Shimabara Railway Line

Shimabara Railway Line
Train on the Shimabara Railway Line at Shirahama Beach, 2008
Overview
LocaleShimabara Peninsula, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Termini
Stations24
Service
Rolling stockKiha 2500 type
History
Opened20 June 1911 (1911-06-20)
Technical
Line length43.2 km (26.8 mi)
Number of trackssingle
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map
km
elev
in m
Ōmura Line to Haiki
0.0
 Isahaya
Nagasaki Main Line
16
0.7
tunnel
42
1.5
 Honisahaya
8
2.9
 Saiwai
4
3.6
44 m
4.8
 Onohonmachi
5
5.5
 Kantakunosato
4
7.5
 Moriyama
4
9.6
 Kamanohana
3
11.4
 Isahaya-higashi-kōkōmae
3
11.7
42 m
Unzentetsu Line (
closed
1938
)
12.4
 Aino
4
14.4
 Abozaki
6
16.6
 Azuma
6
19.6
 Kobe
5
20.8
 Taishō
5
21.7
29 m
23.0
 Saigō
8
 National Route 57
25.5
 Kōjiromachi
5
29.0
41 m
29.4
 Tairamachi
Ariake Ferry
to Nagasu
5
31.6
26 m
31.8
 Shimatetsu-yue
8
 National Route 57
34.1
 Ōmisaki
5
35.2
 Matsuomachi
7
37.5
 Mie
6
40.5
 Shimabara
4
41.5
 Shimatetsu-honshamae
5
42.3
 Minami-shimabara
4
 National Route 57
Kyūshū and Kumamoto Ferry
to Kumamoto
43.2
 Shimabara-gaikō
Shimatetsu
Ferry to Miike
8
 National Route 57
44.3
 Chichibu-ga-ura
12
45.4
 Antoku
31
45.4
225
46.3
68 m
47.5
 Seno-fukae
33
49.6
 Fukae
25
50.0
23 m
 National Route 251
52.0
 Futsu-shinden
3
53.9
 Futsu
6
 National Route 251
56.9
 Dōzaki
6
58.4
 Kamaga
8
59.9
 Arie
20
60.2
30 m
 National Route 251
61.2
 Nishi-arie
9
63.4
 Tatsuishi
5
63.5
20 m
 National Route 251
65.3
 Kita-arie
5
65.5
61 m
66.1
 Jōkōjimae
10
67.1
 Uratakannon
6
68.2
 Harajō
5
70.6
 Arimayoshikawa
8
73.5
272 m
74.6
 Higashi-ōya
7
75.8
 Kuchinotsu
Shimatetsu Ferry
to Oniike
3
 National Route 251
76.8
 Shirahama-kaisui-yokujōmae
11
78.5
 Kazusa
7
km
elev
in m

The Shimabara Railway Line (島原鉄道線, Shimabara Tetsudō-sen) is a Japanese railway line in Nagasaki Prefecture connecting Isahaya Station in Isahaya and Shimabarakō Station in Shimabara. The line parallels the coast of the Shimabara Peninsula. The third-sector railway company Shimabara Railway owns the line and also operates buses and ferries.[1]

History

Shimabara Railroad was established in 1908.[2] Shimabara Railroad acquired permit to operate the railway line in 1909 and began constructing it in 1910.[3][2] The company opened the Isahaya – Aino section on 20 June 1911,[4] extending the line to Minami-Shimabara in 1913.[2]

The Kuchinotsu Railway Co. opened the Minami-Shimabara – Dozaki section in 1922, extending the line to Harajo in 1926 and Kazusa two years later.

Diesel power was introduced by the Kuchinotsu Railway Co. in 1930, and by the Shimabara Railway Co. in 1934. In 1943 the two companies merged under the name Shimabara Railway Co.

In 1958 direct services to/from Nagasaki were introduced, operating until 1980.

The portion of the line between Shimabarakō and Kazusa had few passengers and closed on 1 April 2008.

Until 2008 the line used the older diesel-powered KiHa 20 series diesel railcars which were developed in the mid-1950s. Because of the line's vintage trains which maintained the old Japanese National Railways colors of red and beige, it remained popular among train enthusiasts.

Former connecting lines

  • The Hizen Obama Railway Co. opened a 17 km line from Aino station to Unzen Obama between 1923 and 1927. Direct services from the Shimabara line operated from 1927 until 1932. The line closed in 1938.

Volcanic disruptions

Services were disrupted for six months in 1991 owing to lava flows from Mount Unzen, which also caused a one-month service disruption the following year.

In 1993 a major lava flow forced the closure of the line between Shimabarakō and Fukae, and services did not resume on that section until 1997.

The Shimabarakō – Kazusa section was closed on 1 April 2008 owing to declining patronage.

Infrastructure

Stations list

Station Japanese Distance
(km) 		Express
Stops 		Connecting lines Location
Isahaya 諫早 0.0 ● JR Kyushu: Nagasaki Main Line, Ōmura Line Isahaya Nagasaki
Prefecture
Hon-Isahaya 本諫早 1.5 ●
Saiwai 幸 2.9 ▲
Ono 小野 4.8 ▲
Kantakunosato 干拓の里 5.5 ▲
Moriyama 森山 7.5 ▲
Kamanohana 釜ノ鼻 9.6 ▲
Isahaya-higashi-kōkō 諫早東高校 11.4 ▲
Aino 愛野 12.4 ● Unzen
Abozaki 阿母崎 14.4 ｜
Azuma 吾妻 16.6 ●
Kobe 古部 19.6 ｜
Taishō 大正 20.8 ｜
Saigō 西郷 23.0 ●
Kōjiro 神代 25.5 ●
Taira 多比良 29.4 ●
Ariake-Yue 有明湯江 31.8 ｜ Shimabara
Ōmisaki 大三東 34.1 ●
Matsuo 松尾 35.2 ｜
Mie 三会 37.5 ｜
Shimabara 島原 40.5 ●
Reikyūkōen-Taiikukan 霊丘公園体育館 41.5 ●
Shimabara-Funatsu 島原船津 42.3 ●
Shimabarakō 島原港 43.2 ●
Shimabara-gaikō (now Shimabarakō) – Kazusa: Discontinued on April 1, 2008
Chichibu-ga-ura 秩父が浦 44.3 Shimabara Nagasaki
Prefecture
Antoku 安徳 45.4
Seno-fukae 瀬野深江 47.5 Minamishimabara
Fukae 深江 49.6
Futsu-shinden 布津新田 52.0
Futsu 布津 53.9
Dōzaki 堂崎 56.9
Kamaga 蒲河 58.4
Arie 有家 59.9
Nishi-arie 西有家 61.2
Tatsuishi 龍石 63.4
Kitaarima 北有家 65.3
Jōkōjimae 常光寺前 66.1
Uradakannon 浦田観音 67.1
Harajō 原城 68.2
Arimayoshikawa 有馬吉川 70.6
Higashi-ōya 東大屋 74.6
Kuchinotsu 口之津 75.8
Shirahama-kaisuiyokujōmae 白浜海水浴場前 76.8
Kazusa 加津佐 78.5

Rolling stock

KiHa 2500 series diesel railcar operates in the line with 15 railcars manufactured by Niigata Iron Works between 1994 and 2011.

See also

References

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

  1. ^ "トップページ | 島原鉄道". www.shimatetsu.co.jp. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  2. ^ a b c "沿革 | 企業情報 | 島原鉄道". www.shimatetsu.co.jp. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  3. ^ "国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション". dl.ndl.go.jp. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  4. ^ "国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション". dl.ndl.go.jp. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
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