Furano line

Furano line
Diesel multiple unit type KiHa 150 in Asahikawa
Route length:	54.8 km
Gauge :	1067 mm ( cape track )
Maximum slope :	28.6  ‰
Top speed:	85 km / h
Dual track :	No
Society:	JR Hokkaidō
Legend ↑ Hakodate main line 1898– 0.0 Asahikawa (旭川) 1898– → Sōya main line 1898– → Higashigawa line 1927-1973 Chubetsu-gawa 2.4 Kaguraoka (神 楽 岡) 1958– 4.0 Midorigaoka (緑 が 丘) 1996– 5.2 Nishi-Goryō (西 御 料) 1958– 7.4 Nishi-Mizuho (西瑞 穂) 1958– 9.9 Nishi-Kagura (西 神 楽) 1899– 12.3 Nishi-Seiwa (西 聖 和) 1958– 16.6 Chiyogaoka (千代 ヶ 岡) 1936– Bebetsu-gawa 20.3 Kita-Biei (北美 瑛) 1958– Ubashibetsu-gawa 23.8 Biei (美瑛) 1899– Biei-gawa 30.6 Bibaushi (美 馬 牛) 1926– 39.7 Kami-Furano (上 富良野) 1899– 44.2 Nishinaka (西 中) 1958– 45.8 Lavender Farm (ラ ベ ン ダ ー 畑) 1999– 47.3 Naka-Furano (中 富良野) 1900– 49.7 Shikauchi (鹿 討) 1958– 52.5 Gakuden (学 田) 1958– Furano-gawa ← Nemuro main line 1913– 54.8 Furano (富良野) 1900– ↓ Nemuro main line 1900–

The Furano Line ( Japanese 富良野 線 , Furano-sen ) is a railway line on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō . It is operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) and connects Asahikawa with Furano .

description

The Furano Line, laid in Cape Gauge (1067 mm), is 54.8 km long and, with the exception of a few sidings, is completely single-lane. It begins at Asahikawa Station , where it branches off the main Soya line. It then heads south via Biei to Furano station , where it meets the Nemuro main line . The steepest section with a gradient of 28.6 ‰ is between Biei and Bibaushi. In passenger traffic, 18 train stations and stops are served, the route is not electrified.

Trains

Regional trains run on the Furano line in one-man operation, with diesel multiple units of the type KiHa 150 being used almost exclusively . Trains run approximately every hour between Asahikawa and Biei, and usually every two hours between Biei and Furano. A pair of trains runs daily beyond Furano as an express train on the Nemuro main line to Obihiro .

The Furano Biei Norokko tourist excursion train , consisting of a DE15 diesel locomotive and converted passenger coaches, runs up to three times a day from June to October.

history

The construction of the Furano main line is closely related to that of the Nemuro main line or the Tokachi line ( 十勝 線 , Tokachi-sen ), as it was called in the early years. In 1896, the Japanese Reichstag passed the Hokkaidō Railway Construction Act, which obliged the state to promote the island's economic development by building railway lines. For this purpose, the state company Hokkaidō Kansetsu Tetsudō was founded, which among other things had the order to build a railway line from Asahikawa to the east of the island. The first section to Biei went into operation on September 1, 1899, followed by the section between Biei and Kami-Furano on November 15, 1899. From August 1, 1900, the trains ran to Shimo-Furano (renamed Furano in 1942).

On April 1, 1905, the line was transferred to the newly created Railway Authority (later the Ministry of Railways ), which drove further construction in an easterly direction. As construction progressed, the line was called the Kushiro Line (釧 路線, Kushiro-sen ) from 1909 . All rail traffic to the east of Hokkaidōs led via Asahikawa, which made a major detour necessary. This situation changed fundamentally on October 10, 1913: the Ministry of Railways opened a more direct route between Takikawa and Furano. As a result, the Asahikawa – Furano section that was built first had only local significance and was given the name Furano Line.

A mudslide triggered by the eruption of the Tokachi-dake volcano destroyed the route and several bridges between Biei and Kami-Furano on May 24, 1926 , making the route impassable for several months. The Japanese State Railways , responsible from 1949, introduced diesel operation in 1958. As part of the privatization of the state railways, the line went into the possession of the new company JR Hokkaido on April 1, 1987 , which ceased freight traffic on the same day.

In November 2016, JR Hokkaido announced an extensive rationalization program that will affect the entire Furano main line, among other things. The railway company wants to persuade the neighboring communities to bear part of the operating and maintenance costs. Should no agreement be reached by 2019, shutdown would also be conceivable.

Train stations

Surname		km	Connecting lines	location	place
A28	Asahikawa ( 旭川 )	00.0	Hakodate Main Line Sōya Main Line	Coord.	Asahikawa
F29	Kaguraoka ( 神 楽 岡 )	02.4		Coord.
F30	Midorigaoka ( 緑 が 丘 )	04.0		Coord.
F31	Nishi-Goryō ( 西 御 料 )	05.2		Coord.
F32	Nishi-Mizuho ( 西瑞 穂 )	07.4		Coord.
F33	Nishi-Kagura ( 西 神 楽 )	09.9		Coord.
F34	Nishi-Seiwa ( 西 聖 和 )	12.3		Coord.
F35	Chiyogaoka ( 千代 ヶ 岡 )	16.6		Coord.
F36	Kita-Biei ( 北美 瑛 )	20.3		Coord.	Biei
F37	Biei ( 美瑛 )	23.8		Coord.
F38	Bibaushi ( 美 馬 牛 )	30.6		Coord.
F39	Kami-Furano ( 上 富良野 )	39.7		Coord.	Kamifurano
F40	Nishinaka ( 西 中 )	44.2		Coord.	Nakafurano
F41	Lavender Farm ( ラ ベ ン ダ ー 畑 )	45.8		Coord.
F42	Naka-Furano ( 中 富良野 )	47.3		Coord.
F43	Shikauchi ( 鹿 討 )	49.7		Coord.
F44	Gakuden ( 学 田 )	52.5		Coord.	Furano
T30	Furano ( 富良野 )	54.8	Nemuro main line	Coord.

Web links

Commons : Furano Line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Furano Biei Norokko. JR Hokkaido, accessed September 9, 2016 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ Kazuo Tanaka: 写真 で 見 る 北海道 の 鉄 道 (Hokkaidō's railroad in photos) . tape 1 . Hokkaidō Shimbunsha, Sapporo 2002, ISBN 978-4-89453-220-5 , pp. 314-315 .
3. ↑ Tanaka: 写真 で 見 る 北海道 の 鉄 道, pp. 72–73.
4. ↑ Tanaka: 写真 で 見 る 北海道 の 鉄 道, pp. 144–145.
5. ↑ JR Hokkaido says it can't maintain half of its railways. The Japan Times , November 19, 2016, accessed January 16, 2017 . 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap