Geibi Line

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Geibi Line
Class Kiha 120 DMU
Info
Type	Commuter rail line
Locale	Hiroshima and Okayama Prefectures
Termini	Bitchū Kōjiro Station Hiroshima Station
Stations	44
Operation
Opened	1915
Owner	West Japan Railway Company
Operator(s)	West Japan Railway Company
Technical
Line length	159.1 kilometres (98.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 millimetres (3.50 ft) (narrow gauge)
Operating speed	85 kilometres per hour (53 mph)
Route map km - Niimi - Nunohara Two tunnels Hakubi Line File:BSicon xKBFa.svg 0.0 Bitchū Kōjiro File:BSicon exHLUECKE.svg Merge to Hakubi Line 3.9 Sakane 6.4 Ichioka 10.0 Yagami 13.6 Nochi 18.8 Tōjō 25.3 Bingo Yawata 29.0 Uchina 33.6 Onuka 37.8 Dōgoyama Four tunnels 44.6 Bingo Ochiai File:BSicon exHLUECKE.svg Kisuki Line Three tunnels 50.2 Hibayama 53.2 Bingo Saijō 57.4 Hirako 68.5 Taka 68.5 Bingo Shōbara 70.5 Bingo Mikkaichi 72.2 Nanatsuka 75.2 Yamanouchi Chūgoku Expressway 80.1 Shimowachi Fukuen Line 83.2 Shiomachi 84.7 Kamisugi Chūgoku Expressway 88.0 Yatsugi 90.3 Miyoshi File:BSicon exHLUECKE.svg Sankō Line 91.9 Nishi Miyoshi Two tunnels 99.6 Shiwachi 102.2 Kamikawatachi 106.5 Kōtachi 109.9 Yoshidaguchi 116.1 Mukaihara 122.0 Ibaraichi 126.0 Shiwaguchi 129.5 Kamimita 134.0 Nakamita 136.3 Shirakiyama 138.5 Karuga 140.7 Kamifukawa 143.5 Nakafukawa 144.9 Shimofukawa 146.8 Kumura Sanyō Expressway 149.3 Akiyaguchi 152.1 Hesaka 156.9 Yaga File:BSicon uKBFa.svg 159.1 Hiroshima Hiroden Main Line Sanyō Main Line Sanyō Shinkansen

The Geibi Line (芸備線, Geibisen^?) is a rail line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi Station in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, and terminating at Hiroshima Station in Hiroshima, Japan. In addition to the Chūgoku Expressway, the Geibi Line is considered the main commuter and local rail line covering the route between northern Hiroshima Prefecture and the city of Hiroshima. The name of the line refers to the ancient provinces of Aki (安芸^?) (in Hiroshima Prefecture) and Bitchū (備中^?) (in Okayama Prefecture), which the line connects.

Beginning in 2007, the ICOCA card can be used in all stations between Hiroshima Station and Karuga Station (stations in the Hiroshima City Network).

Line data

• Operator: West Japan Railway Company (Class-1 railroad)
• Official line length: 159.1 km
• Gauge: 1,067 mm
• Stations: 44 (including Hiroshima Station)
• Double track: none (entirely single track)
• Electrified sections: Not electrified
• Closure system: Special automatic closure type (track circuit detection)
• Speed limit: 85 km/h
• Operational command:

Bitchū Kōjiro Station — Shiomachi Station: Bingo Shōbara CTC Center

Shiomachi Station — Hiroshima Station: Hiroshima Integrated Command Center

Rolling stock

The following diesel multiple unit rolling stock are in service on the Geibi Line:

• KiHa120 DMU
• KiHa58 DMU
• KiHa40 DMU

History

The Geibi Line began as the Geibi Railway, which ran a line between Hiroshima Station and Bingo Shōbara. The line between Bingo Shōbara and Bingo Ochiai was a provincial railroad called the Shōbara Line, and the Sanshin Line was between Onuka and Bitchū Kōjiro. In 1936, the entire rail line between Hiroshima and Bitchū Kōjiro was opened, and Geibi Railway purchased the entire line the following year. Nowadays, you can purchase a roundtrip ticket which will take you from Himeji to Tsuyama, then on to Niimi, Bingo Ochiai and Miyoshi through to Hiroshima.

