Hokkaido Railway Company

The Nihongo|Hokkaidō Railway Company|北海道旅客鉄道株式会社|Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and thus often known as Nihongo|JR Hokkaidō|JR北海道|Jeiāru Hokkaidō. It operates intercity rail services in Hokkaidō, Japan. The company will introduce Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, from autumn 2008.

At the time of its privatization in 1987, JR Hokkaidō operated 21 railway lines totalling 3,176.6 km of track, as well as a ferry service to Aomori. Since then, that number has dwindled to just below 2,500 km, as unprofitable lines have been shut down or spun off (in the case of the Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway). The ferry service has also been replaced by the Seikan Tunnel.

Hokkaido Railway's headquarters are in Sapporo.

Lines and key stations

Trunk lines

*Chitose Line (千歳線):Numa-no-Hata - Minami-Chitose - Chitose - Shiroishi:Minami-Chitose - Shin-Chitose-Kuko
*Hakodate Main Line (函館本線)(*):Hakodate - Goryōkaku - Oshima-Ohno(**) - Ōnuma - Mori - Oshamanbe - Kutchan - Otaru - Souen - Sapporo - Shiroishi - Iwamizawa - Takikawa - Fukagawa - Asahikawa:Ōnuma - Mori
*Muroran Main Line (室蘭本線):Oshamanbe - Higashi-Muroran - Tomakomai - Numa-no-Hata - Oiwake - Iwamizawa:Higashi-Muroran - Muroran
*Nemuro Main Line (根室本線):Takikawa - Furano - Shintoku - Obihiro - Ikeda - Kushiro - Higashi-Kushiro - Nemuro
*Sekisho Line (石勝線):Minami-Chitose - Oiwake - Shin-Yūbari - Shintoku:Shin-Yubari - Yūbari

Other lines

*Esashi Line (江差線):Goryōkaku - Kikonai - Esashi
*Furano Line (富良野線):Asahikawa - Biei - Furano
*Hidaka Main Line (日高本線):Tomakomai - Mukawa - Sizunai - Samani
*Sekihoku Main Line (石北本線):Shin-Asahikawa - Kamikawa - Engaru - Kitami - Abashiri
*Kaikyō Line (海峡線):Naka-Oguni - Tsugaru-Imabetsu(***) - Kikonai
*Rumoi Main Line (留萌本線):Fukagawa - Ishikari-Numata - Rumoi - Mashike
*Sassho Line (札沼線):Souen - Ishikari-Tōbetsu - Shin-Totsukawa
*Senmo Main Line (釧網本線):Abashiri - Shiretoko-Shari - Mashu - Shibecha - Higashi-Kushiro
*Soya Main Line (宗谷本線):Asahikawa - Shin-Asahikawa - Nayoro - Otoineppu - Horonobe - Wakkanai

*---- Most trains between Sapporo and Oshamanbe pass the Chitose line and the Muroran main line.

**--- Oshima-Ohno Station will be renamed to Shin-Hakodate Station at the same time as opening Hokkaidō Shinkansen.

***-- Tsugaru-Imabetu Station will be renamed to Oku-Tsugaru Station at the same time as opening Hokkaidō Shinkansen.

Under construction

*Hokkaidō Shinkansen (北海道新幹線):Shin-Aomori - Oku-Tsugaru - Kikonai - Shin-Hakodate - Shin-Yakumo - Oshamanbe - Kutchan - Shin-Otaru - Sapporo

External links

*ja [http://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/ Official site]
*en [http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/ Official site - global section]