Kabe Line

Kabe Line
A 227 series train at Aki-Kameyama
Overview
Owner	JR West
Locale	Hiroshima Prefecture
Termini	Yokogawa Aki-Kameyama
Stations	14
Service
Type	Regional rail
System	Hiroshima City Network
History
Opened	1909
Technical
Line length	15.6 km (9.7 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed	65 km/h (40 mph)

The Kabe Line (可部線, Kabe-sen) is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) within the city of Hiroshima in Japan. It connects Hiroshima Station and Aki-Kameyama Station in Asakita-ku. The actual junction station is Yokogawa. It is one of the commuter lines to Hiroshima.^[1][2][3]

History

The Kabe Line was originally constructed by Dai-Nippon Light Railway. The line fully opened to Kabe station in 1911. The line was electrified at the start of Showa era. The line was nationalized on 1 September 1936, and became a part of Japanese Government Railways as the Kabe Line.^[4]

The line, as a part of a plan to connect Hamada, Shimane with Hiroshima, was slowly extended north from Kabe station.^[5][6]

The line voltage was raised from 750 V to 1,500 V (JNR standard) on 23 April 1962.

Since 4 September 1968, the line had been listed s one of the Deficit 83 Lines, a government's list of deficit-ridden railways where service was to be discontinued.

After JR West took over the line in 1987, one-man operation was introduced on the Kabe – Sandankyō section.

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

On 4 February 2011, it was announced that a 1.6 km (0.99 mi) section of the abandoned segment, between Kabe Station and the former Kōdo Station, would be electrified and reopened. This will be the first such reopening by a JR Group company since the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR).^[7] Operation was scheduled to resume from fiscal 2015;^[8] the two new stations at Kōdo-Homachigawa and Aki-Kameyama finally opened on 4 March 2017.^[9]

Discontinued/suspended section

a train for non-electrified section at Kake Station

JGR extended the line beyond Kabe Station. The extended sections were not electrified.

• 13 October 1936: Extension to Aki-Imuro Station completed
• 30 March 1954: Extension to Kake Station completed (on completion of this extension, the total length of Japanese National Railways exceeded 20,000 km or 12,400 mi.)
• 27 July 1969: Extension to Sandankyō Station, 60.2 km (37.4 mi) from Yokogawa, completed

The line was intended to be extended to Hamada station on the Sanin Main Line, and construction on that section commenced in 1974, before being abandoned in 1980.

The Kabe – Sandankyō section was closed on 1 December 2003.^[10]

Stations

Trains can pass at stations marked "||", "◇", "∨", and "∧". Trains cannot pass at stations marked "|".

No.	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Transfers	Tracks	Location
Sanyō Main Line
JR-B01	Hiroshima	広島		Sanyō Shinkansen, Kure Line, Geibi Line, Hiroden Main Line	||	Minami
JR-B02	Shin-Hakushima	新白島		Astram Line	||	Naka
Kabe Line
JR-B03	Yokogawa	横川	0.0	Sanyō Main Line, Hiroden Yokogawa Line	∨	Nishi
JR-B04	Mitaki	三滝	1.1		◇
JR-B05	Aki-Nagatsuka	安芸長束	2.6		◇	Asaminami
JR-B06	Shimo-Gion	下祗園	3.9		◇
JR-B07	Furuichibashi	古市橋	5.3		◇
JR-B08	Ōmachi	大町	6.5	Astram Line	|
JR-B09	Midorii	緑井	7.3		◇
JR-B10	Shichikenjaya	七軒茶屋	8.0		|
JR-B11	Bairin	梅林	9.6		◇
JR-B12	Kami-Yagi	上八木	11.2		|
JR-B13	Nakashima	中島	12.6		|	Asakita
JR-B14	Kabe	可部	14.0		◇
JR-B15	Kōdo-Homachigawa	河戸帆待川	14.8		|
JR-B16	Aki-Kameyama	あき亀山	15.6		∧

Rolling stock

New 2- and 3-car 227 series electric trains were introduced on the Kabe Line from around 2015,^[9] replacing older 115 series trains.^[11] By 2019, all Kabe Line services were operated by 227 series trains.^[9]

References

1. "Hiroshima station guide. How to change the trains, Shinkansen and local train to Miyajima. How to catch tram and loop bus Meipuru-pu". JPRail.com - Japan rail and train travel complete guide. 9 October 2016.
2. "Hiroshima Access Guide: Transport and Getting Around". JapanTravel. 10 August 2020.
3. "JR Kabe Line(Yokogawa-Aki Kameyama) （横川（広島県）-あき亀山） Route Information / Stop Station List - Navitime Transit". transit.navitime.com.
4. "可部線､特異な経緯たどった路線｢廃止区間｣の今". 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). 29 September 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
5. "全国初｢JR可部線｣が廃線から復活できた理由". 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). 13 March 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
6. "「二度も幻と化した」広島と島根結ぶ鉄道の謎 山あいに並ぶ2つの橋、どちらにも列車は走らず いったいなぜこんな無駄を繰り返してしまったのか（東洋経済オンライン）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 July 2025.
7. JR廃線、初の復活…広島市の可部線 [First-ever reopening of an abandoned JR line: the Kabe Line in Hiroshima]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 4 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
8. 可部線、15年度に延伸 [Kabe Line to be extended in fiscal 2015]. The Chigoku Shimbun Online (in Japanese). Japan: Chugoku Shimbun. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
9. "JR可部線、コロナ禍を経ても混雑が激化 - 2021年度の混雑率132%に" [JR Kabe Line faces increasing congestion in spite of coronavirus pandemic, with a 132% congestion rate in fiscal 2021]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). 23 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
10. "旧戸河内駅、残るは表示板のモニュメントのみ 実は開通前から廃止検討の声も【廃線20年 可部線今昔】②". Chugoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
11. JR西日本、広島地区に227系近郊形直流電車を投入 [JR West to introduce 227 series DC suburban trains in Hiroshima area]. The Page (in Japanese). Japan: Wordleaf Corporation. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.