Fukuchiyama Line - Fukuchiyama

The name of the track of West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The 106.5 km section runs from Amagasaki (Hyogo Prefecture) to Fukuchiyama (Kyoto Prefecture). The 58.4 km section between Amagasaki and Sasayamaguchi is double tracked (54.8% double tracked as of 2016), and the entire line is DC electrified. From Amagasaki, the line runs north through the Osaka Plain, passing through the valleys of the Muko River, Sasayama River (a tributary of the Kako River), and Takeda River (a tributary of the Yura River), before connecting with the San'in Main Line at Fukuchiyama. The section between Amagasaki (later Amagasaki Port) and Ikeda was opened in 1893 (Meiji 26) by the Settsu Railway (gauge 762 mm; the Kawabe Horse-drawn Railway line, which had opened in 1891, was converted into a steam railway), and in 1897 it was transferred to the Hankaku Railway and converted to 1067 mm gauge. The section between Ikeda and Fukuchiyama was opened by the Hankaku Railway between 1897 and 1899 (Meiji 30 and 32), and was nationalized in 1907 (Meiji 40). When the line name was established in 1909, it was called the Hankaku Line, and for a time it included parts of what would later become the San'in Main Line and Maizuru Line, but in 1912 the sections between Kanzaki (now Amagasaki) and Fukuchiyama, and between Tsukaguchi and Amagasaki, came to be called the Fukuchiyama Line. For a long time, the Fukuchiyama Line was only emphasized as a part of the trunk railway line connecting the Hanshin region and the eastern San'in region, and its function as a transportation line for suburban areas of large cities was hardly considered. In the 1980s, in connection with the Hokusetsu New Town Plan and other projects, the line was developed as a suburban commuter line, and in 1981, the Amagasaki-Takarazuka section was electrified and double-tracked, and in 1986, the Takarazuka-Fukuchiyama-(Sanin Main Line)-Kinosaki section was electrified, and the Takarazuka-Shin-Sanda section was double-tracked and the route was changed. In 1997, the line was double-tracked up to Sasayamaguchi. All trains run directly from Amagasaki to the Tokaido Line or JR Tozai Line towards Osaka. Limited express trains run between Osaka and Fukuchiyama and Kinosaki, and many trains run between Osaka and Sasayamaguchi. In 1987, following the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), the line became part of JR West. The section between Osaka and Sasayamaguchi is nicknamed the JR Takarazuka Line. The section between Tsukaguchi and Amagasaki Port was discontinued in 1984.

[Eiichi Aoki and Ryo Aoki, October 19, 2016]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

西日本旅客鉄道（JR西日本）の線路名称。尼崎(あまがさき)（兵庫県）―福知山（京都府）間106.5キロメートル。尼崎―篠山口(ささやまぐち)間58.4キロメートルが複線化（2016年時点、複線化率54.8％）、全線直流電化。尼崎より大阪平野を北上し、武庫(むこ)川、篠山川（加古川の支流）、竹田川（由良(ゆら)川の支流）などの河谷を経て、福知山で山陰本線と接続。尼崎（後の尼崎港）―池田間は摂津(せっつ)鉄道によって1893年（明治26）開業（軌間762ミリメートル、1891年開業の川辺(かわべ)馬車鉄道の路線を蒸気鉄道に改築）、1897年阪鶴(はんかく)鉄道に譲渡されて1067ミリメートル軌間に改軌された。池田―福知山間は阪鶴鉄道により1897～1899年（明治30～32）開業、1907年（明治40）国有化された。1909年線路名称の制定とともに阪鶴線と称され、後の山陰本線や舞鶴(まいづる)線の一部を含んだ時期もあったが、1912年神崎(かんざき)（現在の尼崎）―福知山間および塚口―尼崎間を福知山線とよぶこととなった。福知山線は長らく阪神地方と山陰地方東部を結ぶ幹線鉄道の一部としての機能のみが強調され、大都市近郊輸送の機能はほとんど顧みられなかった。1980年代の北摂(ほくせつ)ニュータウン計画などとの関連で近郊通勤線としての整備が始まり、1981年（昭和56）に尼崎―宝塚間の電化と複線化、1986年に宝塚―福知山―（山陰本線）―城崎(きのさき)間の電化と宝塚―新三田間の複線化とルート変更が完成。1997年（平成9）には篠山口まで複線化された。すべての列車は尼崎から東海道線やJR東西線に乗り入れて、大阪方面へ直通する。大阪―福知山・城崎間には特急列車が走り、大阪―篠山口間は列車の運行本数も多い。1987年、日本国有鉄道（国鉄）の分割民営化に伴い、JR西日本に所属。大阪―篠山口間はJR宝塚線の愛称でよばれる。なお、塚口―尼崎港間は1984年に廃止された。

［青木栄一・青木　亮　2016年10月19日］

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