Watarase Keikoku Line

The Watarase Keikoku Line (わたらせ渓谷線, Watarase Keikoku-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Kiryū Station in Kiryū, Gunma and Matō Station in Nikkō, Tochigi. This is the only railway line that the third-sector company Watarase Keikoku Railway (わたらせ渓谷鐵道, Watarase Keikoku Tetsudō) operates. The company and line are also known as Watakei (わた渓) or Watetsu (わ鐵). The company acquired the line from the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in 1989. As the name suggests, the line runs along the Watarase River through a deep valley.

Watarase Keikoku Line
Watarase Keikoku Railway Wa 89-313 train.
Overview
Native name	わたらせ渓谷線
Termini	Kiryū Matō
Stations	17
History
Opened	15 April 1911; 113 years ago (1911-04-15)
Technical
Line length	44.1 km (27.4 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	75 km/h (47 mph) (Maximum)
Train protection system	ATS-P ATS-S N

History

The Ashio Railway Co. opened the line to Ashio-Motoyama (2 kilometres or 1.2 miles beyond Mato) in 1911–12^{[clarification needed]} to service the Ashio Copper Mine, and leased the line to JNR in 1913. Passenger services were introduced in 1914. In 1918 the line was nationalised.^[1]

The copper mine closed in 1973, the same year the line was deviated for the construction of the Kusaki Dam,^[1] including the 5,242-metre (17,198 ft) Kusaki Tunnel.

Operation of the line between Kiryū and Matō was transferred to the Watarase Keikoku Railway, a third-sector company, in 1989.^[2] Also in 1989, the Ashio-Motoyama – Mato section was closed.

Basic data

• Distance: 44.1 km (27.4 mi)
• Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Stations: 17
• Double-tracking: None
• Electrification: None
• Railway signalling:
  • Kiryū — Shimo-Shinden: Automatic
  • Shimo-Shinden — Matō: Simplified Automatic

Station list

• Trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass those marked "｜".
• Local trains stop at all stations (other than Shimo-Shinden Signal Box).

Station No.	Station	Japanese	Watarase Keikoku-gō	Transfers	Location
WK01	Kiryū	桐生		East Japan Railway Company (JR East): Ryōmō Line Jōmō Electric Railway: Jōmō Line (Nishi-Kiryū)	Kiryū	Gunma
-	Shimo-Shinden Signal Box	下新田信号場
WK02	Shimo-Shinden	下新田
WK03	Aioi	相老	※	Tōbu Railway: Kiryū Line
WK04	Undō-Kōen	運動公園	｜	Jōmō Electric Railway: Jōmō Line (Kiryū-Kyūjō-Mae)
WK05	Ōmama	大間々	●	Tōbu: Kiryū Line (Akagi) Jōmō Electric Railway: Jōmō Line (Akagi)	Midori
WK06	Kami-Kambai	上神梅	｜
WK07	Motojuku	本宿	｜		Kiryū
WK08	Mizunuma	水沼	●
WK09	Hanawa	花輪	｜		Midori
WK10	Nakano	中野	｜
WK11	Konaka	小中	｜
WK12	Gōdo	神戸	●
WK13	Sōri	沢入	●
WK14	Haramukō	原向	｜		Nikkō	Tochigi
WK15	Tsūdō	通洞	●
WK16	Ashio	足尾	●
WK17	Matō	間藤

References

1. "沿革・歴史" [Company History]. watetsu.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
2. Bushell, Chris, ed. (2006). Railway Directory 2006 (111th ed.). Reed Business Information. p. 127. ISBN 0-617-01031-5.

External links

• Watarase Keikoku Railway official website (in Japanese)