The , or for short, is a Japanese railway line in Shizuoka Prefecture, paralleling the north coast of Lake Hamana between Kakegawa Station in Kakegawa and Shinjohara Station in Kosai. This is the only railway line of .
History The Japanese National Railways was built as an alternative route for the Tokaido Main Line and in particular as a backup for the bridge over Lake Hamana, which was considered potentially vulnerable to weather disruption. The Japanese military also supported the project as the new line would be less vulnerable to coastal attack than the existing section of the Tokaido Main Line. Operations began on April 17, 1935, between and . Construction work progressed in the opposite direction with the connecting with on December 1, 1936. This line was extended to by April 1, 1938, and the two lines were connected on June 1, 1940.
The line was used as a detour for the Tokaido Main Line following damage to it caused by the Tōnankai earthquake in December 1944 and military actions in July 1945.
Steam locomotives ceased service on the line in 1971, and all scheduled freight services were discontinued from 1984.
Operations of the former Futamata Line were taken over by the third-sector company Tenryū Hamanako Railroad in 1987, the same year Japanese National Railways was privatized.
Thirty-six features of the line (including bridges and station buildings) are registered tangible cultural properties of Japan.
Former connecting lines Tenryu-Futamata station – Construction started on a 35 km line to Chubu-Tenryu on the Iida Line in 1967. Proposed to involve 20 bridges and 14 tunnels, about 13 km of roadbed, and about 50% of the overall work had been completed when construction was abandoned in 1980. Kanasashi station – The 26 km 762mm gauge line from Entetsu Hamamatsu station on the Enshu Railway Line to Okuyama opened between 1914 and 1923. The 8 km Entetsu Hamamatsu - Hikuma section was electrified at 600 VDC in 1950, the line closing in 1963/4.
Description Track: Single Power: Internal Combustion (Diesel) Railway signalling: Simplified automatic
Stations Name Distance(km)Connecting linesLocation掛川0.0JR Central: Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Main LineKakegawaShizuoka掛川市役所前1.3 西掛川1.8 桜木4.0 いこいの広場5.5 細谷6.0 原谷7.9 原田9.4 戸綿12.0 MoriShūchi District遠州森12.8 森町病院前13.6 円田14.7 遠江一宮16.4 敷地19.9 Iwata豊岡23.0 上野部24.4 天竜二俣26.2 Tenryū-kuHamamatsu二俣本町26.8 西鹿島28.5Enshū Railway Line岩水寺30.3 Hamana-kuHamamatsu宮口32.3 フルーツパーク36.2 都田37.7 常葉大学前39.1 金指41.9 岡地43.5 気賀44.8 西気賀47.7 寸座49.4 浜名湖佐久米50.7 東都筑51.9 都筑53.3 三ヶ日55.6 奥浜名湖56.8 尾奈58.1 知波田62.9 Kosai大森65.0 アスモ前66.7 新所原67.7JR Central: Tōkaidō Main Line
See also List of railway companies in Japan List of railway lines in Japan
References This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.
External links
Tenryū Hamanako Railroad official website 登録有形文化財紹介動画, 天竜浜名湖鉄道公式チャンネル