Sekishō Line


The Sekishō Line is a railway line in Japan operated by Hokkaido Railway Company. The main Sekishō Line connects in Chitose and Shintoku Station in the town of Shintoku. The name of the line comes from the subprefectures along the route, namely Ishikari Subprefecture and Tokachi Subprefecture.

Basic data

The line is a part of the main line between and eastern Hokkaido. Super Ōzora limited express trains run between Sapporo and 7 times a day, while Super Tokachi runs twice daily, Tokachi 4 times daily, both between Sapporo and. The Marimo sleeping car service which formerly operated between Sapporo and Kushiro, was discontinued in 2008.
There are no local train services between and, since the line runs through rather sparsely populated areas. There is a local train service between and Shin-Yūbari, with one train approximately every 2 hours.

Stations

Main Line

Closed stations

Passing loops and junctions

Kami-Ochiai Junction



Kami-Ochiai Junction is a junction in Minamifurano, Sorachi. This junction is located in Shin-Karikachi Tunnel.

Passing Loops between Minami-Chitose and Kami-Ochiai Junction

Komasato Passing Loop



Komasato Passing Loop is a passing loop in Chitose, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Nishi-Hayakita Passing Loop



Nishi-Hayakita Passing Loop is a passing loop in Abira, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Takinoshita Passing Loop



Takinoshita Passing Loop is a passing loop in Kuriyama, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Kaede Passing Loop



Kaede Passing Loop is a passing loop in Yūbari, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters. It was Kaede Station before 12 March 1994.

Osawa Passing Loop



Osawa Passing Loop is a passing loop in Mukawa, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Higashi-Osawa Passing Loop



Higashi-Osawa Passing Loop is a passing loop in Mukawa with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Seifūzan Passing Loop



Seifūzan Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shimukappu, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Onitōge Passing Loop



Onitōge Passing Loop was a passing loop in Shimukappu with two tracks. It was located in Onitōge tunnel and taken out of service from 3 March 1986.

Higashi-Shimukappu Passing Loop



Higashi-Shimukappu Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shimukappu with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Takinosawa Passing Loop



Takinosawa Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shimukappu with two tracks and two snow shelters.

Horoka Passing Loop



Horoka Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shimukappu with two tracks and two snow shelters. It was completed in 1981 as Tomamu Passing Loop, but was renamed in 1987 to avoid confusion with Tomamu Station.

Kushinai Passing Loop



Kushinai Passing Loop is a passing loop in Minamifurano, Hokkaidō with three tracks and two snow shelters. The center track is bidirectional.

Passing Loops between Kami-Ochiai Junction and Shintoku

There are three passing loops shared by the Sekishō Line and Nemuro Main Line between Kami-Ochiai Junction and Shintoku Station.

Shin-Karikachi Passing Loop



Shin-Karikachi Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shintoku, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters. The loop is located next to the eastern mouth of 5,790 m long Shin-Karikachi tunnel.

Hirouchi Passing Loop



Hirouchi Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shintoku, Hokkaidō with three tracks and two snow shelters. The west track is used for siding for both up and down.

Nishi-Shintoku Passing Loop



Nishi-Shintoku Passing Loop is a passing loop in Shintoku, Hokkaidō with two tracks and two snow shelters.

History

In 1892, the Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company opened the Yūbari Line from Oiwake to Yūbari for transporting coal to the Port of Muroran via the Muroran Main Line.
In 1906, the Japanese Government nationalised the company, and double-tracked the line between 1912 and 1919. However, the line was single-tracked in 1932. The abandoned western tunnel north of Shimizusawa, and significant portions of the second line formation are still visible.
The Minami-Chitose - Oiwake and Shin-Yūbari - Kami-Ochiai Junction sections opened in 1981, becoming the two ends of the Sekishō Line. The Yūbari Line was renamed in two sections, the section between Oiwake and Shin-Yūbari becoming the mid section of the Sekishō Line, and the section between Shin-Yūbari and Yūbari becoming the Yūbari Branch Line of the Sekishō Line. The new line shortened the main route to eastern Hokkaido. Previously, passengers to Shintoku and further east had to travel via the Nemuro Main Line.
In 1985 the Yūbari station was relocated 1.3 km south of its original location, and it was moved another 800 m south in 1990.

Closure of Yūbari Branch Line

On 17 August 2016 JR Hokkaido announced the Yūbari Branch Line from Shin-Yūbari to Yūbari would close.
The branch line closed on 31 March 2019.

Line disruptions

On 25 August 2016, torrential rain from Typhoon Mindulle caused erosion at Horoka passing loop, closing the Shin-Yūbari - Shintoku section until 29 August. However, on 31 August further torrential rain from Typhoon Lionrock caused further erosion at Tomamu, closing the section again until 1 October.

Former connecting lines

Three separate private railways connected to the Yūbari line:

2011 ''Super Ōzora'' derailment and fire

On 27 May 2011, the Super Ōzora 14 service from Kushiro to Sapporo was brought to an emergency stop inside the 685 metre-long No. 1 Niniu Tunnel in Shimukappu, Hokkaidō, at around 21:55 after car number 2 of the 6-car formation became derailed. The train caught fire, and all of the 245 people on board, including train staff eventually evacuated the train. 39 were treated for smoke inhalation and minor burn injuries. The burnt-out train was removed from the tunnel on 29 May 2011.

2012 Higashi-Oiwake Station derailment

At around 20:50 on 16 February 2012, a freight train derailed at Higashi-Oiwake Station after passing a signal at red and colliding with the wall of a snow shelter adjacent to the station.
The up container freight train from Kushiro Freight Terminal to Sapporo Freight Terminal was normally scheduled to pass Higashi-Oiwake Station non-stop, but on this occasion faced a red signal to allow the delayed down Super Ōzora 13 service to pass in the opposite direction. The driver reportedly applied the brakes, but the train failed to stop and was derailed by the catch points protecting the single-track line, hitting the wall of a snow shelter protecting the junction. The JR Freight Class DF200 diesel locomotive and four of the container wagons in the train were derailed, but the lone 25-year-old driver was uninjured. Six train services were cancelled as a result.