Sankō Line
Former railway line in Japan
title: "Sankō Line" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sankō-line", "closed-railway-lines-in-japan", "1067-mm-gauge-railways-in-japan", "1930-establishments-in-japan", "lines-of-west-japan-railway-company", "rail-transport-in-hiroshima-prefecture", "rail-transport-in-shimane-prefecture", "railway-lines-opened-in-1930", "railway-lines-closed-in-2018", "2018-disestablishments-in-japan"] description: "Former railway line in Japan" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankō_Line" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Former railway line in Japan ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Sankō Line |
| native_name | 三江線 |
| native_name_lang | ja |
| color | 999 |
| logo | [[File:JRW san-F.svg |
| image | Tazu20080614.JPG |
| image_width | 300px |
| caption | A KiHa 120 DMU on the Sanko Line in June 2008 |
| type | Regional rail |
| status | Closed |
| locale | Shimane and Hiroshima Prefectures |
| start | |
| end | |
| stations | 35 |
| daily_ridership | 50 passengers per km per day (FY2014) |
| open | 1930 (completed in 1975) |
| close | 31 March 2018 |
| owner | [[File:JR logo (west).svg |
| operator | JR West |
| character | Rural |
| stock | KiHa 120 series DMU |
| linelength | 108.1 km |
| tracks | Entire line single tracked |
| gauge | |
| electrification | None |
| speed | 85 km/h (53 mph) |
| map | |
| map_state | collapsed |
| :: |
|name = Sankō Line |native_name = 三江線 |native_name_lang = ja |color = 999 |logo = [[File:JRW san-F.svg|25px]] |logo_width = |image = Tazu20080614.JPG |image_width = 300px |caption = A KiHa 120 DMU on the Sanko Line in June 2008 |type = Regional rail |system = |status = Closed |locale = Shimane and Hiroshima Prefectures |start = |end = |stations = 35 |routes = |daily_ridership = 50 passengers per km per day (FY2014) |open = 1930 (completed in 1975) |close = 31 March 2018 |owner = [[File:JR logo (west).svg|20px]] JR West |operator = JR West |character = Rural |stock = KiHa 120 series DMU |linelength = 108.1 km |tracklength = |tracks = Entire line single tracked |gauge = |electrification = None |speed = 85 km/h (53 mph) |elevation = |map = |map_state = collapsed The Sankō Line is a former railway line and current bus line in western Japan operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The 108.1 km (67.2 mi) line connected in Shimane Prefecture to in Hiroshima Prefecture and featured 30 tunnels. Whilst the first section opened in 1930, the line was not completed until 1975. Owing to declining patronage, the entire rail line ceased operation on 31 March 2018, to be replaced by a bus service on 1 April 2018.
Stations
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/JR_West_Iwami-Kawamoto_Station_enclosure.jpg" caption="Iwami-Kawamoto Station in September 2008"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/JRW_uzui_sta.jpg" caption="Uzui Station in July 2008"] ::
::data[format=table]
| Name | Between (km) | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 江津 | - | 0.0 | [[File:JRW san-D.svg | |
| 江津本町 | 1.1 | 1.1 | ||
| 千金 | 2.4 | 3.3 | ||
| 川平 | 3.7 | 7.0 | ||
| 川戸 | 6.9 | 13.9 | ||
| 田津 | 5.4 | 19.3 | ||
| 石見川越 | 3.0 | 22.3 | ||
| 鹿賀 | 3.5 | 25.8 | ||
| 因原 | 3.1 | 28.9 | ||
| 石見川本 | 3.7 | 32.6 | ||
| 木路原 | 2.0 | 34.6 | ||
| 竹 | 3.0 | 37.6 | ||
| 乙原 | 2.2 | 39.8 | ||
| 石見簗瀬 | 2.9 | 42.7 | ||
| 明塚 | 2.3 | 45.0 | ||
| 粕淵 | 3.1 | 48.1 | ||
| 浜原 | 2.0 | 50.1 | ||
| 沢谷 | 3.7 | 53.8 | ||
| 潮 | 5.8 | 59.6 | ||
| 石見松原 | 3.2 | 62.8 | ||
| 石見都賀 | 5.6 | 68.4 | ||
| 宇都井 | 6.4 | 74.8 | ||
| 伊賀和志 | 3.4 | 78.2 | ||
| 口羽 | 1.5 | 79.7 | ||
| 江平 | 3.6 | 83.2 | ||
| 作木口 | 1.7 | 84.9 | ||
| 香淀 | 4.8 | 89.7 | ||
| 式敷 | 3.6 | 93.3 | ||
| 信木 | 1.8 | 95.1 | ||
| 所木 | 1.9 | 97.0 | ||
| 船佐 | 1.4 | 98.4 | ||
| 長谷 | 2.2 | 100.6 | ||
| 粟屋 | 2.5 | 103.1 | ||
| 尾関山 | 3.0 | 106.1 | ||
| 三次 | 2.0 | 108.1 | {{Plainlist | |
| :: |
Rolling stock
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/JR_West_Kiha_120-300_DMU.jpg" caption="A JR West KiHa 120 diesel car in September 2008"] ::
Services on the line were operated by JR West single-car KiHa 120 diesel multiple units.
History
The Gotsu to Kawado section opened in 1930, and the line was extended progressively east, reaching Hamahara in 1937. The Miyoshi to Shikijiki section opened in 1955 as a passenger-only line, and was extended to Kuchiba in 1963, and Hamahara in 1975, completing the line.
Closure
On 16 October 2015, JR West announced that it was considering closing the line owing to poor patronage, and was in discussion with the two prefectures served by the line, Shimane and Hiroshima, as well as other municipalities served, concerning future plans. In fiscal 2014, the line carried an average of 50 passengers per km per day, compared to 458 per km per day in 1987. On 29 September 2016, JR West announced that the entire line would close on 31 March 2018. The line then closed on March 31, 2018, with an event hosted by JR West.
References
References
- link. (29 September 2016). Mainichi Shimbun. The Mainichi Newspapers
- [https://mainichi.jp/articles/20180402/ddl/k34/020/309000c/ JR三江線廃止 代替バス運行開始] Retrieved 2 April 2018 {{in lang. ja
- link. (16 October 2015). Mainichi Shimbun. The Mainichi Newspapers
- link. (2015). West Japan Railway Company
- (2018-03-31). "Railway fans bid JR Sanko Line in western Japan farewell as red ink forces closure". Mainichi Daily News.
::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. ::