Ōigawa Main Line

The is a Japanese railway line which connects Kanaya Station in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture with Senzu Station in Kawanehon, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the private railway operator Ōigawa Railway.

History The Ōigawa Main Line began operations on June 10, 1927 as a private line for the Ōigawa Electric Company, to carry workers and materials upstream to facilitate dam construction. The single-track line was extended from Kanaya in stages, reaching it current terminal station of Senzu on December 1, 1931.

The entire line was electrified on November 18, 1949, with EMUs for the passenger services commencing then and freight operation by electric locomotives beginning in August 1951. Express train operations commenced in 1971.

The line runs through an isolated mountain area with no cities or towns, and has a very small population density. Most of the passengers are tourists visiting one of the hot spring resorts along the line, or alpinists and hikers heading for the peaks of the Southern Alps National Park. To boost ridership and popularity of the line, steam locomotives were restored from July 9, 1976. A variety of historical locomotives and carriages are used, both for the steam and for the electric services, making the line a favourite with train enthusiasts and photographers.

Freight services ceased in 1983.金谷駅の情報 (Information about Kanaya Station) Retrieved 10 June 2018

In September 2022, the Ōigawa Main Line suffered substantial damage from Tropical Storm Talas. Rail services between Kawane-Onsen Sasamado and Senzu Station were suspended until further notice, and steam locomotives were changed to only operate between Shin-Kanaya and Kawane-Onsen Sasamado. Ōigawa Railway advises customers intending to travel beyond Ieyama Station, i.e. to the Ikawa Line, towards Senzu and the Sumata Gorge area, to transfer to Kawanehon Town's community buses at Ieyama Station, which provide connections to Senzu Station.

Stations ●: Always stops ◇: Occasionally stops ｜: Passes

Name Distance(km) Local trains TransfersLocationNotes 金谷0.0●● Tokaido Main LineShimada, ShizuokaCurrently operating section新金谷2.3●● 代官町3.8｜● 日切4.3｜● Gōkaku合格5.0｜● 門出5.5｜● 神尾9.8｜● 福用12.3｜● 大和田14.8｜● 家山17.1●●Kawanehon-cho community bus抜里18.8｜● 川根温泉笹間渡20.0◇● 地名22.9｜● Kawanehon, Haibara District, ShizuokaSection out-of-service since September 2022塩郷24.3｜● 下泉27.4●● 田野口31.0｜● 駿河徳山34.1●● 青部36.1｜● 崎平37.2｜● 千頭39.5●● Ōigawa Railway Ikawa LineKawanehon-cho community bus

Rolling stock , the Oigawa Main Line fleet is as follows.

Electric multiple units 300 series 2-car EMU (former Seibu MoHa 351, stored out of use) 420 series 2-car EMU (former Kintetsu 6421 series, stored out of use) 3000 series 2-car EMU (former Keihan 3000 series, stored out of use) 6000 series 2-car EMU (former Nankai 6000 series) 7200 series 2-car EMU (former Tokyu 7200 series, purchased from Towada Electric Railway in 2015) 16000 series 2-car EMUs x2 (former Kintetsu 16000 series) 21000 series 2-car EMUs x2 (former Nankai 21000 series)

Electric locomotives Class E10 x3 Class ED500 x1

Steam locomotives JNR Class C10 (C10 8) JNR Class C11 (C11 190/227/312) JNR Class C12 (C12 164, stored out of service) JNR Class C56 (C56 44/135)

In 2016, The Oigawa Railway purchased four 14 series coaches from JR Hokkaido, which were formerly used on the Hamanasu services. These coaches are scheduled to enter service on steam-hauled services on the line in June 2017, reducing the burden on the ageing heritage coaches operated by the railway.

Ōigawa Main Line

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