Hōjō Line

Hōjō Line
Furawa 2000 Series train at Ao Station
Overview
Native name	北条線
Locale	Hyōgo Prefecture
Termini	Ao Hōjōmachi
Stations	8
Operation
Opened	1915
Owner	Hojo Railway Company
Technical
Line length	13.6 km (8.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None

The Hōjō Line (北条線, Hōjō-sen) is a Japanese railway line in Hyōgo Prefecture, between Ao, Ono and Hōjōmachi, Kasai. This is the only railway line Hojo Railway Company (北条鉄道株式会社, Hōjō Tetsudō Kabushikigaisha) operates. The third sector company took former Japanese National Railways line in 1985. The line links Hōjō, a central town of Kasai, and two railway lines, namely JR West Kakogawa Line and Shintetsu Ao Line.

The Banshū Railway (播州鉄道, Banshū Tetsudō) opened the line in 1915. The railway was acquired by the Bantan Railway (播丹鉄道, Bantan Tetsudō) in 1923 and nationalised in 1943 together with other Bantan Railway lines, i.e. the Kakogawa Line, the Takasago Line, the Miki Line and the Kajiya Line.

Freight services ceased in 1974, and in 1985 the Hojo Railway Company commenced operating the line.

On 31 March 1945 a Kawanishi N1K fighter on a test flight made an emergency landing near Abiki that damaged the line resulting in a derailment that killed 11 and injured 104 passengers.