The is a railway line that parallels the coastline of the

Kii Peninsula The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan and is located within the Kansai region. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. The peninsula has long been a sacred place in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugendo, and many people wou ...

in Japan between

Mie Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture an ...

and

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...

. The name takes the ''

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

'' characters from the names of the old

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of and . The line is operated by

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...

(JR Central) from Kameyama, the eastern terminus, to Shingū, and by

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

(JR West) from Shingū to Wakayamashi, the western terminus. The segment between Shingū and

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: * Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan * Wakayama (city), the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Wakayama Station, a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama * Wakayama University, a national university in Wakayama, ...

is nicknamed as the , after the alternate name of the Kii Province. The line has connections with through service, to the

Kansai Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, which connects Nagoya Station with JR Namba Station in Osaka. It is jointly run by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), with the boundary between both compan ...

for

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

via the

Ise Railway The is a Japanese railway line in Mie Prefecture which runs between Kawarada Station, Yokkaichi, and Tsu Station. It is the only railway line of the third-sector operator , commonly abbreviated to . The company took over the former Japanese N ...

, and to the

Hanwa Line The is a commuter rail line in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The 61.3 km (38.1 mi) line runs between Osaka and Wakayama, Japan and has a 1.7 km branchline ...

at Wakayama for

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Line data

*Operators, distances: **Total: 384.2 km **

( category 1) ***Kameyama - Shingū: 180.2 km **

(category 1) ***Shingū - Wakayamashi: 204.0 km ***1.0 km is property of

Nankai Electric Railway is a private railway in Japan, founded in 1884. The name ''Nankai'' (which means "South Sea") comes from the company's routes along the Nankaidō, the old highway that ran south from the old capital, Kyoto, along the sea coast. Nankai predate ...

shortly from Wakayamashi Station. **

Japan Freight Railway Company , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was foun ...

( category 2) ***Kameyama - Shingū: 180.2 km ***Shingū - Kii-Sano: 6.4 km *

Railway signalling Railway signalling (), or railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight ...

: **Kameyama - Shingū: Special Automatic ( :ja:閉塞方式#特殊自動閉塞式), a simplified automatic system **Shingū - Wakayama: Automatic * Centralized traffic control (CTC) center: **Kameyama - Shingū: Tōkai Operation Control Center **Shingū - Wakayamashi: Tennōji Operation Control Center

Services

The ''

Nanki The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), which runs from Nagoya to Shingū and Kii-Katsuura. The service passes through several notable and important locations, situated on the K ...

'' limited express runs between and or with 4 return workings a day via the

. The ''

Kuroshio The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

'' limited express runs between // and with 15 return workings a day. The line is generally divided to four parts for local services, by Shingū, , , and .

Stations

Kameyama to Shingū (JR Central)

Shingū to Wakayama (Kinokuni Line) (JR West)

Wakayama to Wakayamashi (JR West)

Rolling stock

JR Central

* KiHa 25 (since 1 August 2015) * KiHa 75 (''Mie'' rapid service) * HC85 (''

'' limited express)

JR West

103 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter train type introduced in 1963 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and currently operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). They were also operate ...

105 series The is a direct current, DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type formerly operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and currently operated on local services by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Japan since 1981. They were also form ...

113 series The is a Japanese suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1963 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), currently operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), and formerly also ...

117 series The is a Japanese suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1979 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and currently operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The train type was operated by Central Japan Railway Com ...

223 series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) in the Kansai region, Chūgoku region and Shikoku region of Japan. Multiple batches of the model have been built with varying diffe ...

(0 and 2500 subseries) * 225-5000 series *

227 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) for use on suburban services in the Kansai region, Kansai and Chūgoku region, Chūgoku regions of Japan since 14 March 2015. On 14 March 2015, th ...

(from Spring 2019) * 283 series (''

'' limited express) *

287 series The is a Direct current, DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) in Japan on limited express services such as the ''Kinosaki (train), Kinosaki'' and ''Kounotori (train), Kounotori'' from Kyoto ...

(''Kuroshio'' limited express) *

289 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) in Japan on limited express services in the Kyoto and Osaka area since October 2015. The trains were converted from former dual-voltage (1,500 ...

(''Kuroshio'' limited express)

Former

Passenger

165 series The was an express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1963 by Japanese National Railways (JNR). History During the early 1960s, the Chūō Main Line and Shinetsu Line were electrified, requiring new EMUs for the express se ...

221 series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) in the Kansai Region of Japan since March 1989. Operations * Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line, JR Kobe Line) ( - , until ...

(until March 2011) *

381 series The was a tilting Direct current, DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1973 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), and Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) in Japan. ...

(until 30 October 2015) *

485 series The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), West Jap ...

* KiHa 10 series *

KiHa 11 The is a single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and Tokai Transport Service Company (TKJ) on driver-only operated rural services in central Japan. A total of 43 cars were built b ...

