The is a Japanese railway line which connects Kanaya Station in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture with Senzu Station in Kawanehon, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the private railway operator à Âigawa Railway.
In September 2022, the à Âigawa Main Line suffered substantial damage from Tropical Storm Talas. Rail services between Kawane-Onsen Sasamado and Senzu Station were suspended until further notice. In 2024, Oigawa Railway's president, , set a goal of restoring the full à Âigawa Main Line by 2029.
The à Âigawa Main Line began operations on June 10, 1927 as a private line for the à Âigawa Electric Company, to carry workers and materials upstream to facilitate dam construction. The single-track line was extended from Kanaya in stages, reaching it current terminal station of Senzu on December 1, 1931.
The entire line was electrified on November 18, 1949, with EMUs for the passenger services commencing then and freight operation by electric locomotives beginning in August 1951. Express train operations commenced in 1971.
The line runs through an isolated mountain area with no cities or towns, and has a very small population density. Most of the passengers are tourists visiting one of the hot spring resorts along the line, or alpinists and hikers heading for the peaks of the Southern Alps National Park. To boost ridership and popularity of the line, steam locomotives were restored from July 9, 1976. A variety of historical locomotives and carriages are used, both for the steam and for the electric services, making the line a favourite with train enthusiasts and photographers.
Freight services ceased in 1983.
In September 2022, the à Âigawa Main Line suffered substantial damage from Tropical Storm Talas. Rail services between Kawane-Onsen Sasamado and Senzu Station were suspended until further notice, and steam locomotives were changed to only operate between Shin-Kanaya and Kawane-Onsen Sasamado. à Âigawa Railway advises customers intending to travel beyond Ieyama Station, i.e. to the Ikawa Line, towards Senzu and the Sumata Gorge area, to transfer to Kawanehon Town's community buses at Ieyama Station, which provide connections to Senzu Station.
, the Oigawa Main Line fleet is as follows.
In 2016, The Oigawa Railway purchased four 14 series coaches from JR Hokkaido, which were formerly used on the Hamanasu services. These coaches are scheduled to enter service on steam-hauled services on the line in June 2017, reducing the burden on the ageing heritage coaches operated by the railway.
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.