# Akō Line

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Railway line in Japan

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Akō Line 213 series EMU on an Akō Line local service at Osafune Station Overview Native name 赤穂線 Owner JR West Locale Hyogo Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture Termini Aioi Higashi-Okayama Stations 19 Service Type Passenger/freight System Urban Network (Aioi - Banshū-Akō) Operator(s) JR West JR Freight Rolling stock 113 series EMU 115 series EMU 117 series EMU 213 series EMU 221 series EMU 223-1000 series EMU 223-2000 series EMU 223-6000 series EMU 225-0 series EMU 225-100 series EMU History Opened 1951; 75 years ago (1951) Technical Line length 57.4 km (35.7 mi) Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead line Operating speed 85 km/h (53 mph)

**Akō Line** (赤穂線, *Akō-sen*) is a railway line owned by [West Japan Railway Company](/source/West_Japan_Railway_Company) (JR West) in [Japan](/source/Japan), operating between [Aioi Station](/source/Aioi_Station_(Hy%C5%8Dgo)) in [Aioi, Hyōgo](/source/Aioi%2C_Hy%C5%8Dgo) and [Higashi-Okayama Station](/source/Higashi-Okayama_Station) in [Okayama, Okayama](/source/Okayama%2C_Okayama). The Akō Line operates south of and approximately parallel to both the [Sanyō Main Line](/source/Sany%C5%8D_Main_Line) and the [San'yō Shinkansen](/source/San'y%C5%8D_Shinkansen), with all three lines paralleling the coastline of the [Seto Inland Sea](/source/Seto_Inland_Sea).

The entire 57.4 km (35.7 mi) line is single track.

## Services

The line is operated in two sections:

- [Aioi](/source/Aioi_Station_(Hyogo))—[Banshū-Akō](/source/Bansh%C5%AB-Ak%C5%8D_Station) and

- Banshū-Akō—[Higashi-Okayama](/source/Higashi-Okayama_Station)

No trains terminate at either of the official terminal stations. At Aioi all trains operate a [through service](/source/Through_service) to/from [Himeji](/source/Himeji_Station) on the Sanyo Main Line with many services continuing further on JR West's [Kansai region](/source/Kinki_region) Urban Network through to Osaka, Kyoto, Maibara & Tsuruga.[1][2]

As of January 2026[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ak%C5%8D_Line&action=edit), the furthest in distance that Ako Line trains operate to/from is Tsuruga, while the longest service in time is the first weekday service departing Banshū-Akō at 05:33 which operates a Rapid service to Maibara arriving at 10:13 with a running time of 4 hours, 40 minutes.[1]

At Higashi-Okayama all trains operate a through service to/from [Okayama](/source/Okayama_Station) and beyond on the Sanyo Main Line.[2]

## Stations

All trains on the line are Local services, stopping at every station. "Rapid" and "Special Rapid" trains to/from [Kyoto](/source/Kyoto_Station) and beyond operate as Local trains between Aioi and Banshū-Akō.[1][2]

Common name Official line name No. Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers Location City Prefecture ↑Through service as far as Tsuruga on JR West's Urban Network via JR Kōbe Line, JR Kyōto Line, Kosei Line, Biwako Line and Hokuriku Main Line↑ Sanyō Main Line Sanyō Main Line JR-A85 Himeji 姫路 Sanyō Shinkansen JR Kobe Line ( A85 ) Bantan Line Kishin Line Himeji Hyōgo Agaho 英賀保 Harima-Katsuhara はりま勝原 Aboshi 網干 Tatsuno 竜野 Tatsuno Aioi 相生 0.0 Sanyō Shinkansen Sanyō Main Line Aioi Hyōgo Akō Line Akō Line Nishi-Aioi 西相生 3.0 Sakoshi 坂越 7.8 Ako Banshū-Akō 播州赤穂 10.5 Akō Line (for Okayama) Akō Line Akō Line (for Himeji) Tenwa 天和 14.5 Bizen-Fukukawa 備前福河 16.4 JR-N16 Sōgo 寒河 19.6 Bizen Okayama JR-N15 Hinase 日生 22.1 JR-N14 Iri 伊里 27.7 JR-N13 Bizen-Katakami 備前片上 31.0 JR-N12 Nishi-Katakami 西片上 32.3 JR-N11 Inbe 伊部 34.5 JR-N10 Kagato 香登 38.5 JR-N09 Osafune 長船 42.3 Setouchi JR-N08 Oku 邑久 45.9 JR-N07 Odomi 大富 48.0 JR-N06 Saidaiji 西大寺 51.2 Higashi-ku, Okayama JR-N05 Ōdara 大多羅 54.1 JR-N04 Higashi-Okayama 東岡山 57.4 Sanyō Main Line Naka-ku, Okayama Sanyō Main Line Sanyō Main Line JR-N03 Takashima 高島 JR-N02 Nishigawara 西川原 JR-N01 Okayama 岡山 Sanyō Shinkansen Sanyō Main Line Tsuyama Line Uno Line ( Seto-Ōhashi Line) Kibi Line (Momotaro Line) Okayama Electric Tramway Higashiyama Main Line Kita-ku, Okayama ↓Through service to/from Sanyō Main Line↓

