Kabe Line

The Kabe Line (可部線, Kabesen^?) is a rail line operated by JR West within the city of Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It begins at Hiroshima Station and terminates at Kabe Station in Asakita-ku. It's one of the commuter lines to Hiroshima. The line was connected to Sandankyō Station from Kabe Station.

Beginning in summer 2007, the ICOCA card can be used in all stations stations in the Hiroshima City Network, including all stations on the Kabe Line.

Line data

• Operator: West Japan Railway Company (Class-1 railroad)
• Official line length: 14.0km
• Gauge: 1067mm
• Stations: 12 (including Hiroshima Station and Kabe Station)
• Double track: none (entirely single track)
• Electrified sections: all (DC 1500V)
• Closure system: Special automatic closure type (track circuit detection)
• Speed limit: 65km/h
• Operational command: Hiroshima Integrated Command Center

History

• Opened between Yokogawa Station to Gion Station by Dainippon Kido on December 19, 1909.
• Opened from Gion Station to Furuichibashi Station on November 19, 1910.
• Opened from Furuichibashi Station to Otagawabashi Station on December 25, 1910.
• Opened from Otagwa-bashi Station to Kabe Station on June 12, 1911.
• Handed over to Kabe Kido on March 11, 1919.
• Merged to Hiroshima Denki Kido on May 1, 1926.
• Electrified the line between Yokogawa Station to Furuichibashi Station, stopped train services between Furuichibashi Station to Kabe Station and deputized by bus services, closed Matsubara Station, opened Taishi Station on November 9, 1928.
• Electrified the line and resized the gauge between between Furuichibashi Station to Shichikenjaya Station on August 10, 1929.
• Electrified the line and resized the gauge between between Otagawabashi Station to Kabe Station on December 2, 1929.
• Opened Oshibakoenguchi Station in October 1930.
• Renamed Taishi Station to Nagasoku Station in 1931.
• Handed over to Hirohama Rail Way on July 1, 1931.
• Standardized by new rail way law and renamed Kabe Station to Hirohama-Kabe Station on December 1, 1935.
• Nationalized between Yokogawa Station to Kabe Station as Kabe Line and renamed Oshibakoenguchi Station to Mitaki Station, Nagasoku Station to Aki-Nagatsuka Station, Otagawabashi Station to Kamiyagi Station, Nakajima Station to Aki-Nakashima Station and Hirohama-kabe Station to Kabe Station on September 1, 1936.
• Opened from Kabe Station to Aki-Imuro Station on October 13, 1936.
• Closed Aki-Nakashima Station on October 1, 1943.
• Rose the voltage from 600v to 750v on October 1, 1948.
• Opened from Aki-Imuro Station to Kake Station and the total length of the national rail way had reached 20,000km on March 30, 1954.
• Reopened Aki-Nakashima Station as Nakashima Station on June 1, 1956.
• Opened Kōdo Station and Imaida Station, renamed Higashikegi Station to Kegi Station, Tanoshiri Station to Tsutsuga Station on December 20, 1956.
• Rose the voltage from 750v to 1500v on April 23, 1962.
• Rebuilt between Yokogawa Station to Aki-Nagatsuka Station and moved Miatki Station on October 1, 1962.
• Opened Kagusa Station on February 1, 1966.
• Listed up as the one of the deficit-ridden rail way sections to be discontinued on September 4, 1968.
• Renamed Tsutsuga Station to Tanoshiri Station on July 1, 1969.
• Opened from Kake Station to Sandankyō Station and bigan the cargo train services between Kake Station to Togouchi Station on July 27, 1969.
• Stopped cargo train services between Kabe Station to Togouchi Station on October 1, 1978.
• Stopped cargo train services between Yokogawa Station to Kabe Station on January 1, 1984.
• Privatizded as JR West on April 1, 1987.
• Started all train services from Kabe Station to run straight through to Hiroshima Station on March 16, 1991.
• Opened Kabe Rail Way Section and started one man operation between Kabe Station to Sandankyō Station on April 1, 1991.
• Opened Omachi Station and connected to Astram Line on August 20, 1994.
• Discontinued/Suspended between Kabe Station to Sandankyō Station on December 1, 2003.
• Closed Kabe Rail Way Section and started the operation by JR West on July 1, 2006.

Discontinued/Suspended section data

a train for non-electrified section at Kake Station

• Operator: West Japan Railway Company (Class-1 railroad)
• Official line length: 46.2km
• Gauge: 1067mm
• Stations: 21 (exincluding Kabe Station)
• Double track: none (entirely single track)
• Electrified sections: non
• Closure system:
  • section between Kabe Station to Kake Station: Special automatic closure type
  • section between Kake Station to Sandankyō Station: Staff closure type

Stations of the JR West Kabe Line

(Hiroshima) - Yokogawa - Mitaki - Aki-Nagatsuka - Shimo-Gion - Furuichibashi - Ōmachi - Midorii - Shichikenjaya - Bairin - Kami-Yagi - Nakashima - Kabe

Stations of the JR West Kabe Line (suspended section)

(Kabe<<) - Kōdo - Imaida - Aki-Kameyama - Kegi - Aki-Imuro - Nuno - Ogauchi - Yasuno - Minochi - Tsubono - Tanoshiri - Tsunami - Kagusa - Kake - Kisaka - Tonoga - Kamitono - Tsutsuga - Doi - Togouchi - Sandankyō

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