Kishū Railway Line


The Kishu Railway Line is a Japanese railway line between Gobō Station and Nishi-Gobō Station, all within Gobō, Wakayama. This is the only railway line of the Kishu Railway, as the company's main business is managing real estate and hotels. The current Tokyo-based hotel company, previously not a railway operator, took over the line in 1973 in order to gain the prestige of being a railway company. Despite its name meaning the railway of the entire Kii Province, the railway is the second shortest passenger line in Japan, the shortest being the Shibayama Railway. Kitetsu is the abbreviation of the company's name.

Additional basic data

, the railway operates a fleet of two Kitetsu 1 diesel railcars, numbered Kitetsu 1 and 2.
Diesel railcar KR301, formerly SKR301 used on the Shigaraki Kohgen Railway in Shiga Prefecture until October 2015 was introduced on the line from 30 January 2016.

History

The Gobō Rinkō Railway opened the 1.8 km section from Gobō to Kii-Gobō section on 15 June 1931, extended 0.9 km to Nishi-Gobō on 10 April 1932, and to Hidakagawa on 10 August 1934.
The Gobō Rinkō Railway became the Kishu Railway from 1 January 1973. The 0.7 km section from Nishi-Gobō to Hidakagawa closed on 1 April 1989.