## History

Opening ceremony for the Ako Railway at Banshu-Ako station, 14 April 1921

Dowa Mining Co. diesel rail car

The initial section between Aioi and Banshu-Ako opened in 1951, and the line was opened progressively, to Hinase in 1955, Inbe in 1958, and Higashi-Okayama in 1962. The Aioi - Banshu-Ako section was electrified in 1961, and the rest of the line in 1969.

CTC signalling was commissioned between Higashi-Okayama and Banshu-Ako in 1983.

### Former connecting lines

- Banshu-Ako Station: The Ako Railway operated a 13 km (8.1 mi) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line to Une on the [Sanyo Main Line](/source/Sanyo_Main_Line) between 1921 and 1951.

- Nishi-Katakami Station: The Dowa Mining Co. opened a 34 km (21 mi) line to Yanahara, to haul iron sulphide ore, between 1923 and 1931. The line is also connected to Wake station on the [Sanyo Main Line](/source/Sanyo_Main_Line). Passenger services commenced in 1931, freight services ceased in 1988 and the line closed in 1991.

## See also

Main line alternate routes

- [Gotemba Line](/source/Gotemba_Line)

- [Kure Line](/source/Kure_Line)

- [Ube Line](/source/Ube_Line)

## References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Akō Line](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ak%C5%8D_Line).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) ["播州赤穂駅 相生方面 時刻表｜ＪＲ赤穂線【駅探】"](https://ekitan.com/timetable/railway/line-station/1-3/d1). *ekitan.com* (in Japanese). 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-01-13.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_2-2) ["播州赤穂駅 東岡山方面 時刻表｜ＪＲ赤穂線【駅探】"](https://ekitan.com/timetable/railway/line-station/1-3/d2). *ekitan.com* (in Japanese). 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-01-13.

- Miki, Masafumi (July 2004). ["Railway Operators in Japan 13: Chugoku Region"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061007212750/http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr39/s36_mik.html). *Japan Railway & Transport Review* (39): 36–43. Archived from [the original](http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr39/s36_mik.html) on 2006-10-07. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

v t e Transit in Okayama Shinkansen San'yō JR West San'yō Akō Tsuyama Kibi Uno Honshi-Bisan Hakubi Kishin JR Shikoku Yosan Ryobi Group Okayama Electric Tramway (Okaden) Higashiyama Seikibashi Terminals Rail Okayama Kurashiki Shin-Kurashiki Airports Okayama Kōnan Port Okayama Miscellaneous Hareca Maritime Ryobi Ferry Tsu Airport Line Co. (Ferry) Teshima Ferry Bus Ryobi Bus Shimoden Bus Chutetsu Bus Great Seto Bridge Rail transport in Japan Japan transit: Tokyo Keihanshin Chūkyō Fukuoka–Kitakyushu Hokkaido Aomori Sendai Akita Niigata Toyama Nagano Hakone–Fuji–Izu Okayama Hiroshima Shikoku Metro systems Shinkansen monorails (list) trams (list) aerial lifts (list)

v t e JR West lines Shinkansen San'yō Shinkansen (Hakataminami) Hokuriku Shinkansen Main Kansai Kisei Sanin San'yō Takayama Tōkaidō Hokuriku Local Akō Bantan Line Etsumi-Hoku JR Takarazuka Line Fukuen Line Gantoku Geibi Line Hakubi Line Hanwa Line Himi Honshi-Bisan Line Inbi Line Jōhana JR Tōzai Line Kabe Line Kakogawa Line Kansai Airport Line Gakkentoshi Line Kibi Line Kishin Line Kisuki Line Kosei Line Kure Line Kusatsu Line Maizuru Line Mine Nanao Nara Line Obama Ōito Onoda Osaka Higashi Line Osaka Loop Sakai Line Man-yō Mahoroba Line (Sakurai Line) JR Yumesaki Line Tsuyama Line Ube Uno Line Wakayama Line Yamaguchi Other Biwako Line JR Kyōto Line JR Kōbe Line Sagano Yamatoji Seto-Ōhashi Past Gannichi Hokuriku Main Hapi Fukui Ishikawa Ainokaze Toyama Echigo Tokimeki Nihonkai Hisui Kajiya Miki Miyazu Noto Sankō Shigaraki Taisha Toyamakō Wakasa Gakkentoshi Kyobashi - Katamachi

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Akō Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ak%C5%8D_Line) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ak%C5%8D_Line?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.