Minato Line


The Minato Line is a 14.3 km Japanese railway line operated by the third-sector railway operator Hitachinaka Seaside Railway between and, all within Hitachinaka, Ibaraki. It is the only railway line operated by the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. The line was formerly operated by Ibaraki Kōtsū until 2008.

Operations

Train services are normally formed of single-car diesel units, increased to two-car formations during the morning peak.

Stations

opened on 1 October 2014, the first new station on the line in 52 years, after the opening of Kōkimae in April 1962.

Rolling stock

, the railway operates a fleet of eight single-car diesel railcars, as follows.
In April 2015, three former JR Central KiHa 11 diesel cars, KiHa 11-123/203/204, were sold to the Hitachinaka Kaihin Railway, becoming KiHa 11-5, Kiha 11-6, and KiHa 11-7 respectively. Two more KiHa 11-200 series cars, formerly owned by Tokai Transport Service Company in Aichi Prefecture, were purchased by the Hitachinaka Kaihin Railway in 2015 and 2016. Of these, KiHa 11-201 was moved by road to the Hitachinaka Kaihin Railway in September 2015, and Kiha 11-202 was moved in March 2016.

Former rolling stock

KiHa 2004 was withdrawn from service in December 2015, and sold to the Heisei Chikuhō Railway in Kyushu in 2016.

History

The Minato Railway was established on 18 November 1907, and the line was opened from Katsuta
to Nakaminato on 25 December 1913, using steam haulage. The entire line to Ajigaura was completed on 17 July 1928. From 1 August 1944, the line was taken over by Ibaraki Kōtsū, becoming the Ibaraki Kōtsū Minato Line.
The Minato Line was the only railway line operated by Ibaraki Kōtsū, whose main business was bus transport. Because of its severe financial situation, Ibaraki Kōtsū decided to withdraw from railway operation. In September 2007, Ibaraki Kōtsū and the city of Hitachinaka agreed to transfer the line to a third-sector company, later incorporated as Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. From 1 April 2008, the line became the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway Minato Line.
From 6 April 2010, all train services became wanman driver-only operation.
The line was damaged by the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, but the entire line was reopened for business from 23 July of the same year.