Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line

The Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line (山陽電気鉄道本線, Sanyō Denki Tetsudō Honsen) is a railway line in Japan operated by the private railway operator Sanyo Electric Railway. It stretches from Kobe west to Himeji via Akashi, Kakogawa and other municipalities in Hyōgo Prefecture. The line runs parallel to West Japan Railway Company (JR West) JR Kobe Line, with closest sections between Sanyo Suma and Sanyo Akashi stations, and competes with the JR line for its entire stretch. Despite the name, no part of the line is located in the San’yō region.

Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line
Sumaura-koen Station, looking east
Overview
Native name	山陽電気鉄道本線
Owner	Sanyo Electric Railway
Locale	Hyogo Prefecture
Termini	Nishidai Sanyo Himeji
Stations	43
Service
Type	Commuter rail
Technical
Line length	54.7 km (34.0 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	160 m
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed	110 km/h (70 mph)[1]
Route map Legend Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) Daikai Dentetsu Hyōgo Until 1968 Sanyo Main (JR Kobe) Line Daikai-dōri Until 1952 Nagata Until 1968 Kōsoku Nagata Kobe Kosoku Line 0.0 Nishidai Nishidai depot Kobe Municipal Subway: Seishin-Yamate Line 1.0 Itayado 1.8 Higashi-Suma Higashi-Suma depot 2.6 Tsukimiyama 3.3 Sumadera Sanyo Main Line 3.7 Sanyo Suma Suma Ichinotani Until 1946 Atsumorizuka Until 1948 Sakaihama 5.1 Sumaura-kōen Sumaura Ropeway Higashi-Shioya Until 1932 6.8 Sanyo Shioya Shioya 7.8 Takinochaya 8.6 Higashi-Tarumi 9.6 Sanyo Tarumi Tarumi Goshikiyama Until 1951 10.7 Kasumigaoka Utashikiyama Until 1964 11.5 Maiko-kōen Maiko 12.4 Nishi-Maiko Asagiri 14.3 Ōkuradani Akashi Kōjomae Until 1948 14.9 Hitomarumae Yūenchimae Until 1946 15.7 Sanyo Akashi Akashi Akashi Until 1939 Sanyo Main Line 16.9 Nishi-Shimmachi 18.4 Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan 20.4 Fujie 21.8 Nakayagi 23.5 Eigashima 24.9 Nishi-Eigashima 25.6 Sanyo Uozumi 27.3 Higashi-Futami Higashi-Futami depot 28.6 Nishi-Futami 29.9 Harimachō Befu Railway: Noguchi Line 32.2 Befu Befuguchi 34.1 Hamanomiya JNR: Takasago Line Onoe 35.5 Onoenomatsu Kako River 37.3 Takasago Takasago-kitaguchi JNR: Takasago Line 38.5 Arai 39.7 Iho 41.3 Sanyo Sone 42.8 Ōshio 44.2 Matogata Matogata Tunnle 192m 46.2 Yaka 47.6 Shirahamanomiya Mega Tunnel 181m 49.0 Mega Ichi River Shikamakō r)Bantan Line "Shikamakō Line" 50.9 Shikama Shikama (JNR) Aboshi Line Shikama depot 52.3 Kameyama Kameyama (JNR) 53.4 Tegara Tegarayama Sanyo Shinkansen Himeji Sanyo Main Line JR-W: Bantan Line/Kishin Line Daishōgun Himeji City Monorail 54.7 Sanyo Himeji This diagram: view talk edit

Operation

Nishidai is nominal as the start of the line, thus all trains of Sanyo start or end beyond, in Kobe Rapid Railway, or further Hanshin stations, namely Sannomiya stations on Hankyū's Kobe Main Line and on Hanshin's Main Line for Locals, Umeda terminal of Hanshin in Osaka.

The line accepts trains of Hanshin via Kobe Rapid, down (west) to Sumaura-kōen. In the Sanyo Main Line, all Hanshin trains stop all stations on their way, though in Hanshin's Main Line some are operated as Locals and some as Limited Express.

