The Mugi Line (牟岐線, Mugi-sen) is a railway line in southeastern Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). It connects the prefectural capital of Tokushima with the town of Kaiyō in Kaifu District. The line's official nickname is "Awa-Muroto Seaside Line" (阿波室戸シーサイドライン, Awa-muroto-shiisaido-rain), but this is rarely used by local residents as it does not directly service Muroto, the intended destination of the line.

Mugi Line
Local train at Awa-Tachibana Station
Overview
StatusIn operation
OwnerJR Shikoku
LocaleTokushima Prefecture
Termini
Stations29
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)JR Shikoku
Rolling stockKiHa 185 series DMU
KiHa 40 series DMU
JR Shikoku 1000 series DMU
JR Shikoku 1200 series DMU
JR Shikoku 1500 series DMU
History
Opened1913
Technical
Line length77.8 km (48.3 mi)
Number of tracksEntire line single tracked
CharacterRelatively rural
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed110 km/h (68 mph)
Route map

Services

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The Muroto is a limited express service on the Mugi Line, which runs between Tokushima and Awa-Kainan, once a day. In the past, the Home Express Anan ran between Tokushima and Anan.[1] Between Mugi and Awa-Kainan, all limited express trains are operated as local services. Until 2019, all Tsurugisan and some Muroto trains had through service on the Tokushima and Dosan lines to/from Awa-Ikeda. On the New Year's holiday, the seasonal Yakuōji-gō limited express provides service to/from Takamatsu.

Although there are local trains that run the entire length of the Mugi Line, most services are divided at Mugi. There are trains that serve the Tokushima – Mugi, Tokushima – Awa-Kainan, and Mugi – Awa-Kainan sections, as well as a single round-trip between Tokushima and Anan. Some local trains have through service onto the Kōtoku, Tokushima, and Naruto lines. Driver-only operation is in effect for most daytime trains when there are few passengers.

Station list

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  • All stations are located in Tokushima Prefecture.
  • Local trains stop at all stations. For the Muroto and Tsurugisan limited express services, see their respective articles.
  • Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇" and cannot pass at those marked "|".
Station
number
Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers   Location
Between
stations
Total
M00 Tokushima 徳島 - 0.0 Kōtoku Line (T00), Tokushima Line*, Naruto Line* Tokushima
M01 Awa-Tomida 阿波富田 1.4 1.4  
M02 Niken'ya 二軒屋 1.4 2.8  
M03 Bunkanomori 文化の森 1.1 3.9  
M04 Jizōbashi 地蔵橋 2.1 6.0  
M05 Chūden 中田 3.2 9.2   Komatsushima
M06 Minami-Komatsushima 南小松島 1.7 10.9  
M07 Awa-Akaishi 阿波赤石 3.3 14.2  
M08 Tatsue 立江 1.4 15.6  
M09 Hanoura 羽ノ浦 2.1 17.7   Anan
M10 Nishibara 西原 2.1 19.8  
M11 Awa-Nakashima 阿波中島 2.0 21.8  
M12 Anan 阿南 2.7 24.5  
M13 Minobayashi 見能林 1.9 26.4  
M14 Awa-Tachibana 阿波橘 2.2 28.6  
M15 Kuwano 桑野 4.0 32.6  
M16 Aratano 新野 3.6 36.2  
M17 Awa-Fukui 阿波福井 2.7 38.9  
M18 Yuki 由岐 6.0 44.9   Minami, Kaifu District
M18-1 Tainohama 田井ノ浜 - 45.7 Seasonal station
M19 Kiki 木岐 2.3 47.2  
M20 Kitagawachi 北河内 4.3 51.5  
M21 Hiwasa 日和佐 1.8 53.3  
M22 Yamagawachi 山河内 5.1 58.4  
M23 Hegawa 辺川 5.9 64.3   Mugi, Kaifu District
M24 Mugi 牟岐 3.4 67.7  
M25 Sabase 鯖瀬 4.3 72.0   Kaiyō, Kaifu District
M26 Asakawa 浅川 3.4 75.4  
M27

AS27

Awa-Kainan 阿波海南 2.4 77.8 Asa Coast Railway Asatō Line (AS27)
  • Although the Tokushima and Naruto lines do not officially begin at Tokushima, most trains travel through on the Kōtoku Line to Tokushima.

History

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The Awa Steamship Company, which operated a service between Honshu and Shikoku, first built an 11 km line from a port at Komatsushima to Tokushima which opened in 1913.[citation needed] In 1916, the line was extended by 10 km from Nakata to Furusho, resulting in the creation of the 2 km Komatsushima to Nakata branch line. The lines were nationalised the following year.[citation needed]

In 1936, the line was extended south from Hanoura 17 km to Kumano, and the 2 km Hanoura to Furusho section became a freight-only branch, which closed in 1961.[citation needed] The line was extended a further 35 km to Mugi in three stages opening between 1937 and 1942.[citation needed]

In 1959, it was decided to extend the line to Muroto, where it would connect with the planned extension of the Asa line from Kochi. The first 12 km section to Kaifu opened in 1973, and further construction undertaken until work was suspended in 1980.[citation needed]

The Chūden to Komatsushima branch closed in 1985.[citation needed]

In 1987, with the privatization of JNR, the line became part of the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku).

In 1988 construction work south of Kaifu was recommenced by a private company underwritten by the Tokushima Prefectural Government, and the next section opened in 1992 as the Asa Kaigan Railway Asato Line.

Other significant dates

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  • April 1, 1988: Muroto express service renamed Asa
  • November 3, 1990: Bunkanomori Station opens
  • November 21, 1990: Track upgrade allowing speeds up to 110 km/h completed; Three round-trip Uzushio limited express trains begin operation; Asa express service abolished
  • March 14, 1998: Tsurugisan limited express begins through operation onto the Mugi Line
  • March 13, 1999: Portion of Uzushio limited express operation separated, renamed Muroto
  • 1 November 2020: JR Shikoku transferred a section in between Kaifu Station and Awa-Kainan Station to Asa Seaside Railway.

See also

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References

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This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

  1. ^ "JR最短区間の特急がラストラン 追加料金は320円". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
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