Shimabara Railway Line
The Shimabara Railway Line is a Japanese railway line in Nagasaki Prefecture connecting Isahaya Station in Isahaya and Shimabarakō Station in Shimabara. The line parallels the coast of the Shimabara Peninsula. The third-sector railway company Shimabara Railway owns the line and also operates buses and ferries.
History
Shimabara Railroad was established in 1908. Shimabara Railroad acquired permit to operate the railway line in 1909 and began constructing it in 1910. The company opened the Isahaya – Aino section on 20 June 1911, extending the line to Minami-Shimabara in 1913.The Kuchinotsu Railway Co. opened the Minami-Shimabara – Dozaki section in 1922, extending the line to Harajo in 1926 and Kazusa two years later.
Diesel power was introduced by the Kuchinotsu Railway Co. in 1930, and by the Shimabara Railway Co. in 1934. In 1943 the two companies merged under the name Shimabara Railway Co.
In 1958 direct services to/from Nagasaki were introduced, operating until 1980.
The portion of the line between Shimabarakō and Kazusa had few passengers and closed on 1 April 2008.
Until 2008 the line used the older diesel-powered diesel railcars which were developed in the mid-1950s. Because of the line's vintage trains which maintained the old Japanese National Railways colors of red and beige, it remained popular among train enthusiasts.
Former connecting lines
- The Hizen Obama Railway Co. opened a 17 km line from Aino station to Unzen Obama between 1923 and 1927. Direct services from the Shimabara line operated from 1927 until 1932. The line closed in 1938.
Volcanic disruptions
Services were disrupted for six months in 1991 owing to lava flows from Mount Unzen, which also caused a one-month service disruption the following year.In 1993 a major lava flow forced the closure of the line between Shimabarakō and Fukae, and services did not resume on that section until 1997.