Services

All day operation

Local (普通, Futsū)

Hankyu Sannomiya or Hanshin Sannomiya or Sanyo Suma - Sanyo Himeji, makes every stop on the Sanyo Railway Main Line and the Kobe Kosoku Line. At night, down (westbound) trains start at Kōsoku Kobe and up (eastbound) trains terminate at Shinkaichi on the Kobe Kosoku Line.

Direct Limited Express (直通特急, Chokutsū Tokkyū)

Hanshin-Umeda - Sanyo Himeji. Jointly operated by Hanshin Electric Railway and Sanyo, this train makes limited stops on both the Hanshin's Main Line and the Sanyo's Main Line. In Hanshin's official route maps the name is shorted to "Limited Express".

Hanshin Limited Express (阪神特急, Hanshin Tokkyū)

Hanshin's Limited Express trains from Umeda stop at all stations on this line to Sumaura-kōen. In Hanshin's official route maps the name is also shorted to "Limited Express".

Morning and night only

Sanyo Limited Express (山陽特急, Sanyōtokkyū)

Mainly operated between Higashi-Futami and Sanyo Himeji, there is a westbound train from Kosoku Kobe for Sanyo Himeji in the early morning. The same stops as the Hanshin-Sanyo Limited Express (HS) but does not go east beyond Kosoku kobe.

S Limited Express (S特急, S Tokkyū)

Hanshin Sannomiya - Sanyo Himeji. This service makes more stops than the Hanshin Limited Express. Operates up (eastbound) in the mornings from Shikama, Takasago or Higashi-Futami to Sanyo Suma or Hanshin Sannomiya, and down (westbound) late nights from Sannomiya to Sanyo Himeji.

Stations

• Local trains stop at all stations.
• All stations are located in Hyogo Prefecture.

Legend:

