The Ao Line (粟生線, Ao-sen) is a commuter railway line in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kobe Electric Railway (Shintetsu). It connects Kobe with its northwestern suburb, Ono. The line is 29.2 km (18.1 mi) long, extending from Suzurandai in Kita-ku to Ao, where the line connects with the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Kakogawa Line, although all trains continue past Suzurandai to Shinkaichi via the Shintetsu Arima Line and Kobe Rapid Railway Namboku Line.
| Shintetsu Ao Line | |
|---|---|
 | |
 1500 series EMU on the 50 per mil gradient between Omura and Kashiyama, April 2011 | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | 粟生線 |
| Owner | Kobe Electric Railway |
| Locale | Hyōgo Prefecture |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 20 |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| History | |
| Opened | 28 December 1936 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 29.2 km (18.1 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC |
| Operating speed | 70 km/h (45 mph) |
Between Suzurandai Station and Kizu Station, track gradient can reach 50‰ at most.
History
The Miki Electric Railway Co. opened the Suzurandai – Hirono Golf-jo-mae on 28 December 1936.[1] DMUs operated until the section was electrified the following year and extended to Miki Uenomaru, with the extension to Miki opening in 1938.
In 1947 the company merged with the Kobe Electric Railway Co., which extended the line to Ono on 28 December 1951, and from Ono to Ao on 10 April 1952.[1]
The Nishi-Suzurandai – Aina section was duplicated in 1982, and the Kizu – Oshibedani section was duplicated between 1979 and 1989.
Former connecting lines
- Miki station – The Miki Railway Miki Line operated between 1917 and 2008.
Stations
- S indicates that the service stops at the station
- | indicates that the service skips the station
| No. | Station | Distance (km) | Local (普通) | Semi-Express (準急) | Express (急行) | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ↑ Through Service via the Shintetsu Arima Line and Kobe Kosoku Line to/from Shinkaichi ↑ | ||||||||
| KB06 | Suzurandai | 鈴蘭台 | 0.0 | S | S | S | Arima Line (Through Service) | Kita-ku, Kobe |
| KB41 | Suzurandai-nishiguchi | 鈴蘭台西口 | 0.8 | S | S | S | ||
| KB42 | Nishi-Suzurandai | 西鈴蘭台 | 1.3 | S | S | S | ||
| KB43 | Aina | 藍那 | 3.0 | S | S | ↑ | ||
| KB44 | Kizu | 木津 | 6.4 | S | S | ↑ | Nishi-ku, Kobe | |
| KB45 | Kobata | 木幡 | 8.1 | S | S | S | ||
| KB46 | Sakae | 栄 | 9.6 | S | S | S | ||
| KB47 | Oshibedani | 押部谷 | 11.2 | S | S | S | ||
| KB48 | Midorigaoka | 緑が丘 | 12.8 | S | S | S | Miki | |
| KB49 | Hirono Golf-jo-mae | 広野ゴルフ場前 | 13.5 | S | S | S | ||
| KB50 | Shijimi | 志染 | 15.6 | S | S | S | ||
| KB51 | Ebisu | 恵比須 | 17.6 | S | S | S | ||
| KB52 | Miki Uenomaru | 三木上の丸 | 18.6 | S | S | S | ||
| KB53 | Miki | 三木 | 19.3 | S | S | S | ||
| KB54 | Omura | 大村 | 20.8 | S | S | S | ||
| KB55 | Kashiyama | 樫山 | 23.2 | S | S | S | Ono | |
| KB56 | Ichiba | 市場 | 23.9 | S | S | S | ||
| KB57 | Ono | 小野 | 26.2 | S | S | S | ||
| KB58 | Hata | 葉多 | 27.7 | S | S | S | ||
| KB59 | Ao | 粟生 | 29.2 | S | S | S |  Kakogawa LineHojo Railway Hojo Line | |
References
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia