Kishū Railway Line
The Kishu Railway Line (紀州鉄道線, Kishū Tetsudō-sen) is a Japanese railway line between Gobō Station and Nishi-Gobō Station, all within Gobō, Wakayama. This is the only railway line of the Kishu Railway (紀州鉄道, Kishū Tetsudō), as the company's main business is managing real estate and hotels. The current Tokyo-based hotel company, previously not a railway operator, took over the line in 1973 in order to gain the prestige of being a railway company. Despite its name meaning the railway of the entire Kii Province (Kishū, the current Wakayama), the railway is the second shortest passenger line in Japan, the shortest being the Shibayama Railway. Kitetsu (紀鉄) is the abbreviation of the company's name.
| Kishu Railway Line | |
|---|---|
 Kitetsu 1 type | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | 紀州鉄道線< |
| Locale | Wakayama Prefecture, Japan |
| Termini | Gobō Station Nishi-Gobō Station |
| Stations | 5 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 15 June 1931 |
| Owner | Kishu Railway |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Additional basic data
- Traction: internal combustion (diesel)
- Railway signalling: staff token
Stations
- Gobō 御坊
- Gakumon 学門
- Kii-Gobō 紀伊御坊
- Shiyakusho-mae 市役所前
- Nishi-Gobō 西御坊
Rolling stock
As of 1 April 2015, the railway operates a fleet of two Kitetsu 1 diesel railcars, numbered Kitetsu 1 and 2.[1]
Diesel railcar KR301, formerly SKR301 used on the Shigaraki Kohgen Railway in Shiga Prefecture until October 2015 was introduced on the line from 30 January 2016.[2]
History
The Gobō Rinkō Railway (御坊臨港鉄道, Gobō Rinkō Tetsudō, "Gobō Portside Railway") opened the 1.8 km section from Gobō to Kii-Gobō section on 15 June 1931, extended 0.9 km to Nishi-Gobō on 10 April 1932, and to Hidakagawa on 10 August 1934.[3]
The Gobō Rinkō Railway became the Kishu Railway from 1 January 1973.[3] The 0.7 km section from Nishi-Gobō to Hidakagawa closed on 1 April 1989.[3]
References
- 私鉄車両編成表 2015 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2015] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 23 July 2015. ISBN 978-4-330-58415-7.
- 紀州鉄道でKR301が営業運転を開始 [KR301 enters service on Kishu Railway]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 151. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)