• ● : All trains stop
• ▲ : Some trains stop
• ｜ : All trains pass

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Services				Transfer	Location
				Hanshin Ltd. Exp.	S Ltd. Exp.	Direct Ltd. Exp.	Sanyo Ltd. Exp.		City / Town
Through services:				from Nishidai to Hanshin Kobe Kosoku Line: Local / S Limited Express for Hankyu Sannomiya or Hanshin Sannomiya Hanshin Limited Express / Direct Limited Express for Hanshin-Umeda on Hanshin Main Line
SY 01 HS 39	Nishidai	西代	0.0	●	●	▲		Hanshin Kobe Kosoku Line (through service)	Nagata-ku, Kōbe
SY 02	Itayado	板宿	1.0	●	●	●		Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line	Suma-ku, Kōbe
SY 03	Higashi-Suma	東須磨	1.8	●	｜	｜
SY 04	Tsukimiyama	月見山	2.6	●	●	●
SY 05	Sumadera	須磨寺	3.3	●	｜	｜
SY 06	Sanyo Suma	山陽須磨	3.7	●	●	●		Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) (Suma Station, JR-A68)
SY 07	Sumaura-kōen	須磨浦公園	5.1	●	｜	｜		Sumaura Ropeway
SY 08	Sanyo Shioya	山陽塩屋	6.8		｜	｜		Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) (Shioya Station, JR-A69)	Tarumi-ku, Kōbe
SY 09	Takinochaya	滝の茶屋	7.8		●	▲
SY 10	Higashi-Tarumi	東垂水	8.6		｜	｜
SY 11	Sanyo Tarumi	山陽垂水	9.6		●	●		Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) (Tarumi Station, JR-A70)
SY 12	Kasumigaoka	霞ヶ丘	10.7		●	｜
SY 13	Maiko-kōen	舞子公園	11.5		｜	●		Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) (Maiko Station, JR-A71)
SY 14	Nishi-Maiko	西舞子	12.4		｜	｜
SY 15	Ōkuradani	大蔵谷	14.3		｜	｜			Akashi
SY 16	Hitomarumae	人丸前	14.9		｜	｜
SY 17	Sanyo Akashi	山陽明石	15.7		●	●		Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) (Akashi Station, JR-A73)
SY 18	Nishi-Shimmachi	西新町	16.9		｜	｜
SY 19	Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan	林崎松江海岸	18.4		｜	｜
SY 20	Fujie	藤江駅	20.4		●	｜
SY 21	Nakayagi	中八木	21.8		｜	｜
SY 22	Eigashima	江井ヶ島	23.5		｜	｜
SY 23	Nishi-Eigashima	西江井ヶ島	24.9		｜	｜
SY 24	Sanyo Uozumi	山陽魚住	25.6		｜	｜
SY 25	Higashi-Futami	東二見	27.3		●	●	●
SY 26	Nishi-Futami	西二見	28.6		●	｜	｜
SY 27	Harimachō	播磨町	29.9		●	｜	｜		Harima, Kako District
SY 28	Befu	別府	32.2		●	｜	｜		Kakogawa
SY 29	Hamanomiya	浜の宮	34.1		●	｜	｜
SY 30	Onoenomatsu	尾上の松	35.5		●	｜	｜
SY 31	Takasago	高砂	37.3		●	●	●		Takasago
SY 32	Arai	荒井	38.5		●	▲	｜
SY 33	Iho	伊保	39.7		●	｜	｜
SY 34	Sanyo Sone	山陽曽根	41.3		●	｜	｜
SY 35	Ōshio	大塩	42.8		●	●	●		Himeji
SY 36	Matogata	的形	44.2		●	｜	｜
SY 37	Yaka	八家	46.2		●	｜	｜
SY 38	Shirahamanomiya	白浜の宮	47.6		●	▲	｜
SY 39	Mega	妻鹿	49.0		●	｜	｜
SY 40	Shikama	飾磨	50.9		●	●	●	Aboshi Line
SY 41	Kameyama	亀山	52.3		●	｜	｜
SY 42	Tegara	手柄	53.4		●	｜	｜
SY 43	Sanyo Himeji	山陽姫路	54.7		●	●	●	JR West (Himeji Station) Sanyo Shinkansen Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line) (JR-A85) Bantan Line Kishin Line

History

The Hyogo Electric Tramway (兵庫電気軌道) opened the section from the Hyogo Electric Railway Station (since closed) to Sanyo Suma on 15 March 1910 as 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge, dual track electrified at 600 V DC. All subsequent extensions were electrified dual track. The line was extended to Akashi in 1917.^[1]

In 1923, the Kobe Electric Railway opened the Akashi to Himeji section, and merged with the Hyogo Electric Railway in 1927. The Sanyo Electric Railway was created in 1934.^{[citation needed]}

The line voltage was increased to 1,500 V DC in 1948. In 1968, the Higashi Suma to Hyogo Electric Railway Station section was closed and the line was connected to the Hanshin Main Line, enabling through services to Umeda in Osaka.^{[citation needed]}

Station numbering was introduced on Sanyo Electric Railway lines from 1 April 2014, with Main Line stations numbered SY01 to SY43.^[2]

Accidents

On 12 February 2013, at around 15:50, a non-stop 6-car limited express service bound for Umeda collided with the rear end of a truck which was protruding onto a level crossing to the west of Arai Station. The first two cars of the train derailed and slid 170 m before hitting the edge of the station platform and coming to rest. 15 people were injured in the collision, including the train driver and truck driver.^[3][4]

References

1. Terada, Hirokazu (July 2002). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 4-87366-874-3.
2. 全駅に駅ナンバリングを導入します [Station numbering to be introduced for all stations] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: Sanyo Electric Railway. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
3. "15 hurt in Japan train-truck collision". The Japan Times Online. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
4. 列車脱線、乗客ら１５人重軽傷＝踏切で接触事故、ホームに乗り上げる－兵庫県警 [15 injured in train derailment]. Jiji.com (in Japanese). Japan: Jiji Press Ltd. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.