Makurazaki Line

The Makurazaki Line (枕崎線, Makurazaki-sen) was a railway line operated by Nansatsu Railway (南薩鉄道, Nansatsu Tetsudō). It ran between Ijūin Station and Makurazaki Station in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Nansatsu Railway Makurazaki Line
Nansatsu Railway Locomotive No. 2 (Kaseda Bus Terminal)
Overview
Native name	南薩鉄道枕崎線
Status	Closed
Owner	Nansatsu Railway
Termini	Ijūin Makurazaki
Stations	23
Service
Type	Regional rail
Rolling stock	Kiha 100, Kiha 300, DD1200
History
Opened	1 April 1914 (1914-04-01) (Ijūin to Izaku) 10 May 1914 (1914-05-10) (Izaku to Kaseda) 10 March 1931 (1931-03-10) (Kaseda to Makurazaki)
Closed	18 March 1984 (1984-03-18)
Technical
Line length	49.6 km (30.8 mi)
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	None

v t e Makurazaki Line
Legend
km JNR Kagoshima Main Line Kagoshima 0.214 Ijūin JNR Kagoshima Main Line Ōta tunnel 352 m 4.424 Kami-Hioki 7.878 Hioki 10.646 Yoshitoshi 12.765 Nagayoshi 16.114 Fukiagehama 17.005 Satsumako 18.155 Izaku 19.986 Minami- Fukiagehama 22.675 Kita-Tabuse 24.603 Minami-Tabuse 26.676 Ata Chiran Line ( closed 1965 ) Manose River Bansei Line ( closed 1962 ) 28.961 Kaseda Kaseda tunnel 322 m 31.035 Kami-Kaseda 32.393 Uchiyamada 33.818 Kami-Uchiyamada 36.385 Higo 38.925 Tsunuki 40.335 Kami-Tsunuki 41.515 Satsuma-Kukino 44.288 Kinzan 47.638 Kago 49.568 Makurazaki JNR Ibusuki Makurazaki Line km

History

On 12 April 1912, Nansatsu Railway was granted a permit to construct and operate a steam-operated railway line between Naka-Ijūin Village, Hioki District and Makurazaki, Kawabe District in Kagoshima Prefecture, with capital funds of one million yen.^[1]

The line partially opened between Ijūin and Izaku on 1 April 1914 and was extended to Kaseda on 10 May the same year.^[2] The construction of the line to Makurazaki, however, encountered delays and its permit was revoked on 26 February 1925.^[3] The line was finally completed and opened on 10 March 1931,^[4] almost 19 years after initial planning.

The line was known for being Kagoshima Prefecture's only private railway line, and the southernmost private line in Japan after the closure of all Okinawan lines. After World War II, through service with the Japanese National Railways (JNR) to Kagoshima commenced in 1949, and diesel trains were introduced in 1952.^[5] The 1950s were said to be the Makurazaki Line's heyday,^[5] and it played an important role in transportation across the Satsuma Peninsula.

However, passenger numbers started to gradually decrease through the 1960s, due to motorization, the completion of main roads, and a dwindling population along the route.^[6] Two branch lines, the Bansei and Chiran Lines, were closed in 1962 and 1965 respectively, due to infeasibility of repairs after a flood damaged the tracks.^[7] In 1964, Nansatsu Railway (the company itself) merged with Sanshū Bus (三州自動車) to form Kagoshima Kōtsū, running bus operations to supplement the company's income.^[8]

Freight operations ceased on 1 April 1971, but passenger services continued while the line continued to battle dwindling passenger numbers. On 13 December 1982, Kagoshima Kōtsū finally gave notice of their intention to cease operations on the Makurazaki Line.^[5] However, before the line could formally close, a flood on 21 June 1983 severely damaged much of the line. Although operations along the short section between Hioki and Kaseda were reopened on 1 July the same year, the rest of the line stayed closed until the official abandonment of the whole line on 18 March 1984.^[9]

References

1. "官報. 1912年04月15日 - 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション" [Official Gazette. 15 April 1912 - National Diet Library Digital Collection]. dl.ndl.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
2. "官報. 1914年04月07日 - 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション" [Official Gazette. 7 April 1914 - National Diet Library Digital Collection]. dl.ndl.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
3. "官報. 1925年02月26日 - 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション" [Official Gazette. 26 February 1925 - National Diet Library Digital Collection]. dl.ndl.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
4. "官報. 1931年03月16日 - 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション" [Official Gazette. 16 March 1931 - National Diet Library Digital Collection]. dl.ndl.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
5. Ozawa, Koji (October 2004). "あの頃の風景" [The View Back Then] (PDF). Civil Engineering Consultant. 225: 60–61.
6. Harada Office Weblog. "南薩鉄道記念館 往年の加世田駅と鹿児島交通の鉄道車両たち" [Nansatsu Railway Museum, Kaseda Station then, and Kagoshima Kōtsū's railway wagons]. haradaoffice.biz (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
7. 鉄道ピクトリアル３５９号 [Railway Pictorial No. 359]. Japan: 鉄道図書刊行会. 1979. ASIN B0849KLTDX.
8. Takai, Kumpei; Tajiri, Hiroyuki (2008). 鹿児島交通南薩線―南薩鉄道顛末記〈上〉 [Kagoshima Kōtsū Nansatsu Line: Full Account of the Nansatsu Railway (Vol. 1)]. Japan: ネコ・パブリッシング. ISBN 978-4777052370.
9. Takai, Kumpei; Tajiri, Hiroyuki (2008). 鹿児島交通南薩線―南薩鉄道顛末記〈下〉 [Kagoshima Kōtsū Nansatsu Line: Full Account of the Nansatsu Railway (Vol. 2)]. Japan: ネコ・パブリッシング. ISBN 978-4777052387.

External links

• iwasaki-corp.com (Successor company to Kagoshima Kōtsu)