Geibi Railway

• 1915-04-18: The Geibi Railway opened between Higashi Hiroshima (different than the current Higashi Hiroshima Station) and Shiwachi.
• 1915-06-01: The line is extended from Shiwachi to Miyoshi (the current Nishi Miyoshi Station).
• 1916-04-15: Hesaka Station opened.
• 1920-07-15: The line between Hiroshima and Higashi Hiroshima opens. JNR Hiroshima Station opened.
• 1922-06-07: The line between Miyoshi (the current Nishi Miyoshi Station) and Shiomachi (the current Kamisugi Station) opened.
• 1923-12-08: The line between Shiomachi (the current Kamisugi Station) and Bingo Shōbara opened.
• 1924-09-20: Nakafukawa Station and Yamanouchi Station opened.
• 1925-02-01: Wadamura Station becomes Shimowachi Station.
• 1929-03-20: Yaga Station and Kamifukawa Station opened.
• 1930-01-01: Shirakiyamaguchi Station, Mita Yoshinaga Station, and Tōkaichi Station open.
• 1930-04-22: Takō Station (the current Shiomachi Station) opened.
• 1930-04-25: Mikkaichi Station opened.

Shōbara Line

• 1933-06-01: Tōkaichi Station renamed Bingo Tōkaichi Station and Mikkaichi Station renamed Bingo Mikkaichi Station. The Geibi Railway line between Bingo Tōkaichi Station (the current Miyoshi Station) and Bingo Shōbara Station is nationalized and renamed the Shōbara Line.
• 1934-01-01: Shiomachi Station renamed Kamisugi Station, and Takō Station renamed Shiomachi Station.
• 1934-03-15: Line between Bingo Shōbara Station and Bingo Saijō Station opens.
• 1935-12-20: Line between Bingo Saijō Station and Bingo Ochiai Station opened.

Sanshin Line

• 1930-02-10: Sanshin Line opened between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Yagami Station.
• 1930-11-25: The line opened between Yagami Station and Tōjō Station.
• 1935-06-15: The line between Tōjō Station and Onuka Station opened.
• 1936-10-10: The line between Onuka Station and Bingo Ochia Station opened. The Shōbara Line is absorbed into the Sanshin Line, which now includes everything between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Bingo Tōkaichi Station.
• 1936-11-21: Dōgoyama Station opened.

Geibi Line

• 1937-07-01: The Geibi Railway line between Hiroshima Station and Bingo Tōkaichi Station is nationalized, and the Sanshin Line is absorbed into the Geibi Line. Kawatachi Station renamed Kamikawatachi Station, Mita Yoshinaga Station renamed Kamimita Station, Shirakiyamaguchi Station renamed Shirakiyama Station, and Yaguchi Station renamed Akiyaguchi Station.
• 1941-08-10: Kamifukawa Station and Yaga Station closed.
• 1942-10-28: Yaga Station closed, and signal box installed.
• 1943-04-02: Yaga Station reopened.
• 1948-08-10: Kamifukawa Station reopened.
• 1952-02-01: Hirako Station opened.
• 1953-10-01: Ichioka Station opened.
• 1954-11-10: The former Miyoshi Station renamed Nishi Miyoshi Station.
• 1954-12-10: Bingo Tōkaichi Station renamed Miyoshi Station.
• 1955-07-20: Uchina Station opened.
• 1955-11-11: Chidori service begins.
• 1956-12-20: Bingo Kumano Station renamed Hibayama Station.
• 1959-04-13: Chidori upgraded to a local express train.
• 1962-03-15: Taishaku service begins.
• 1968-03-05: Taishaku and Chidori upgraded to regular express trains.
• 1983-03-01: The line between Miyoshi Station and Hiroshima Station uses CTC.
• 1983-10-31: The line between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Miyoshi uses CTC.
• 1985-03-15: The regular express Miyoshi service begins.
• 1986-11-01: Freight service discontinued on the Geibi Line.
• 1987-04-01: Geibi Line becomes part of West Japan Railway Company following privatization of Japanese National Railways.
• 1991-04-01: Driver-only operation introduced on line between Niimi Station and Miyoshi Station.
• 1991-11-01: The line between Miyoshi Station and Hiroshima Station is converted to driver-only operation.
• 2002-03-22: The Chidori and Taishaku express services are absorbed into the Miyoshi express service.
• 2003-10-01: The Miyoshi Liner and Tsūkin Liner services begin.
• 2006-04-23: The Geibi Line is moved between Kamikawatachi Station and Kōtachi Station following widening of Hiroshima Prefectural Route 37 between Hiroshima and Miyoshi.
• 2006-07-19: Services between Bingo Ochiai Station and Bingo Saijō Station suspended due to storm damage of the Geibi Line. Interim bus service begins the following day.
• 2007-04-01: Train service resumed between Bingo Ochiai Station and Bingo Saijō Station.

Stations

Listed in order from Bitchū Kōjiro Station to Hiroshima Station, though the chart shows through Niimi Station for convenience as most schedules show through Niimi and the train will indicate the last stop as Niimi.

• A ● indicates a station at which the train stops, and ｜ indicates a station at which that particular train does not stop. Local trains stop at all stations.
• Stations marked in aqua (■) are part of the Hiroshima City Network.

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

External links

• (Japanese) 芸備線応援サイト・安芸矢口企画 (Geibi Line fan site)

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