on Hokkaido Railway Company