Kabe Line

Kabe Line
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Overview
Type	Regional rail
System	Hiroshima City Network
Locale	Hiroshima Prefecture
Termini	Yokogawa Kabe
Stations	12
Operation
Opened	1909
Owner	JR West
Technical
Line length	14.0 km (8.7 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead lines
Operating speed	65 km/h (40 mph)

The Kabe Line (可部線, Kabe-sen^?) is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) within the city of Hiroshima in Japan. It connects Hiroshima Station and Kabe Station in Asakita-ku. The actual junction station is Yokogawa. It is one of the commuter lines to Hiroshima.

The section now in operation of the Kabe Line was originally constructed by a private company and later purchased by Japanese Government Railways.

The section was opened by Dainippon Kidō in four phases.

The line was handed over to Kabe Kidō on March 11, 1919. Kabe Kidō was merged to Hiroshima Denki Kidō on May 1, 1926.

The line was originally built to 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge and not electrified. The line was electrified and re-gauged (to the national standard of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)) in the following steps.

The line was handed over to the Kōhin Railway on July 1, 1931. On December 1, 1935, the line's legal status was changed from light railway to railway.

The line was nationalized on September 1, 1936, and became a part of Japanese Government Railways as the Kabe Line. Simultaneously, some station names were changed as follows:

The line voltage was raised from 750 V to 1,500 V (JNR standard) on April 23, 1962.

Since September 4, 1968, the line had been on the government's list of deficit-ridden railways where service was to be discontinued.

After JR West took over the line in 1987, wanman driver-only operation was introduced on the Kabe – Sandankyō section.

Beginning in summer 2007, the ICOCA card can be used in all stations in the Hiroshima City Network, including all stations on the Kabe Line.

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