The Kabe Line was originally constructed by Dai-Nippon Light Railway. The line fully opened to Kabe station in 1911. The line was electrified at the start of Showa era. The line was nationalized on 1 September 1936, and became a part of Japanese Government Railways as the Kabe Line.[4]
The line, as a part of a plan to connect Hamada, Shimane with Hiroshima, was slowly extended north from Kabe station.[5][6]
The line voltage was raised from 750 V to 1,500 V (JNR standard) on 23 April 1962.
Since 4 September 1968, the line had been listed s one of the Deficit 83 Lines, a government's list of deficit-ridden railways where service was to be discontinued.
After JR West took over the line in 1987, one-man operation was introduced on the Kabe – Sandankyō section.
Beginning in summer 2007, the ICOCA card can be used in all stations in the Hiroshima City Network, including all stations on the Kabe Line.
On 4 February 2011, it was announced that a 1.6km (0.99mi) section of the abandoned segment, between Kabe Station and the former Kōdo Station, would be electrified and reopened. This will be the first such reopening by a JR Group company since the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR).[7] Operation was scheduled to resume from fiscal 2015;[8] the two new stations at Kōdo-Homachigawa and Aki-Kameyama finally opened on 4 March 2017.[9]
Discontinued/suspended section
a train for non-electrified section at Kake Station
JGR extended the line beyond Kabe Station. The extended sections were not electrified.
30 March 1954: Extension to Kake Station completed (on completion of this extension, the total length of Japanese National Railways exceeded 20,000km or 12,400mi.)
27 July 1969: Extension to Sandankyō Station, 60.2km (37.4mi) from Yokogawa, completed
The line was intended to be extended to Hamada station on the Sanin Main Line, and construction on that section commenced in 1974, before being abandoned in 1980.
The Kabe – Sandankyō section was closed on 1 December 2003.[10]
Stations
Trains can pass at stations marked "||", "◇", "∨", and "∧". Trains cannot pass at stations marked "|".
New 2- and 3-car 227 series electric trains were introduced on the Kabe Line from around 2015,[9] replacing older 115 series trains.[11] By 2019, all Kabe Line services were operated by 227 series trains.[9]
↑JR廃線、初の復活…広島市の可部線[First-ever reopening of an abandoned JR line: the Kabe Line in Hiroshima]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 4 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
↑可部線、15年度に延伸[Kabe Line to be extended in fiscal 2015]. The Chigoku Shimbun Online (in Japanese). Japan: Chugoku Shimbun. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
123"JR可部線、コロナ禍を経ても混雑が激化 - 2021年度の混雑率132%に"[JR Kabe Line faces increasing congestion in spite of coronavirus pandemic, with a 132% congestion rate in fiscal 2021]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). 23 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
↑JR西日本、広島地区に227系近郊形直流電車を投入[JR West to introduce 227 series DC suburban trains in Hiroshima area]. The Page (in Japanese). Japan: Wordleaf Corporation. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
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