Sōya Main Line

The Sōya Main Line (宗谷本線, Sōya-honsen) is a Japanese railway line operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) in Hokkaido. The line connects Asahikawa Station in Asahikawa and Wakkanai Station in Wakkanai, and is the northernmost railway line in Japan. The name comes from Sōya Subprefecture.

Services

Two Super Sōya limited express services each way operate between Sapporo and Wakkanai daily, and one Sarobetsu service each way also operates between Sapporo and Wakkanai daily. The latter service does not include Green car (first class) accommodation.

All-stations "Local" train services operate between Asahikawa and Nayoro, at approximately 1 to 2 hour intervals. All-stations "Local" train services operate between Nayoro and Wakkanai, at approximately 3 to 4 hour intervals. Four Nayoro Rapid services operate in each direction daily.

Stations

History

The line was originally built as part of a link between mainland Japan and the then Japanese northern frontier of Karafuto (southern half of Sakhalin Island). From Wakkanai Port, a ferry to then Ōdomari (present Korsakov) operated until the end of World War II.

Mainline

Mainline, Main line, or Main Line may refer to:

Transportation

Railway

Main line (railway)

The main line, or mainline in American English, of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected. It generally refers to a route between towns, as opposed to a route providing suburban or metro services. For capacity reasons, main lines in many countries have at least a double track and often contain multiple parallel tracks. Main line tracks are typically operated at higher speeds than branch lines and are generally built and maintained to a higher standard than yards and branch lines. Main lines may also be operated under shared access by a number of railway companies, with sidings and branches operated by private companies or single railway companies.

Railway points (UK) or switches (US) are usually set in the direction of the main line by default. Failure to do so has been a factor in several fatal railway accidents, for example the Buttevant Rail Disaster in Ireland, and the Graniteville train disaster in the US.

Main line (political)

The Main line (from the German Mainlinie, or line on the Main River) refers to the historical and political boundary between North and South Germany. The line delimitates the spheres of influence of Austria and Prussia within the German Confederation during the 19th century. The seat of the German Confederation, Frankfurt am Main, sat upon this line.

Geography

Eventually the Main line became the southern boundary of the North German Confederation. As such, the Main line did not follow the Main river exactly; rather, the line went east to west: first, along the northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria; then, along the river Main to Mainz; and finally, along the Western border of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Bavarian Palatinate towards the French border. The line split Hesse at Frankfurt am Main; however, the entirety of Frankfurt am Main belonged to the North German Confederation. Today, Main line is viewed as the boundary between North and South Germany. Both regions have distinct linguistic and cultural differences.