San'yō Railway
Endpoints Length ( km ) Length ( miles ) Line names ( designated after nationalization )
Kōbe - Shimonoseki 530.0 329.3 Sanyō Main Line
Himeji - Shikama 5.6 3.5 Bantan Line
Himeji - Wadayama 65.8 40.9 Bantan Line
Asa - Ōmine 19.6 12.2 Mine Line
Hyōgo - Wadamisaki 2.9 1.8 Sanyō Main Line ( Wadamisaki Line )
Takamatsu - Kotohira 43.8 27.2 Yosan Line
Subtotal 676.7 414.9
Kaitaichi - Kure 20.0 12.4 Kure Line
Hiroshima - Ujina 6.0 3.7 Ujina Line
Total 693.7 414.9
Rail lines
The first rail line opened in 1888 . By 1894 , the Sanyō Railway had been extended west , along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea , from Kobe to Hiroshima . [ 2 ] The railroad was later extended to Shimonoseki . The Sanyō Main Line connected with the Tōkaidō Main Line in Kobe , and the Kyūshū Railway at Moji . The railway gained a reputation for being one of the most progressive and innovative in Japan in its day , introducing the first sleeping cars , dining cars , and electric lighting on its trains . [ 3 ] In 1904 , the 530 km ( 330 mile ) trip from Kobe to Shimonoseki took 11 hours . [ 4 ] An express train from Kobe to Hiroshima took 8​1⁄2 hours , travelling 304 km ( 189 miles ) . [ 5 ]
The was established in 1887 and served as a major railroad company during the Meiji period in Japan. The railroad was headquartered in Kobe, and Nakamigawa Hikojirō served as head of the railroad.