Ikawa Line

Ikawa Line
A train on the Ikawa Line
Overview
LocaleShizuoka Prefecture
Termini
Stations14
Websitehttps://daitetsu.jp/
Service
TypeHeavy rail
OperatorŌigawa Railway
History
Opened1935; 91 years ago (1935)
Technical
Line length25.5 km (15.8 mi)
1.5 km (0.93 mi) rack portion
Rack systemAbt
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
(Abt rack system)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead
(rack portion only)
Route map

Legend
km
Ōigawa Main Line
0.0
 Senzu
1.1
 Kawane-Ryōgoku
2.4
 Sawama
Sumata River
3.9
 Domoto
5.8
 Kawane-Koyama
Signal Tunnel No. 9
440 m
Signal Tunnel No. 10
393 m
7.5
 Okuizumi
Ōi River
 Kawane Ichishiro
(
closed
1990
)
former line (
closed
1990
)
9.9
 Abt Ichishiro
Dai-Kajima Tunnel
 Ōkashima
Ōigawa Bridge No. 2
Ōi River
11.4
 Nagashima Dam
Yosekura Tunnel
 Kawane-Karasawa
12.6
 Hiranda
Hirata Tunnel
old│new
 Inuma
Okuōi Rainbow Bridge
Lake Sesso
13.9
 Okuōikojō
Lake Sesso
tunnel 3
15.5
 Sessokyō-Onsen
17.8
 Omori
Sekinosawa Bridge
100 m
tunnel 5
20.5
 Kanzō
Misakubo Tunnel No. 2
264 m
23.4
 Kamekubo
(
closed
1971
)
tunnel 13
25.5
 Ikawa
Ikawa Dam
26.6
 Dohira
(
closed
1971
)
km
Electrified rack section

The Ikawa Line (井川線, Ikawa-sen) is a railway line of the Ōigawa Railway. It runs from Senzu Station in Kawanehon, Shizuoka, the end station of the Ōigawa Main Line, and terminates at Ikawa Station in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka. The line has 61 tunnels and 51 bridges along its 25.5 kilometer length and includes the only rack-and-pinion railway section currently operating in Japan.

In September 2022, the Ōigawa Main Line suffered substantial damage from Tropical Storm Talas. Rail services between Kawane-Onsen Sasamado and Senzu Station were suspended until further notice.[1] Steam locomotives were changed to only operate between Shin-Kanaya and Kawane-Onsen Sasamado. Ōigawa Railway advises customers intending to travel beyond Ieyama Station to the Ikawa Line, towards Senzu and the Sumata Gorge area, to transfer to Kawanehon Town's community buses at Ieyama Station, which provide connections to Senzu Station.[2]

History

The Ikawa line began operations on March 20, 1935, as a private line for the Ōigawa Electric Company, to carry workers and materials upstream to facilitate dam construction.[3] The single track line was originally constructed with 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge; however, in order to have dual usage with carriages on the Senzu-Shinrin Line (now closed)[4] a third rail was added the following year for the Japanese standard gauge (1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)). In 1954, the line was extended under the aegis of the Chubu Electric Power Company to facilitate the construction of the Ōigawa Dam. Railway operations were spun out of Chubu Electric into a separate company in 1959, with the foundation of the Ōigawa Railway Company.[5][3] With the completion of the Nagashima Dam, a portion of the line had to be re-routed along a 1.5 km section with a maximum gradient of 9% (~1 in 11). This required the installation of an Abt rack system on October 2, 1990.[6] An automatic train stop system was installed at the end of March 2009.

Services

All trains are hauled by diesel locomotives (DD20 type) with passenger cars attached. Due to the steep grade, in the section between Abt Ichishiro Station and Nagashima Dam Station trains have an electric Abt rack locomotive (ED90 type) attached.

Stations

Name Distance (km) Connections Location
Senzu 千頭 0.0 Ōigawa Railway Ōigawa Main Line Shizuoka Kawanehon,
Haibara District
Kawane-Ryōgoku 川根両国 1.1  
Sawama 沢間 2.4  
Domoto 土本 3.9  
Kawane-Koyama 川根小山 5.8  
Okuizumi 奥泉 7.5  
Abt Ichishiro アプトいちしろ 9.9  Electric Abt rack locomotive attached between Abt Ischishiro and Nagashima Dam
Nagashima Dam 長島ダム 11.4
Hiranda ひらんだ 12.6  
Okuōikojō 奥大井湖上 13.9  
Sessokyō Onsen 接岨峡温泉 15.5  
Omori 尾盛 17.8  
Kanzō 閑蔵 20.5   Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
Ikawa 井川 25.5  
  • Okuoi Rainbow Bridge
    Okuoi Rainbow Bridge
  • Mountainous terrain
    Mountainous terrain
  • Abt rack rail
    Abt rack rail
  • Oigawa ED903 rack locomotive
    Oigawa ED903 rack locomotive

See also

References

  1. ^ "Reservations for Oigawa Main Line Express Trains". Ōigawa Railway. 2024-10-27. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  2. ^ "運賃・時刻表". 大井川鐵道 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  3. ^ a b "「終列車で下車？おやめください!!」全力で制止される"秘境駅"なにがある？ 電波ナシ道ナシ家もない！". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  4. ^ "国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション". dl.ndl.go.jp. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  5. ^ "歴史 | 大井川鐵道【公式】" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  6. ^ "特殊すぎる！「日本一の急勾配鉄道」なぜできた？ 明治の技術が平成に"復活"した日本唯一の区間". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 2025-05-26. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
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