| Tempoku Line | |
|---|---|
| 天北線・てんぽくせん | |
 Trackbed of the Tempoku Line in Wakkanai. | |
| Overview | |
|
Type |
Heavy rail |
|
Locale |
Hokkaidō Prefecture |
|
Termini |
|
|
Stations |
30 |
| Operation | |
|
Year opened |
1914 |
|
Year closed |
1989 |
|
Operators |
|
| Technical | |
|
Track length |
148.9km (92.5mi) |
|
Track gauge |
1,067mm (3 ft 6 in) |
|
Electrification |
No electrification |
The Tempoku Line (天北線:Tempoku-sen) was a Japanese railway line operated by the Hokkaidō Railway Company (JR Hokkaidō).
The line connects Otoineppu Station in the Sōya Main Line, then passes through the Hamatombetsu Village at Hama-Tombetsu Station, and goes north to Wakkanai City at Minami-Wakkanai Station.
The line was discontinued in 1989 after JR Hokkaidō took control of the railway.
Naming[]
Hikōjōmae Station
The line got its name to the two former provinces that it went through: Teshio (天塩) and Kitami (北見). The first character of Teshio (天) can also be read as "ten", and the first character of Kitami (北) can also be read as "hoku". By Japanese orthography, putting "ten" and "hoku" together makes "Tempoku".
Services[]
The Tempoku Express service goes from Sapporo to Wakkanai through the Tempoku Line. The route is as follows:
Sapporo - Otoineppu - Hama-Tombetsu - Wakkanai
In the Tempoku Line, the Tempoku Express stops in the following stations;
Otoineppu ・Shō-Tombetsu ・Naka-Tombetsu ・Hama-Tombetsu ・Onishibetsu ・Minami-Wakkanai ・Wakkanai
The following is the schedule of the Tempoku Line.
All the timestamps displayed are in 24-hour format.
| Train No. | From | Bound for | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 721D | Otoineppu | Wakkanai | 4:47 | 8:00 |
| 722D | Wakkanai | Otoineppu | 5:30 | 9:05 |
| 723D | Otoineppu | Wakkanai | 6:14 | 9:34 |
| 742D | Wakkanai | Koetoi | 8:12 | 8:27 |
| 740D | Hama-Tombetsu | Otoineppu | 8:23 | 9:46 |
| 741D | Koetoi | Wakkanai | 8:32 | 8:46 |
| 724D | Wakkanai | Otoineppu | 10:12 | 12:33 |
| 725D | Otoineppu | Wakkanai | 10:49 | 14:44 |
| 304D (TE) | Wakkanai | Sapporo | 12:23 | 14:47* |
| 726D | Wakkanai | Otoineppu | 13:08 | 17:02 |
| 727D | Otoineppu | Wakkanai | 13:39 | 17:08 |
| 303D (TE) | Sapporo | Wakkanai | 15:16* | 17:39 |
| 729D | Otoineppu | Wakkanai | 16:21 | 19:55 |
| 728D | Wakkanai | Otoineppu | 17:10 | 20:40 |
| 744D | Wakkanai | Magarifuchi | 18:01 | 18:45 |
| 731D | Otoineppu | Wakkanai | 18:36 | 21:55 |
| 730D | Wakkanai | Otoineppu | 20:27 | 23:47 |
| 743D | Otoineppu | Hama-Tombetsu | 20:50 | 22:00 |
(TE) - Tempoku Express ; *arrival at Otoineppu
Stations[]
All stations are in Hokkaidō.
The S in the TE column means that the Tempoku Express service stops at this station. The vertical line/bar means that it will pass thru the station.
| Stations |
Distance (km) |
TE | Connections | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otoineppu | 音威子府 | 0.0 | S | JR Hokkaido: Sōya Main Line | Otoineppu, Nakagawa |
| Kami-Otoineppu | 上音威子府 | 5.4 | | | ||
| Tenpoku-Zakae | 天北栄 | 11.6 | ? | ||
| Shō-Tombetsu | 小頓別 | 15.6 | S | Utanobori Municipal Railway (closed in 1970) | Nakatombetsu, Esashi |
| Kami-Tombetsu | 上頓別 | 20.6 | | | ||
| Megumino* | 恵野 | (23.2) | | | ||
| Pinneshiri | 敏音知 | 27.1 | | | ||
| Shūmaro* | 周磨 | (31.2) | | | ||
| Matsuneshiri | 松音知 | 34.5 | | | ||
| Kamikoma* | 上駒 | (37.4) | | | ||
| Naka-Tombetsu | 中頓別 | 42.5 | S | ||
| Kotobuki* | 寿 | (46.6) | | | ||
| Shin-Yayoi* | 新弥生 | (48.0) | | | ||
| Shimo-Tombetsu | 下頓別 | 51.6 | | | Hamatombetsu, Esashi | |
| Tokiwa* | 常盤 | (54.8) | | | ||
| Hama-Tombetsu | 浜頓別 | 61.5 | S | JNR: Kōhin'hoku Line (closed in 1985) | |
| Yamagaru | 山軽 | 67.7 | | | ||
| Yasubetsu* | 安別 | (70.4) | | | Sarufutsu, Sōya | |
| Hikōjōmae* | 飛行場前 | (72.8) | | | ||
| Asajino | 浅茅野 | 76.7 | | | ||
| Sarufutsu | 猿払 | 82.9 | | | ||
| Ashino | 芦野 | 87.4 | | | ||
| Onishibetsu | 鬼志別 | 93.7 | S | ||
| Koishi | 小石 | 99.0 | | | ||
| Magarifuchi | 曲淵 | 116.7 | | | Wakkanai | |
| Numakawa | 沼川 | 121.0 | | | ||
| Kabaoka | 樺岡 | 127.2 | | | ||
| Keihoku | 恵北 | 136.3 | | | ||
| Higashi-Koetoi* | 東声問 | - | | | ||
| Koetoi | 声問 | 141.8 | | | ||
| Uennai* | 宇遠内 | (146.8) | | | ||
| Minami-Wakkanai | 南稚内 | 148.9 | S | JR Hokkaido: Sōya Main Line | |
*Formerly a temporary station/platform.
