Iwate Line
| Status | Operational |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ome Railway Company |
| Locale | Iwate Prefecture |
| Termini | Iwate Kawabe |
| Stations | 3 |
| Initials | IWT |
| Type | Rural feeder |
|---|---|
| Operator(s) | Ome Railway Company |
| Depot(s) | Kawabe Depot |
| Rolling stock | E44 Mini |
| Opened | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2007 (Daigaku Line) |
| Line Length | 2.4km |
|---|---|
| Track gauge | 1435mm |
| Electrification | None |
| Operating speed | 60km/h |
The Iwate Line is a railway line that runs from Iwate to Kawabe in Iwate, Sorano. The line was originally a railway line that stretched from Reihoku to Miyama, known as the Daigaku Line (大学線), as it connected the 2 major universities of Lamtsu. (Miyama University and Reihoku University). The line was constructed by the Lamtsu Development Bank and handed over to the Ome Railway Company.
Stations
| Jap. | Name | Distance | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 岩手 | Iwate | 0.0 | Ome Line |
| 流山 | Nagaremaya | 1.1 | |
| 川辺 | Kawabe | 1.3 | Haebaru Ferry Route 1 |
History
The Daigaku Line was constructed in 1972 to facilitate travel between Miyama University and Reihoku University. To prevent either MCR or HRT from gaining a foothold in the northern areas, the Daigaku Line was handed to the Ome Railway Company at no extra cost.
The line bled serious amounts of money for it's entire operation, and the line from Miyama to Iwate was closed in 2007 and renamed the Iwate Line. Before the opening of the Seiyo Shinkansen, the Third-Sector Haebaru Railway Main Line was the only connection from the Fung Yuen Main Line to Lamtsu, which has been closed from Fung Yuen to Otsuki with the opening of the Seiyo Shinkansen; and involved a transfer to the Iwate Line at Reihoku. However, parts of the line ran over the permafrost in the snowy glaciers of Kawabe, and the section was declared unsafe in 2007, to be replaced by a ferry service. The ferry is operated by the Haebaru Railway Company, which was privatised in 2016 after seeing positive profits for the first time in it's operations. After that, the Iwate Line was rolled back to Kawabe, and has been there ever since.