Akō Line

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Railway line in Japan

title: "Akō Line" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rail-transport-in-hyōgo-prefecture", "lines-of-west-japan-railway-company", "1067-mm-gauge-railways-in-japan", "railway-lines-opened-in-1951"] description: "Railway line in Japan" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akō_Line" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Railway line in Japan ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]

Field	Value
name	Akō Line
native_name	赤穂線
color
color2
logo	[[File:JRW kinki-A.svg
image	JRW-213 001 JPN.JPG
image_width	300px
caption	213 series EMU on an Akō Line local service at Osafune Station
type	Passenger/freight
system	Urban Network (Aioi - Banshū-Akō)
locale	Hyogo Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture
start
end
stations	19
open	1951
owner
operator	JR West
JR Freight
stock	113 series EMU
115 series EMU
117 series EMU
213 series EMU
221 series EMU
223-1000 series EMU
223-2000 series EMU
223-6000 series EMU
225-0 series EMU
225-100 series EMU
linelength_km	57.4
gauge
electrification	overhead line
speed	85 km/h
::

The entire 57.4 km line is single track.

Services

The line is operated in two sections:

— and
Banshū-Akō—

No trains terminate at either of the official terminal stations. At Aioi all trains operate a through service to/from on the Sanyo Main Line with many services continuing further on JR West's Kansai region Urban Network through to Osaka, Kyoto, Maibara & Tsuruga.

, the furthest in distance that Ako Line trains operate to/from is Tsuruga, while the longest service in time is the first weekday service departing Banshū-Akō at 05:33 which operates a Rapid service to Maibara arriving at 10:13 with a running time of 4 hours, 40 minutes.

At Higashi-Okayama all trains operate a through service to/from and beyond on the Sanyo Main Line.

Stations

All trains on the line are Local services, stopping at every station. "Rapid" and "Special Rapid" trains to/from Kyoto and beyond operate as Local trains between Aioi and Banshū-Akō.