(until July 2015) * KiHa 20 series * KiHa 30 series *

KiHa 40 series The is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1977 and operated by all Japan Railways Group companies on suburban and rural services in Japan. Since 2017, the train type has seen use by other ...

* KiHa 45 series * KiHa 55 series * KiHa 58 series * KiHa 65 *

KiHa 81 series The was a diesel multiple unit type that operated on express services from 1960 to 2002, under Japan National Railways and later under JR Hokkaido and JR Central. Two variants were initially built: the to replace the then steam-operated ''Hats ...

* KiHa 82 series * KiHa 85 series *

KiHa 5501, KiHa 5505

Freight

* EF15 * DF50 * C58 * D60

History

The line is composed of sections opened by four different railway companies, which were then nationalised and linked by the JGR/JNR. Kisei Main Line-07

In 1891, the Kansai Railway opened the Kameyama to Tsu section, with the Sangu Railway opening the Tsu to Shoka section in 1893. At the western end, the Kiwa Railway opened the Wakayamashi to Wakayama section in 1903, and was acquired by the Kansai Railway the following year. The Kansai Railway and the Sangu Railway were nationalised in 1907. In 1912, the Shingu Railway opened the Kii-Katsuura to Miwasaki section, extending the line to Shingu the following year. The company was nationalised in 1934. On the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula, the Japanese Government Railway (JGR) extended the line from Shoka to Owase in sections between 1923 and 1934, whilst on the western side, it extended the line from Wakayama to Esumi in sections between 1924 and 1938. In 1935, the Kii-Katsuura to Taiji section was opened by JGR, extended to Kushimoto the following year, and to Esumi in 1940, providing a link to Wakayama and Osaka. The successor to JGR, the

Japanese National Railways The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR), opened the Owase to Shingu section in stages between 1956 and 1959, completing the line.

Double-tracking

The Akogi to Takajaya section was double-tracked in 1909, with the Matsusaka to Tokuwa section double-tracked two years later. In 1944, both sections were returned to single track and the recovered materials recycled for the Japanese war effort. The Wakayama to Kii-Tanabe section was double-tracked in stages between 1964 and 1978.

Electrification

The line was electrified between Wakayama and Shingu in 1978, with the Wakayama to Wakayamashi section being commissioned in 1984.

Other notable dates

CTC signalling was commissioned between Wakayama and Shingu in 1978, and extended to Kameyama in 1983. Freight services ceased in 1986.

Former connecting lines

* Akogi Station: The Chusei Railway operated a 6 km gauge line between Iwatahashi and Hisai between 1909 and 1942. At Hisai, it connected to the Dainippon Railway 15 km 762 mm gauge line to Ise-Kawaguchi on the Meisho Line between 1925 and 1942. * Matsusaka Station: Mie Kotsu operated 20 km 762 mm line to Oishi between 1912 and 1964. The line was electrified at 600 V DC in 1927, although steam locomotives continued to be used until 1938. * Tokuwa Station: The

Ise Electric Railway , usually abbreviated as Iseden (伊勢電), was a private railway company that operated mostly in Mie Prefecture, Japan, for 25 years from 1911 to 1936, when it was absorbed by Sangū Express Electric Railway. At its height, Iseden operated thr ...

"main line" connected here between 1930 and 1941. * Funatsu Station: The Osugidani forest railway connected here to haul cedar. It was opened between 1929 and 1952 utilising 762 mm gauge, and featured a 17 km "main line" and nine branches of between 1 km and 11 km in length, as well as two cable-hauled inclines. The last line closed in 1974. * Fujinami Station: The 9 km Arita Railway line between Yuasa and Kanaya which operated between 1915 and 2003 connected at this station. * Kainan Station: The Nogami Electric Railway operated an 11 km line, electrified at 600 V DC, to Noburu-Yamaguchi between 1916 and 1994. Freight services operated between 1951 and 1971. * Wakayama station - A 3 km line to Higashi-Matsue on the

Nankai Kada Line is a railway line in Wakayama Prefecture owned by Nankai Electric Railway. This line connects to the Nankai Main Line The is one of the two main railway lines of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Nankai ...

opened in 1912. The line was electrified at 600 VDC in 1930, and closed in 1955. * Kiwa Station: The

Kishigawa Line is a railway line in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It is the sole line of the Wakayama Electric Railway Co., Ltd. The 14.3 km route extends from Wakayama Station in the city of Wakayama, Wakayama, Wakayama to Kishi Station (Wakayama), Kishi St ...

commenced from this station from 1917 until the terminus was truncated 3 km to Wakayama in 1924.

References

External links

JR Central official website

{{West Japan Railway Company Lines Lines of Central Japan Railway Company Lines of West Japan Railway Company Rail transport in Mie Prefecture Rail transport in Wakayama Prefecture 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan