Akō Line
| Akō Line | |
|---|---|
213 series EMU on an Akō Line local service at Osafune Station | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | 赤穂線 |
| Owner | JR West |
| Locale | Hyogo Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 19 |
| Service | |
| Type | Passenger/freight |
| System | Urban Network (Aioi - Banshū-Akō) |
| Operator(s) | JR West JR Freight |
| Rolling stock | 113 series EMU 115 series EMU 117 series EMU 213 series EMU 221 series EMU 223-1000 series EMU 223-2000 series EMU 223-6000 series EMU 225-0 series EMU 225-100 series EMU |
| History | |
| Opened | 1951 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 57.4 km (35.7 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead line |
| Operating speed | 85 km/h (53 mph) |
Akō Line (赤穂線, Akō-sen) is a railway line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Japan, operating between Aioi Station in Aioi, Hyōgo and Higashi-Okayama Station in Okayama, Okayama. The Akō Line operates south of and approximately parallel to both the Sanyō Main Line and the San'yō Shinkansen, with all three lines paralleling the coastline of the Seto Inland Sea.
The entire 57.4 km (35.7 mi) line is single track.
Services
The line is operated in two sections:
- Aioi—Banshū-Akō and
- Banshū-Akō—Higashi-Okayama
No trains terminate at either of the official terminal stations. At Aioi all trains operate a through service to/from Himeji on the Sanyo Main Line with many services continuing further on JR West's Kansai region Urban Network through to Osaka, Kyoto, Maibara & Tsuruga.[1][2]
As of January 2026, the furthest in distance that Ako Line trains operate to/from is Tsuruga, while the longest service in time is the first weekday service departing Banshū-Akō at 05:33 which operates a Rapid service to Maibara arriving at 10:13 with a running time of 4 hours, 40 minutes.[1]
At Higashi-Okayama all trains operate a through service to/from Okayama and beyond on the Sanyo Main Line.[2]
Stations
All trains on the line are Local services, stopping at every station. "Rapid" and "Special Rapid" trains to/from Kyoto and beyond operate as Local trains between Aioi and Banshū-Akō.[1][2]
| Common name | Official line name | No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) |
Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Prefecture | |||||||
| ↑Through service as far as Tsuruga on JR West's Urban Network via JR Kōbe Line, JR Kyōto Line, Kosei Line, Biwako Line and Hokuriku Main Line↑ | ||||||||
| Sanyō Main Line | Sanyō Main Line | JR-A85 | Himeji | 姫路 | Sanyō Shinkansen JR Kobe Line ( A85 ) Bantan Line Kishin Line |
Himeji | Hyōgo | |
| Agaho | 英賀保 | |||||||
| Harima-Katsuhara | はりま勝原 | |||||||
| Aboshi | 網干 | |||||||
| Tatsuno | 竜野 | Tatsuno | ||||||
| Aioi | 相生 | 0.0 | Sanyō Shinkansen Sanyō Main Line |
Aioi | Hyōgo | |||
| Akō Line | Akō Line | |||||||
| Nishi-Aioi | 西相生 | 3.0 | ||||||
| Sakoshi | 坂越 | 7.8 | Ako | |||||
| Banshū-Akō | 播州赤穂 | 10.5 | Akō Line (for Okayama) | |||||
| Akō Line | Akō Line (for Himeji) | |||||||
| Tenwa | 天和 | 14.5 | ||||||
| Bizen-Fukukawa | 備前福河 | 16.4 | ||||||
| JR-N16 | Sōgo | 寒河 | 19.6 | Bizen | Okayama | |||
| JR-N15 | Hinase | 日生 | 22.1 | |||||
| JR-N14 | Iri | 伊里 | 27.7 | |||||
| JR-N13 | Bizen-Katakami | 備前片上 | 31.0 | |||||
| JR-N12 | Nishi-Katakami | 西片上 | 32.3 | |||||
| JR-N11 | Inbe | 伊部 | 34.5 | |||||
| JR-N10 | Kagato | 香登 | 38.5 | |||||
| JR-N09 | Osafune | 長船 | 42.3 | Setouchi | ||||
| JR-N08 | Oku | 邑久 | 45.9 | |||||
| JR-N07 | Odomi | 大富 | 48.0 | |||||
| JR-N06 | Saidaiji | 西大寺 | 51.2 | Higashi-ku, Okayama | ||||
| JR-N05 | Ōdara | 大多羅 | 54.1 | |||||
| JR-N04 | Higashi-Okayama | 東岡山 | 57.4 | Sanyō Main Line | Naka-ku, Okayama | |||
| Sanyō Main Line | Sanyō Main Line | |||||||
| JR-N03 | Takashima | 高島 | ||||||
| JR-N02 | Nishigawara | 西川原 | ||||||
| JR-N01 | Okayama | 岡山 | Sanyō Shinkansen Sanyō Main Line Tsuyama Line Uno Line ( Seto-Ōhashi Line) Kibi Line (Momotaro Line) Okayama Electric Tramway Higashiyama Main Line |
Kita-ku, Okayama | ||||
| ↓Through service to/from Sanyō Main Line↓ | ||||||||
History
The initial section between Aioi and Banshu-Ako opened in 1951, and the line was opened progressively, to Hinase in 1955, Inbe in 1958, and Higashi-Okayama in 1962. The Aioi - Banshu-Ako section was electrified in 1961, and the rest of the line in 1969.
CTC signalling was commissioned between Higashi-Okayama and Banshu-Ako in 1983.
Former connecting lines
- Banshu-Ako Station: The Ako Railway operated a 13 km (8.1 mi) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Une on the Sanyo Main Line between 1921 and 1951.
- Nishi-Katakami Station: The Dowa Mining Co. opened a 34 km (21 mi) line to Yanahara, to haul iron sulphide ore, between 1923 and 1931. The line is also connected to Wake station on the Sanyo Main Line. Passenger services commenced in 1931, freight services ceased in 1988 and the line closed in 1991.
See also
Main line alternate routes
References
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.
- ^ a b c "播州赤穂駅 相生方面 時刻表｜ＪＲ赤穂線【駅探】". ekitan.com (in Japanese). 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ a b c "播州赤穂駅 東岡山方面 時刻表｜ＪＲ赤穂線【駅探】". ekitan.com (in Japanese). 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- Miki, Masafumi (July 2004). "Railway Operators in Japan 13: Chugoku Region". Japan Railway & Transport Review (39): 36–43. Archived from the original on 2006-10-07. Retrieved 2007-02-26.