Rumoi Main Line

The Rumoi Main Line (留萌本線, Rumoi-honsen) is a Japanese railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) which connects Fukagawa Station in Fukagawa and Rumoi Station in Rumoi. It is the shortest railway line in Japan, which is classified as a 'main line'.

Rumoi Main Line
A single KiHa 54 series DMU on the Rumoi Main Line in September 2011
Overview
Status	In operation
Owner	JR Hokkaido
Locale	JR Hokkaido
Termini	Fukagawa Rumoi
Stations	12
Service
Type	Regional rail
Operator(s)	JR Hokkaido
Rolling stock	KiHa 54 series DMU, KiHa 150 series DMU
History
Opened	23 October 1910
Closed	4 December 2016 (Rumoi - Mashike)
Technical
Line length	50.1 km (31.1 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	95 km/h (59 mph)
Route map

On 19 November 2016, JR Hokkaido's President announced plans to further rationalise the network by up to 1,237 km, or approximately 50% of the network,[1] including closure of the remaining section of the Rumoi Main Line (the Rumoi to Mashike section closed on 4 December 2016).

Stations

Stops legend: ●: All trains stop, ◆: some trains stop, ▼: some down trains pass, ▲: some up trains pass

No.	Station name	Japanese	Between (km)	Distance (km)	Stop	Transfers	Location
A24	Fukagawa	深川		0.0	●	■ Hakodate Main Line	Fukagawa
	Kita-Ichiyan	北一已	3.8	3.8	▼
	Chippubetsu	秩父別	5.0	8.8	▼		Chippubetsu, Uryū District
	Kita-Chippubetsu	北秩父別	2.4	11.2	◆
	Ishikari-Numata	石狩沼田	3.2	14.4	●		Numata, Uryū District
	Mappu	真布	3.4	17.8	◆
	Ebishima	恵比島	2.9	20.7	▼
	Tōgeshita	峠下	7.6	28.3	●		Rumoi
	Horonuka	幌糠	6.2	34.5	◆
	Fujiyama	藤山	5.5	40.0	◆
	Ōwada	大和田	4.2	44.2	▲
	Rumoi	留萌	5.9	50.1	●

Closed section

Station name	Japanese	Between (km)	Distance (km)	Location
Rumoi	留萌	5.9	50.1	Rumoi
Segoshi	瀬越	2.1	52.2
Reuke	礼受	4.0	56.2
Afun	阿分	1.3	57.5	Mashike, Mashike District
Nobusha	信砂	2.7	60.2
Shaguma	舎熊	0.8	61.0
Shumombetsu	朱文別	1.7	62.7
Hashibetsu	箸別	1.3	64.0
Mashike	増毛	2.8	66.8

History

The initial section of the line, between Fukagawa and Rumoi opened on 23 October 1910, and was extended to Mashike on 5 November 1921.[2] The line was reclassified as a "main line" from 10 October 1931.[2] With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of JR Hokkaido.[2]

Closure plans

On 10 August 2015, JR Hokkaido informed the mayors of Rumoi and Mashike of its plans to close the 16.7 km section of the line from Rumoi and Mashike in 2016.[3] In April 2016, it was officially announced that the section from Rumoi to Mashike would close, and the last service operated on 4 December.[4]

References

1. "JR Hokkaido says it can't maintain half of its railways". 10 May 2013.
2. Ishino, Tetsu, ed. (1998). 停車場変遷大辞典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR] (in Japanese). I. Japan: JTB. pp. 83, 129. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
3. 留萌線（留萌～増毛間）の鉄道事業廃止について [Closure of Rumoi Line between Rumoi and Mashike]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
4. ＪＲ留萌線留萌―増毛間１２月４日に廃止 増毛町が同意 [Mashike agrees to closure of JR Rumoi Line between Rumoi and Mashike on 4 December]. Doshin Web (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.