Bantan Line

Bantan Line
Locale	Hyogo Prefecture
Dates of operation	1894 – present
Track gauge	1,067 mm / 3 ft 6 in (Narrow gauge)
Headquarters	N/A

The Bantan Line (播但線) is a railway line that runs between Himeji and Asago, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR).

Its length in total is 65.7km and there are 18 stations.

Service

The limited express Hamakaze runs between Osaka Station and Kasumi Station, Hamasaka Station or Tottori Station via the Bantan Line.

The local train is divided into the electrification section between Himeji Station and Teramae Station, and non-electrification section between Teramae Station and Wadayama Station. There is no local train that runs all along the Bantan Line currently.

History

Originally it was constructed by the private company Bantan Testudo (Bantan Railway). The section between Shikama-Kou (Shikama port) Station and Nii Station was opened between 1896 and 1901. The remaining part was built by Sanyo Tetsudo (Sanyo Railway) that purchased Bantan Testudo in 1906.

Under the Railway Nationalisation Act of 1906 it was purchased by the Japanese government and renamed Bantan Line.

Bantan Tetsudo

• July 26, 1894 The section between Himeji Station and Teramae Station was opened.
• January 15, 1895 It was extended to the north to Hase Station.
• April 17, 1895 It was extended to the north Ikuno Station and to the south Shikama Station (later Shikama-Kou Station).
• August 19, 1896 Nibuno Station was opened.
• November 20, 1897 Tenjin Station (later Shikama Station) was opened.
• February 20, 1898 Kyoguchi Station was opened.
• March 28, 1898 Mizoguchi Station was opened.
• August 29, 1901 It was extended to the north Nii Station.

Sanyo Tetsudo

• June 1, 1903 Sanyo Tetsudo purchased Bantan Testudo.
• April 1, 1906 It was extended to the north Wadayama Station.

Japan National Railway / Japan Railway

• December 1, 1906 Sanyo Tetsudo was nationalized.
• October 12, 1906 The line renamed Bantan Line.
• September 21, 1915 Shikama Station was renamed Shikama-Kou Station, and Tenjin Station was renamed Shikama Station.
• October 15, 1925 Tofu-Machi Station was closed.
• August 10, 1934 Aokura Station was opened.
• November 20, 1935 Tohori Station was opened.
• October 15, 1951 Niino Station was opened.
• November 1, 1986 The section between Himeji Station and Shikama-Kou Station was closed.
• April 1, 1987 Japan National Railway was divided and privatized. The line inherited to West Japan Railway Company.
• March 14, 1998 The part between Himeji Station and Teramae Station was electrified.

Stations

The section under business

● : Stop , | : Pass

Station	Distance from Himeji Station (km)	Local	Limited Express	Connecting Lines	Location
Bantan Line
Himeji Station	0.0	●	●	JR West: Sanyō Main Line (JR Kobe Line), Kishin Line, Sanyō Shinkansen	Hyogo Prefecture	Himeji
Kyoguchi Station	1.7	●	|
Nozato Station	4.3	●	|
Tohori Station	6.0	●	|
Nibuno Station	8.2	●	|
Koro Station	11.2	●	|
Mizoguchi Station	13.2	●	|
Fukusaki Station	17.1	●	●			Fukusaki
Amaji Station	20.6	●	|			Ichikawa
Tsurui Station	24.5	●	|
Niino Station	27.7	●	|			Kamikawa
Teramae Station	29.6	●	●
Hase Station	35.9	●	|
Ikuno Station	43.6	●	●			Asago
Nii Station	51.9	●	|
Aokura Station	55.6	●	|
Takeda Station	59.9	●	|
Wadayama Station	65.7	●	●	JR West: Sanin Main Line

JR West lines
Main	Hokuriku – Kansai – Kisei – San'in – Sanyō – Tōkaidō
Local	Ako – Bantan – Fukuchiyama – Fukuen – Gantoku – Geibi – Hakubi – Inbi – Kabe – Kakogawa – Kibi – Kishin – Kisuki - Kure – Ohama – Oito – Onoda – Sakai – Sanko – Tsuyama – Ube – Uno – Wakayama – Yamaguchi