::data[format=table] | Common name | Official line name | No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | City | Prefecture | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | ↑Through service as far as on JR West's Urban Network via JR Kōbe Line, JR Kyōto Line, Kosei Line, Biwako Line and Hokuriku Main Line↑ | | | | | | | | | | | [[File:JRW kinki-A.svg|20px]] Sanyō Main Line | Sanyō Main Line | {{RouteBox|JR-A85 | #0072bc}} | Himeji | 姫路 | | [[File:Shinkansen jrw.svg|20px]] Sanyō Shinkansen [[File:JRW kinki-A.svg|20px]] JR Kobe Line ({{RouteBox|A85 | #0072bc}}) [[File:JRW kinki-J.svg|20px]] Bantan Line [[File:JRW kinki-K.svg|20px]] Kishin Line | Himeji | | | Agaho | 英賀保 | | | | | | | | | Harima-Katsuhara | はりま勝原 | | | | | | | | | | Aboshi | 網干 | | | | | | | | | | Tatsuno | 竜野 | | Tatsuno | | | | | | | | Aioi | 相生 | 0.0 | [[File:Shinkansen jrw.svg|20px]] Sanyō Shinkansen [[File:JRW kinki-A.svg|20px]] Sanyō Main Line | Aioi | Hyōgo | | | | | | [[File:JRW kinki-A.svg|20px]] Akō Line | Akō Line | | | | | | | | | | Nishi-Aioi | 西相生 | 3.0 | | | | | | | | | Sakoshi | 坂越 | 7.8 | | Ako | | | | | | | Banshū-Akō | 播州赤穂 | 10.5 | [[File:JRW oka-N.svg|20px]] Akō Line (for Okayama) | | | | | | | | [[File:JRW oka-N.svg|20px]] Akō Line | [[File:JRW kinki-A.svg|20px]] Akō Line (for Himeji) | | | | | | | | | | Tenwa | 天和 | 14.5 | | | | | | | | | Bizen-Fukukawa | 備前福河 | 16.4 | | | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N16 | #EB5E60}} | Sōgo | 寒河 | 19.6 | | Bizen | Okayama | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N15 | #EB5E60}} | Hinase | 日生 | 22.1 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N14 | #EB5E60}} | Iri | 伊里 | 27.7 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N13 | #EB5E60}} | Bizen-Katakami | 備前片上 | 31.0 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N12 | #EB5E60}} | Nishi-Katakami | 西片上 | 32.3 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N11 | #EB5E60}} | Inbe | 伊部 | 34.5 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N10 | #EB5E60}} | Kagato | 香登 | 38.5 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N09 | #EB5E60}} | Osafune | 長船 | 42.3 | | Setouchi | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N08 | #EB5E60}} | Oku | 邑久 | 45.9 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N07 | #EB5E60}} | Odomi | 大富 | 48.0 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N06 | #EB5E60}} | Saidaiji | 西大寺 | 51.2 | | Higashi-ku, Okayama | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N05 | #EB5E60}} | Ōdara | 大多羅 | 54.1 | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N04 | #EB5E60}} | Higashi-Okayama | 東岡山 | 57.4 | [[File:JRW oka-S.svg|20px]] Sanyō Main Line | Naka-ku, Okayama | | | | | [[File:JRW oka-S.svg|20px]] Sanyō Main Line | Sanyō Main Line | | | | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N03 | #EB5E60}} | Takashima | 高島 | | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N02 | #EB5E60}} | Nishigawara | 西川原 | | | | | | | | {{RouteBox|JR-N01 | #EB5E60}} | Okayama | 岡山 | [[File:Shinkansen jrw.svg|20px]] Sanyō Shinkansen [[File:JRW oka-S.svg|20px]] [[File:JRW oka-W.svg|20px]] Sanyō Main Line [[File:JRW oka-T.svg|20px]] Tsuyama Line [[File:JRW oka-L.svg|20px]] Uno Line ([[File:JRW oka-M.svg|20px]] Seto-Ōhashi Line) [[File:JRW oka-U.svg|20px]] Kibi Line (Momotaro Line) Okayama Electric Tramway Higashiyama Main Line | Kita-ku, Okayama | | | | | | ↓Through service to/from Sanyō Main Line↓ | | | | | | | | | | ::

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Akou_Railway_Banshu_Akou_station.jpg" caption="Opening ceremony for the Ako Railway at Banshu-Ako station, 14 April 1921"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Katakami_kiha312.jpg" caption="Dowa Mining Co. diesel rail car"] ::

The initial section between Aioi and Banshu-Ako opened in 1951, and the line was opened progressively, to Hinase in 1955, Inbe in 1958, and Higashi-Okayama in 1962. The Aioi - Banshu-Ako section was electrified in 1961, and the rest of the line in 1969.

CTC signalling was commissioned between Higashi-Okayama and Banshu-Ako in 1983.

Former connecting lines

Banshu-Ako Station: The Ako Railway operated a 13 km gauge line to Une on the Sanyo Main Line between 1921 and 1951.
Nishi-Katakami Station: The Dowa Mining Co. opened a 34 km line to Yanahara, to haul iron sulphide ore, between 1923 and 1931. The line is also connected to Wake station on the Sanyo Main Line. Passenger services commenced in 1931, freight services ceased in 1988 and the line closed in 1991.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

{{cite journal |first = Masafumi |last = Miki |date = July 2004 |title = Railway Operators in Japan 13: Chugoku Region |journal = Japan Railway & Transport Review |issue = 39 |pages = 36–43 |url = http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr39/s36_mik.html |access-date = 2007-02-26 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061007212750/http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr39/s36_mik.html |archive-date = 2006-10-07 |url-status = dead

References

(2025-12-19). "播州赤穂駅相生方面時刻表｜ＪＲ赤穂線【駅探】".
(2025-12-19). "播州赤穂駅東岡山方面時刻表｜ＪＲ赤穂線【駅探】".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::