The is a railway line in

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

, Japan, operated by Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). It connects Station, Shimanto, Takaoka District in

Kōchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 669,516 (1 April 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and Tok ...

and Uwajima in

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

. Its name comes from the ancient

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 (now Ehime Prefecture) and (now Kōchi Prefecture), which the line connects.

Route Description

The Yodo line is a quiet, rural single track line with passing places at some stations. The line, which is also known as ''Shimanto Green Line'', is one of the most scenic in Japan running adjacent to the picturesque Shimanto River inland until Ekawasaki. It then winds its way across

to Uwajima. Yodo Line and Shimanto river

Kubokawa Station on the Dosan Line serves as the departure point for nearly all trains heading west. The first part of the line, to Kawaoku Junction just after Wakai, is not owned by JR but by the

Tosa Kuroshio Railway The is a third-sector railway company in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. The name comes from the former Tosa Province and the Kuroshio Current. The company was founded in 1986, and operates three lines: a former Japanese National Railways (JNR) line ...

. This section makes up a part of the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Line, not a JR line and therefore attracts an additional fare. Passengers, especially those using the Seishun 18 Kippu, are reminded of this by conductor announcements. After Wakai, the Nakamura Line turns off and the Yodo Line officially begins. The Yodo line ends at a junction with the

Yosan Line The is the principal railway line on the island of Shikoku in Japan, connecting the major cities of Shikoku, and via the Honshi-Bisan Line, with Honshu. It is operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), and is aligned approximately p ...

just before and trains continue on the Yosan Line into Uwajima.

Services

The Yodo Line has only one sort of service, local trains that stop at every station. In April 2020 there were five trips in each direction between Kubokawa and Uwajima and an additional three trips each way between Uwajima and Ekawasaki & Chikanaga. Most services are ''wanman'' (driver-only) operated.

Stations

* All trains run through to on the Dosan Line and on the

. * All trains on the Yodo Line are local trains and stop at all stations. * None of the intermediate stations along the line have a staffed ticket office. * Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇" and "^" and cannot pass at those marked "｜".

History

In 1914, the Uji Light Railway Co. opened a gauge line 18 km between Uwajima and Chikanaga. In 1923, the line was extended 7 km from Chikanaga to Yoshino. In 1931 the Uwajima Railway began operating a single gasoline-powered locomotive. The Uwajima Railway was nationalised by

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national rail transport, railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese ...

in 1933, becoming the Uwajima Line; Miyanoshita Station was renamed Iyo-Miyanoshita Station, Nakano became Futana, and Yoshino was renamed Yoshinobu. Yodo Line-1989-02

In 1941, the line was re-gauged to , the section between Uwajima and Muden replaced by a new route, Kita-Uwajima became the line's starting point and Takagushi and Mitsuma stations on the old section were closed. The 10 km Yoshinobu - Ekawasaki section opened in 1953, and the 43 km Ekawasaki - Wakai section opened in 1974, linking to the Dosan Line with the line renamed as the Yodo Line. In the same year, CTC signalling was commissioned, and freight operations ceased.

References

External links

JR Shikoku official website
{{Authority control Lines of Shikoku Railway Company Rail transport in Ehime Prefecture Rail transport in Kōchi Prefecture Railway lines opened in 1914 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan 1914 establishments in Japan