Furano Line

The Furano Line (富良野線, Furano-sen) is part of the Hokkaido Railway Company network in Hokkaidō, Japan. It connects Furano Station in the city of Furano and Asahikawa Station in the city of Asahikawa. Popular with tourists, it has recently come to serve commuters in the bedroom towns that are developing as suburbs of Asahikawa.

Furano Line
Kiha 150 Diesel Multiple Unit on the Furano Line.
Overview
StatusOperational
LocaleHokkaido, Japan
TerminiAsahikawa
Furano
Stations18
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)Hokkaido Railway Company
Rolling stockKiHa 150 series DMU, KiHa 183 series DMU
History
Opened1899
Technical
Line length54.8 km (34.1 mi)
CharacterRural
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map

History

The Furano Line opened on September 1, 1899, as the Hokkaidō Kansetsu Railway (北海道官設鉄道, Hokkaidō Kansetsu Tetsudō), operating between Asahikawa and Biei Stations. In the next month, service extended to Kami-Furano Station, and in the following year it reached Shimo-Furano Station.

In 1909 it became part of the Nemuro Main Line from Asahikawa Station to Kushiro Station, but in 1913 it took its present name and covered the route from Asahikawa Station to Shimo-Furano Station. The eruption of Mount Tokachi on May 24, 1926, caused a protracted interruption of service between Biei and Kami-Furano. In 1942, Shimo-Furano Station changed its name to Furano Station.

On April 1, 1987, with the breakup of the Japanese National Railways, the line became part of the Hokkaido Railways. In 2007, the station-numbering plan took effect.

On November 19, 2016, JR Hokkaido's President announced plans to rationalise the network by up to 1,237 km, or ~50% of the current network,[1] including the proposed conversion to Third Sector operation of the Furano Line, but if local governments are not agreeable, the line will face closure.

Former connecting lines

The private Asahikawa Electric Railway line to Higashikawa (15.5 km) branched from the Furano line south of Asahikawa station, operating from 1927-73. A 6.7 km branch to Asahiyama Park operated from 1930-73. Both lines were electrified at 600 V DC.

Operations

All trains are local trains within the Furano Line. One train continues past Furano to Obihiro Station as a Karikachi express train; the rest operate only within the Furano Line, half covering the route between Asahikawa and Biei. Nearly all rolling stock is KiHa 150 Diesel Multiple Units.

Stations

Station numbers, names, other lines serving the stations and line distances from Asahikawa are as follows. Asterisks denote two-track stations where trains can pass.

No.Station nameJapaneseDistance
(km)		Passing
loop		Transfers
 A28 Asahikawa旭川0.0n/a[Note 1]■ Hakodate Main Line
■ Sekihoku Main Line
■ Sōya Main Line
 F29 Kaguraoka神楽岡2.4 
 F30 Midorigaoka緑が丘4.0 
 F31 Nishi-Goryō西御料5.2 
 F32 Nishi-Mizuho西瑞穂7.4 
 F33 Nishi-Kagura西神楽9.9+
 F34 Nishi-Seiwa西聖和12.3 
 F35 Chiyogaoka千代ヶ岡16.6+
 F36 Kita-Biei北美瑛20.3 
 F37 Biei美瑛23.8+
 F38 Bibaushi美馬牛30.6+
 F39 Kami-Furano上富良野39.7+
 F40 Nishinaka西中44.2 
 F41 Lavender Farm
(open seasonally)		ラベンダー畑45.8 
 F42 Naka-Furano中富良野47.3+
 F43 Shikauchi鹿討49.7 
 F44 Gakuden学田52.5 
 T30 Furano富良野54.8+■ Nemuro Main Line
  1. Asahikawa station is part of the double-tracked Hakodate Main Line.

References
  1. "JR Hokkaido says it can't maintain half of its railways". May 10, 2013.
  • This article incorporates material from 富良野線 (Furano-sen) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on June 22, 2019.
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