Shimabara Railway

History

• May 5, 1908: Shimabara Railway Co., Ltd. established.
• 1911:
• *April 1: Line opened with a JGR Class 150 locomotive from the Ministry of Railways.
• *June 20: Line from to Ainomura opened.
• September 24, 1913: Line from Isahaya to Shimabara Minato opened.
• April 10, 1919: Kuchinotsu Railway Co., Ltd. established.
• April 22, 1922: Kuchinotsu Railway line from Shimabara Minato to Dozaki opened.
• March 1, 1928: Kuchinotsu Railway line from Kazusa to Shimabara Minato opened.
• December 5, 1930: Shimabara Railway bus service established.
• June 1, 1935: Shimabara Railway line to Unzen opened.
• 1935: Kuchinotsu Railway bus service established.
• 1938: Kuchinotsu Railway buys Oniike route.
• July 1, 1943: Shimabara and Kuchinotsu Railway companies merge.
• July 1956 Island Tourist Rail Co., Ltd. established.
• March 1966 Island Rail Taxi Co., Ltd. established.
• July 1978 Isahaya Terminal Hotel opened.
• November 1990-June 1991: Eruption of Mount Unzen; service from Fukae to Shimabara discontinued.
• October 1995: Nagasaki and cities and towns along the line increase their stock holdings in the company.
• April 1, 1997: Fukae-Shimabara service resumed after reconstruction work. Tourist tram train operation started.
• August 1997: Shimabara - Omuta route opened; Shimatetsu high speed passenger ship service began.
• April 1, 2008 - Rail service from to discontinued.

Line

• Shimabara Railway Line