Hokkaido Railway Company

Hokkaido Railway Company
Native name
北海道旅客鉄道株式会社
Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō ("Hokkaido Passenger Railway") kabushiki gaisha
Company typeState-owned KK
IndustryPrivate railway
PredecessorJapanese National Railways (JNR)
Founded1 April 1987 (1987-04-01)
(privatization of JNR)
Headquarters
Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
,
Japan
Area served
Hokkaido
ProductsKitaca (a rechargeable contactless smart card)
ServicesPassenger rail
Freight services
Intercity bus
OwnerJapan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (100%)
Number of employees
7,970 (as of April 1, 2007)
SubsidiariesJR Hokkaido Bus
Websitejrhokkaido.co.jp

The Hokkaido Railway Company (北海道旅客鉄道株式会社, Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha) is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: JR Hokkaido (JR北海道, Jeiāru Hokkaidō). It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, in autumn 2008.

At the time of its privatization in 1987, JR Hokkaido operated 21 railway lines totalling 3,176.6 kilometres (1,973.8 mi) of narrow-gauge (1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)) track, as well as a ferry service to Aomori. Since then, that figure has dwindled to just below 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi), as unprofitable lines have been shut down or spun off (in the case of the Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway). The ferry service has also been replaced by the 53.85-km long dual-gauge Seikan Tunnel for railways.

On 19 November 2016, JR Hokkaido's president announced plans to further rationalize its network by the withdrawal of services from up to 1,237 km, or about 50% of the current network,[1] including closure of the remaining section of the Rumoi Main Line (the Rumoi - Mashike section closed on 4 December 2016, the Ishikari-Numata to Rumoi section on 31 March 2023 and the Fugagawa to Ishikari-Numata section will close on 31 March 2026), the Shin-Yubari - Yubari section of the Sekisho Line (closed on 1 April 2019), the non-electrified section of the Sassho Line (closed 17 April 2020) and the Nemuro Line between Furano and Shintoku (closed 31 March 2024). Other lines including the Sekihoku Main Line, Senmo Main Line, the Nayoro - Wakkanai section of the Soya Line and Kushiro - Nemuro section of the Nemuro Line are proposed for conversion to Third Sector operation, but if local governments are not agreeable, such sections will also face closure. JR Hokkaido closed 25 stations from March 2021 to March 2022 due to a decrease in passengers.[2][3]

JR Hokkaido's headquarters are in Chūō-ku, Sapporo.[4]

History

Headquarters and branch offices

  • Headquarters: 1-1-15 Kita-11-jō-Nishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo
  • Branch offices:
    • Asahikawa branch office: 6-4152-2 Miyashita-dōri, Asahikawa
    • Hakodate branch office: 12-5 Wakamatsu-chō, Hakodate
    • Kushiro branch office: 5-14 Kita-ōdōri, Kushiro

Lines and key stations

Shinkansen

Trunk lines

  1. ^ Most trains run between Sapporo and Oshamanbe.

Other lines

Under construction

Former lines

These lines were closed under the ownership of JR Hokkaido since 1987.[5]

The company also operated the Seikan Ferry until 1988.

Former JNR lines closed before JR Hokkaido formation

These lines have been closed by JNR in Hokkaido before 1 April 1987.[5]

  • Aioi Line
    • Bihoro - Kitami-Aioi 36.8 km (22.9 mi) closed on 1 April 1985
  • Bikō Line
    • Bifuka - Niupu 21.2 km (13.2 mi) closed on 17 September 1985
  • Haboro Line
  • Hiroo Line
    • Obihiro - Hiroo 84.0 km (52.2 mi) closed on 2 February 1987[11]
  • Iburi Line
    • Kutchan - Datemombetsu 83.0 km (51.6 mi) and Kyōgoku - Wakikata 7.5 km (4.7 mi) closed on 11 November 1986
  • Iwanai Line
    • Kozawa - Iwanai 14.9 km (9.3 mi) closed on 1 September 1985
  • Kōhin'hoku Line
    • Hama-Tombetsu - Kitami-Esashi 30.4 km (18.9 mi) closed on 1 July 1985
  • Kōhin'nan Line
    • Ōmu - Okoppe 19.9 km (12.4 mi) closed on 15 July 1985
  • Konpoku Line
  • Manji Line
    • Shibun - Manji-Tanzan 23.8 km (14.8 mi) closed on 1 April 1985
  • Setana Line
    • Kunnui - Setana 48.4 km (30.1 mi) closed on 16 March 1987
  • Shihoro Line
    • Obihiro - Tokachi-Mitsumata 78.3 km (48.7 mi) closed on 23 March 1987[12]
  • Shiranuka Line
    • Shiranuka - Hokushin 33.1 km (20.6 mi) closed on 23 October 1983
  • Shokotsu Line
    • Shokotsu - Kitami-Takinoue 34.3 km (21.3 mi) closed on 1 April 1985
  • Temiya Line
    • Minami-Otaru - Temiya 2.8 km (1.7 mi) closed on 5 November 1985
  • Tomiuchi Line
    • Mukawa - Hidakachō 82.5 km (51.3 mi) closed on 1 November 1986
  • Yūmō Line
    • Naka-Yūbetsu - Abashiri 121.8 km (75.7 mi) closed on 20 March 1987
  • Sasshō Line

References

  1. ^ "JR Hokkaido says it can't maintain half of its railways". 19 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
  2. ^ JR北海道 18駅を廃止へ 2021年春のダイヤ見直しで (in Japanese). Norimono News. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021.
  3. ^ JR北海道 7駅廃止へ 3月ダイヤ改正 札沼線に新駅開業 (in Japanese). Norimono News. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022.
  4. ^ "会社概要 Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine." Hokkaido Railway Company. Retrieved on 27 March 2010.
  5. ^ a b JR釧路支社 鉄道百年の歩み. Hokkaido Railway Company. 2001.
  6. ^ "鉄道事業の一部廃止の日を繰り上げる届出について" (PDF). 国土交通省北海道運輸局鉄道部. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. ^ "留萌線（石狩沼田・留萌間）の廃止日繰上げの届出について" (PDF). 北海道旅客鉄道. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  8. ^ "鉄道事業の一部廃止の日を繰り上げる届出について" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  9. ^ JR石勝線の夕張支線が最終運行 廃線し、バス転換へ [The last operating of Yūbari branch line, it closed and will be replaced by bus]. asahi.com (in Japanese). Japan: The Asahi Newspapers Co., Ltd. 31 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  10. ^ "The Last Service on Sasshō Line (Hokkaidō-Iryōdaigaku - Shin-Totsukawa)" (PDF). 16 April 2020.
  11. ^ Ishino, Satoshi (1998). 停車場変遷大事典. 国鉄・JR 編 (in Japanese). Japan Travel Bureau. p. 890. ISBN 978-4-533-02980-6.
  12. ^ Ishino, Satoshi (1998). 停車場変遷大事典. 国鉄・JR 編 (in Japanese). Japan Travel Bureau. p. 888. ISBN 978-4-533-02980-6.
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