Minato train

Minato train
Diesel railcar of the KiHa 3710 series
Route length:	14.3 km
Gauge :	1067 mm ( cape track )
Maximum slope :	10  ‰
Minimum radius :	200 m
Top speed:	60 km / h
Dual track :	No
Society:	Hitachinaka Kaihin Tetsudō
Legend ↔ Jōban line 1897– 0.0 Katsuta ( 勝 田 ) 1909– 0.6 Nikkō-mae ( 日工 前 ) 1962– 1.8 Kaneage ( 金 上 ) 1928– 4.8 Nakane ( 中 根 ) 1931– 7.1 Takadano-tekkyō ( 高田 の 鉄 橋 ) 2014– 8.2 Nakaminato ( 那 珂 湊 ) 1913– 9.6 Tonoyama ( 殿 山 ) 1928– 10.8 Hiraiso ( 平 磯 ) 1924– 13.3 Isozaki ( 磯 崎 ) 1924– 14.3 Ajigaura ( 阿 字 ヶ 浦 ) 1928–

The Japanese railway company Hitachinaka Kaihin Tetsudo ( Jap . ひたちなか海浜鉄道, Engl. Hitachinaka Seaside Railway ) operates as their only route the Minato-Bahn ( 湊線 , Minato-sen ). It connects Katsuta with Ajigaura on the territory of Hitachinaka Township in Ibaraki Prefecture . The single-track line laid out in Cape Gauge is 14.3 km long and has ten stops. It shares the Katsuta station with the station of the same name from JR East on the Jōban line .

route

The entire route runs in the local area of ​​the city of Hitachinaka , which was created as part of a regional reform in 1994 through the merger of Nakaminato (until 1938: Minato) and Katsuta and which borders Mito in the south .

The tracks laid in Cape gauge (1067 mm) are now designed for a maximum speed of 60 km / h. According to the timetable, it takes 27 minutes between the two terminus. In 2019, the frequency was 30-40 minutes all day. The now called Kōkimae stop was opened in April 1962 as Nikkō-mae. Takadano-tekkyō was added as a new stop in October 2014. There are plans to extend the route by 3.1 km to Hitachi Seaside Park ( 国 営 ひ た ち 海 浜 公園 ) by 2024 . The costs are estimated at 78 billion yen (approx. € 71 million), a third of which is to be provided by the city and the prefecture.

vehicles

In the 2016 financial year, the railway company operated eight railcars, usually bought second-hand . These were of the types キ ハ 11 (3 pieces), キ ハ 205, キ ハ 3710 (2 pieces), キ ハ 37100 and ミ キ 300. The KiHa railcars (キ ハ) are diesel-powered units that were originally designed for the Japanese State Railways . There is also a type eine キ 102 shunting locomotive, built in 1953.

The vehicles キ ハ 222 (built in 1960, bought 1970) and type キ ハ 2000 (built in 1966, bought in 1970) are no longer used. A ケ ハ 600 vehicle with its characteristic corrugated iron body was used in 1960–92. It has now been converted into a small exhibition room near the depot.

• 

  Vehicles キ ハ 111 and キ ハ 112, part of the KiHa 45000 series in 1997.

• 

  キ ハ 37100 at Ajigaura station, 2009.

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  キ ハ 2004, sold to Heisei Chikuho ( 平 成 筑 豊 鉄 道 ) in their depot in 2016.

history

On November 18, 1907, the company Minato Tetsudō was founded. It started operating between Katsuta and Nakaminato (8.2 km) on December 25, 1913 with steam locomotives (switched to diesel operation in 1936). On September 3, 1924, she extended the route to Isozaki, and on July 17, 1928 to Ajigaura. Several smaller railway companies in the prefecture of Ibaraki, including the Minato Tetsudō , merged on August 1, 1944 to form the operating company Ibaraki Kōtsū . The largest train station and seat of the company was Nakaminato.

In 2006 Ibaraki Kōtsū , still primarily a bus company today, was on the verge of bankruptcy and the company's only remaining railway line should be shut down due to a lack of profitability. A citizens' initiative was committed to its continued existence. The prefectural and municipal authorities agreed in September of the same year to set up a new railway company in the so-called third sector . This started on April 1, 2008 under the name Hitachinaka Kaihin Tetsudō .

A support association ( ein 鐵道 応 援 団 ) emerged from the citizens' initiative , which actively advertises the tourist use of the branch line on social media and sells souvenirs for railway enthusiasts. Special “sponsor day tickets” are also sold, which are ten percent more expensive than normal tickets. Since 2010 the trains have been converted to one-man operation (Japanese wanman ). In 2016, an average of 492 passengers left Nakaminato every day. The new company generated a profit for the first time in the 2017 financial year.

List of train stations

The Tōhoku earthquake on March 11, 2011 caused damage to the line, so that operations were restricted for four months.

Surname	km	Connecting lines	location	place
Katsuta ( 勝 田 )	00.0	Jōban line	Coord.	Hitachinaka
Nikkōmae ( 日工 前 )	00.6		Coord.
Kaneage ( 金 上 )	01.8		Coord.
Nakane ( 中 根 )	04.8		Coord.
Takadano-tekkyō ( 高田 の 鉄 橋 )	07.1		Coord.
Nakaminato ( 那 珂 湊 )	08.2		Coord.
Tonoyama ( 殿 山 )	09.6		Coord.
Hiraiso ( 平 磯 )	10.8		Coord.
Isozaki ( 磯 崎 )	13.3		Coord.
Ajigaura ( 阿 字 ヶ 浦 )	14.3		Coord.

Web links

Commons : Minato-Bahn  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Operator's website (Japanese)
• Vehicles (japanese)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 速度 向上 最高 速度 時速 60 キ ロ に な り ま し た. In: 海 浜 鉄 道 日誌. Hitachinaka Kaihin Tetsudō, accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ 海 浜 鉄 道 湊 線 延伸 ル ー ト 公園 南側 3.1 キ ロ 有力. Ibaraki Shimbun, July 10, 2016, archived from the original on July 10, 2016 ; Retrieved January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
3. ↑ 地方 鉄 道 及 軌道 一 覧. In: Digital Collection of the National Parliamentary Library. National Parliamentary Library , April 1, 1938, accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
4. ↑ 軽 便 鉄 道 運輸 開始. In: Official Gazette. National Parliamentary Library, January 9, 1914; accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
5. ↑ 地方 鉄 道 運輸 開始. In: Official Gazette. National Parliamentary Library, September 6, 1924; accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
6. ↑ 地方 鉄 道 運輸 開始. In: Official Gazette. National Parliamentary Library, July 21, 1928; accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
7. ↑ 7 月 4 日 許可 「鉄 道 譲 渡」. In: Official Gazette. National Parliamentary Library, July 11, 1944, accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 
8. ↑ 湊 線 、 ３ セ ク で 存 続 へ. Asahi Shimbun , September 28, 2007; accessed January 31, 2020 (Japanese). 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap