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| Native name | 北海道旅客鉄道株式会社 |
|---|---|
| Romanized name | Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō ("Hokkaido Passenger Railway") kabushiki gaisha |
| Company type | State-owned KK |
| Industry | Private railway |
| Predecessor | Japanese National Railways (JNR) |
| Founded | April 1, 1987; 37 years ago (1987-04-01) (privatization of JNR) |
| Headquarters | Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Area served | Hokkaido |
| Products | Kitaca (a rechargeable contactless smart card) |
| Services | Passenger rail Freight services Intercity bus |
| Owner | Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (100%) |
| Number of employees | 7,970 (as of April 1, 2007) |
| Subsidiaries | JR Hokkaido Bus |
| Website | jrhokkaido.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 using its official abbreviation of 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 The ferry service has also been replaced by the Seikan Tunnel.
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, including closure of the remaining section of the Rumoi Main Line (the Rumoi - Mashike section closed on 4 December 2016), 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. 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.
JR Hokkaido's headquarters are in Chūō-ku, Sapporo.
History
- 1 April 1987: Upon the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), the Hokkaido Railway Company was formed
- 25 October 2008: Kitaca contactless smart card introduced in Sapporo area
- 26 March 2016: First Hokkaido Shinkansen service between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto launched.
Headquarters and branch offices
- Headquarters: 1-1-15 Kita-11-jō-Nishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo
- Branch offices:
Lines and key stations
Shinkansen
- Hokkaido Shinkansen:
- Shin-Aomori - Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto 148.9 km (92.5 mi)
Trunk lines
- Chitose Line:
- Shiroishi - Numanohata 60.2 km (37.4 mi)
- Minami-Chitose - New Chitose Airport 2.6 km (1.6 mi)
- Hakodate Main Line()
- Hakodate - Ōnuma-Kōen - Otaru - Sapporo - Asahikawa 423.1 km (262.9 mi)
- Nanae - Oshima-Sawara - Mori 35.3 km (21.9 mi)
- Muroran Main Line
- Oshamanbe - Higashi-Muroran - Oiwake - Iwamizawa 211.0 km (131.1 mi)
- Higashi-Muroran - Muroran 7.0 km (4.3 mi)
- Nemuro Main Line
- Sekishō Line
- Minami-Chitose - Shintoku 132.4 km (82.3 mi)
- Most trains run between Sapporo and Oshamanbe.
Other lines
- Furano Line
- Furano - Asahikawa 54.8 km (34.1 mi)
- Hidaka Main Line
- Sekihoku Main Line
- Shin-Asahikawa - Kitami - Abashiri 234.0 km (145.4 mi)
- Rumoi Main Line
- Ishikari-Numata - Fukagawa 14.4 km (8.9 mi)
- Sasshō Line
- Sōen - Hokkaidō-Iryōdaigaku 28.9 km (18.0 mi)
- Senmō Main Line
- Higashi-Kushiro - Abashiri 166.2 km (103.3 mi)
- Sōya Main Line
Under construction
- Hokkaido Shinkansen
- Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto - Sapporo 211.3 km (131.3 mi) scheduled to open in 2031
Former lines
These lines were closed under the ownership of JR Hokkaido since 1987.
- Chihoku Line
- Ikeda - Kitami 140.0 km (87.0 mi) transferred to Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway Company on June 4, 1989, then closed on April 21, 2006
- Esashi Line
- Goryōkaku - Kikonai 37.8 km (23.5 mi) transferred to South Hokkaido Railway Company on March 26, 2016.
- Kikonai - Esashi 42.1 km (26.2 mi) closed on May 12, 2014.
- Hakodate Main Line branch
- Sunagawa - Kami-Sunagawa 7.3 km (4.5 mi) closed on May 16, 1994.
- Horonai Line [ja]
- Iwamizawa - Ikushumbetsu 18.1 km (11.2 mi) and Mikasa - Horonai 2.7 km (1.7 mi) closed on July 13, 1987.
- Matsumae Line [ja]
- Nayoro Main Line
- Nayoro - Engaru 138.1 (85.8 mi) and Naka-Yūbetsu - Yūbetsu 4.9 km (3.0 mi) closed on May 1, 1989.
- Rumoi Main Line
- Rumoi - Mashike 16.7 km (10.4 mi) closed on December 4, 2016.
- Rumoi - Ishikari-Numata 35.7km (22.2 mi) closed on 1 April 2023.
- Shibetsu Line [ja]
- Shibecha - Nemuro-Shibetsu 69.4 km (43.1 mi) and Naka-Shibetsu - Attoko 47.5 km (29.5 mi) closed on April 30, 1989.
- Shinmei Line
- Tempoku Line
- Otoineppu - Minami-Wakkanai 148.9 km (92.5 mi) closed on May 1, 1989.
- Utashinai Line [ja]
- Sekishō Line
- Yūbari - Shin-Yūbari 16.1 km (10.0 mi) closed on March 31, 2019.
- Sasshō Line
- Hokkaidō-Iryōdaigaku - Shin-Totsukawa 47.6 km (29.6 mi) closed on April 17, 2020.
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.
- Aioi Line [ja]
- Bihoro - Kitami-Aioi 36.8 km (22.9 mi) closed on April 1, 1985
- Bikō Line [ja]
- Haboro Line [ja]
- Hiroo Line
- Iburi Line [ja]
- Kutchan - Datemombetsu 83.0 km (51.6 mi) and Kyōgoku - Wakikata 7.5 km (4.7 mi) closed on November 11, 1986
- Iwanai Line [ja]
- Kōhin'hoku Line [ja]
- Hama-Tombetsu - Kitami-Esashi 30.4 km (18.9 mi) closed on July 1, 1985
- Kōhin'nan Line [ja]
- Konpoku Line [ja]
- Shiretoko-Shari - Koshikawa 12.8 km (8.0 mi) closed on December 1, 1970
- Manji Line [ja]
- Shibun - Manji-Tanzan 23.8 km (14.8 mi) closed on April 1, 1985
- Setana Line [ja]
- Shihoro Line [ja]
- Obihiro - Tokachi-Mitsumata 78.3 km (48.7 mi) closed on March 23, 1987
- Shiranuka Line [ja]
- Shokotsu Line [ja]
- Shokotsu - Kitami-Takinoue 34.3 km (21.3 mi) closed on April 1, 1985
- Temiya Line
- Minami-Otaru - Temiya 2.8 km (1.7 mi) closed on November 5, 1985
- Tomiuchi Line [ja]
- Yūmō Line [ja]
- Naka-Yūbetsu - Abashiri 121.8 km (75.7 mi) closed on March 20, 1987
- Sasshō Line
- Shin-Totsukawa - Ishikari-Numata 34.9 km (21.7 mi) closed on June 19, 1972
References
- "JR Hokkaido says it can't maintain half of its railways". 19 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
- 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.
- 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.
- "会社概要 Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine." Hokkaido Railway Company. Retrieved on 27 March 2010.
- ^ JR釧路支社 鉄道百年の歩み. Hokkaido Railway Company. 2001.
- "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.
- "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.
- "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.
- 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.
- "The Last Service on Sasshō Line (Hokkaidō-Iryōdaigaku - Shin-Totsukawa)" (PDF). 16 April 2020.
- 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.
- 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.
External links
- JR Hokkaido - Official site (in Japanese)
- JR Hokkaido - Official site (in English)
- "Company history books (Shashi)". Shashi Interest Group. April 2016. Wiki collection of bibliographic works on Hokkaido Railway Company
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