Gantoku Line

The Gantoku Line (岩徳線, Gantoku-sen) is a 43.7 km (27.2 mi) railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in western Japan, connecting Iwakuni Station in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, and Kushigahama Station in Shūnan, Yamaguchi. The line was originally built as a more direct route between its termini that the original Sanyo Main Line (see History section below) and the Sanyō Shinkansen is more closely aligned to this line than the Sanyō Main Line in this section.

Operations

Trains operating on this line continue from Kushigahama Station to Tokuyama Station on the Sanyo Main Line.

Stations

Morigahara Junction

Morigahara Junction (森ヶ原信号場, Morigahara Shingōjō) between Kawanishi and Hashirano Stations is the point where the Nishikigawa Seiryū Line diverges from the Gantoku Line. Between this junction and Kawanishi Station, the two lines share the same track.

History

The line was originally built to shorten the Sanyō Main Line along the old San'yōdō. The 3.7km Iwakuni - Marifu (now Nishi-Iwakuni) section opened in 1929, and the 3.9km Kushigahama - Suo-Hanaoka section opened in 1932. The remaining 36km section, including the 3149m Kinmeiji tunnel (and 6 others) opened in 1934, at which time the line became part of the Sanyō Main Line, at that time being the only remaining single line section. Plans to duplicate the section were reconsidered following the difficulty that had been encountered in building the line, especially the geological conditions encountered during tunnel excavation works.