Tsuyama Line

The Tsuyama Line did not begin as a state project. It originated as a private railway opened under the Private Railway Act by the Chūgoku Railway (中国鉄道), a company established on 30 April 1896. The company was licensed for a line from Okayama through Tsuyama and Katsuyama to Neu and Yonago, but only the Okayama–Tsuyama section was completed. The licence for the remaining sections lapsed, and those routes were instead built later by the state as the Kishin Line and the Hakubi Line.

The Chūgoku Railway opened its main line on 21 December 1898, running from Okayama-shi Station to Tsuyama Station over a distance of 34 miles 76 chains, roughly 56.25 km. At first the line did not reach the government's Okayama Station; the gap was closed on 15 November 1904, when the Okayama–Okayama-shi section opened and Chūgoku Railway trains began running into the national railway's Okayama Station, giving the line its present southern terminus.

The line's northern end was reshaped by the growth of the inland network. On 1 August 1923 the original Tsuyama Station was renamed Tsuyama-guchi, and later that month the national railways opened the short Tsuyama-guchi–Tsuyama section as a branch of their Sakubi Line (the forerunner of today's Kishin Line); in 1924 the section became part of the Sakubi Line's main line. Through the 1900s to 1930s a string of intermediate stations and halts was added along the route, and in 1930 the line's distances were restated from miles into kilometres.

The Chūgoku Railway remained in private hands for nearly half a century. On 1 June 1944 the company's railway division was nationalised in a wartime purchase, and the route from Okayama via Tsuyama-guchi to the present Tsuyama Station became the Tsuyama Line of Japanese National Railways (JNR). Under JNR the line's first superior service, the semi-express "Hiruzen," began running in December 1960, joined by the semi-express "Sakyū" in 1962, and centralised traffic control was introduced over the whole line on 31 August 1982.

With the privatisation and break-up of JNR on 1 April 1987, the Tsuyama Line passed to the newly formed West Japan Railway Company, and freight operations on the line ended. JR West pursued further modernisation: one-man operation began on 1 June 1990, a line-wide speed-up programme was completed on 1 December 1996, and on 29 November 1997 the express "Sakyū" was withdrawn in favour of a new express "Tsuyama" and the rapid "Kotobuki."

Rockfall-triggered derailments closed the Tamagashi–Makiyama section in February 2005 and again in November 2006; the line reopened both times, the second time after rockfall countermeasures had been installed. In July 2018 heavy rain closed the whole line, and full service was not restored until 5 August. The express "Tsuyama" was discontinued in 2009, leaving the "Kotobuki" as the line's fast service. IC-card ticketing (ICOCA) reached the Okayama–Hōkaiin section in 2007 and Tsuyama Station in 2024; the stations in between remain outside the ICOCA area. The "Nostalgie" cars began running in 2016, and the tourist train "SAKU-bi SAKU-ra" in 2022.

17 stations tracked on the map, listed alphabetically. Select any to read its page.

• Bizen-Hara備前原
• Fukuwatari福渡
• Hokaiin法界院
• Kamenoko亀甲
• Kanagawa (Okayama)金川
• Kome神目
• Makiyama牧山
• Nonokuchi野々口
• Obara (Okayama)小原
• Okayama岡山
• Sarayama佐良山
• Takebe建部
• Tamagashi玉柏
• Tanjoji誕生寺
• Tsuyama津山
• Tsuyamaguchi津山口
• Yuge弓削

• 189630 April: the Chūgoku Railway, a private company, is established.
• 189821 December: the Chūgoku Railway opens its main line from Okayama-shi to Tsuyama, 34 miles 76 chains (≈56.25 km).
• 190014 April: Takebe Station opens.
• 190415 November: the Okayama–Okayama-shi section opens and Chūgoku Railway trains begin running into the national railway's Okayama Station, the line's present southern terminus.
• 19231 August: the original Tsuyama Station is renamed Tsuyama-guchi.
• 19241 May: the Tsuyama-guchi–Tsuyama section is incorporated into the main line of the Sakubi Line (later the Kishin Line).
• 19301 April: the line's distances are restated from miles into kilometres.
• 19441 June: the Chūgoku Railway's railway division is nationalised, and the Okayama–Tsuyama-guchi–Tsuyama route becomes the Tsuyama Line of Japanese National Railways (JNR).
• 19561 October: Obara Station opens.
• 196020 December: the semi-express "Hiruzen," the line's first superior service, begins operation.
• 19621 September: the semi-express "Sakyū" begins running (later upgraded to express in 1966).
• 198231 August: centralised traffic control (CTC) is introduced over the whole line.
• 19871 April: with the privatisation of JNR, the line passes to West Japan Railway Company (JR West); freight service ends.
• 19901 June: one-man operation begins on the line.
• 19961 December: a line-wide speed-up programme is completed.
• 199729 November: the express "Sakyū" is withdrawn; the express "Tsuyama" and the rapid "Kotobuki" begin service.
• 200913 March: the express "Tsuyama" is discontinued, leaving the rapid "Kotobuki" as the line's fast service.
• 20186 July: the whole line is closed by heavy rain; partial service resumes 17 July and full service on 5 August.
• 202421 September: Tsuyama Station joins the ICOCA IC-card area.