Rolling stock[]
- KiHa 20
History[]
The line was part of the construction of a link between mainland Japan and the then Japanese northern frontier of Karafuto (southern half of Sakhalin Island).
In 1926, the part of the Teshio Line (天塩線:Teshio-sen) from Otoineppu to Minami-Wakkanai was completed.
In 1930, The other part of the Teshio Line (Rumoi - Haboro - Horonobe) is also completed. The line from Otoineppu to Minami-Wakkanai is named the Kitami Line (北見線:Kitami-sen) In 1961, the Kitami Line was renamed the Tempoku Line (天北線:Tempoku-sen)
In 1980, JNR stated that the Nayoro Main Line, Chihoku Line, and Shibetsu Line will be closed soon.
Some years later, the daily ridership of the Tempoku Line continued to decrease.
It was discontinued in 1989 after JR Hokkaidō took over.
Timeline[]
1914 - 1920[]
- November 7, 1914 - Extension of the Sōya Line (宗谷線:Sōya-sen) to Shō-Tombetsu.
- October 1, 1916 - Extended to Naka-Tombetsu.
- August 25, 1918 - Extended to Hama-Tombetsu.
- October 20, 1919 - Sōya Line renamed Sōya Main Line (宗谷本線:Sōya-honsen).
- November 1, 1919 - Extended to Asajino.
- November 1, 1920 - Extended to Onishibetsu.
1921 - 1939[]
- October 5, 1921 - Sōya Main Line renamed back to Sōya Line.
- November 1, 1922 - Extended to Wakkanai (now Minami-Wakkanai).
- November 4, 1922 - Sōya Line renamed back to Sōya Main Line.
- September 25, 1926 - Teshio Line (Otoineppu - Horonobe - Wakkanai) completed.
- December 26, 1928 - Extension to Wakkanai-kō completed.
- April 1, 1930 - Teshio Line (Otoineppu - Horonobe - Wakkanai) renamed Sōya Main Line. Teshio Line (Otoineppu - Hama-Tombetsu - Wakkanai) renamed Kitami Line (北見線:Kitami-sen).
- February 1, 1939 - Wakkanai Station renamed Minami-Wakkanai Station. Wakkanai-kō Station renamed Wakkanai Station.
1952 - 1959[]
- November 6, 1952 - Minami-Wakkanai Station is moved 1 kilometer closer to Koetoi.
- December 2, 1955 - 5 more temporary platforms (Kamikoma, Kotobuki, Tokiwa, Hikōjōmae, Uennai) are established.
- May 1, 1956 - 2 temporary platforms (Megumino, Shūmaro) established.
- November 19, 1956 - Yasubetsu Temporary Platform established.
- November 1, 1959 - Shin-Yayoi Temporary Platform established.
1961 - 1967[]
- April 1, 1961 - Kitami Line renamed Tempoku Line (天北線:Tempoku-sen).
- November 1, 1961 - Tempoku Express service commenced.
- October 1, 1963 - Makubetsu Station renamed Keihoku Station.
- October 1965 - Tempoku-Zakae Temporary Platform closed.
- October 1, 1967 - Kita-Tombetsu Temporary Platform closed.
1984 - 1989[]
- February 1, 1984 - Freight services discontinued.
- March 31, 1987 - All temporary platforms become permanent stations.
- April 1, 1987 - JNR privatization. JR Hokkaidō takes operations.
- June 1, 1987 - Higashi-Koetoi Temporary Platform built.
- November 10, 1987 - Kami-Otoineppu Station became a seasonal station (a station having services on specific times of the year).
- May 1, 1989 - Abolition of the whole line. The Tempoku Express service has been replaced by the Super Sōya limited express service. Sōya Bus takes over the whole route.