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Yunoyama Line

湯の山線

The Yunoyama Line (湯の山線, Yunoyama-sen) is a 15.4-kilometre railway line of the private operator Kintetsu Railway (Kinki Nippon Railway) in Mie Prefecture, running from Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station in the city of Yokkaichi to Yunoyama-Onsen Station in the town of Komono.

It is laid to 1,435 mm standard gauge and electrified at 1,500 V DC. Heading towards the foot of the Suzuka Mountains, it is chiefly a sightseeing route for the Yunoyama hot spring and Mount Gozaisho, but it also threads relatively densely built former post-town districts and large housing estates and high schools along the way, so it doubles as a daily commuter and school line for local residents.

Komono5 km
Route of the Yunoyama Line · Mie · Boundaries: MLIT / GSI / Japan Post

History

The line was not built by Kintetsu but by a private company, the Yokkaichi Railway, which received its railway licence for the Yokkaichi–Komono section on 17 November 1910. It opened in stages as a 762 mm narrow-gauge line: the first section, from Kawashima-mura Station (today's Ise-Kawashima) to Yunoyama Station (today's Yunoyama-Onsen), opened on 1 June 1913, followed by Suwa–Kawashima-mura on 24 September 1913. The line was extended to Yokkaichi Station on the national railway when the Yokkaichi–Suwa section opened on 5 March 1916.

The company electrified the Yokkaichi-shi–Yunoyama section in November 1921. On 18 March 1931 the Yokkaichi Railway was absorbed by the Mie Railway. In a consolidation of transport operators in Mie Prefecture, the Mie Railway and six other companies merged on 11 February 1944 to form Mie Kōtsū.

After the war the line remained a narrow-gauge electric railway. Several minor stations had been suspended by 1952, and in July 1954 Kawashima-mura was renamed Ise-Kawashima and Sakura-mura was renamed Sakura. A short new alignment between Kintetsu-Yokkaichi and Nakagawara opened on 23 September 1956.

On 1 February 1964 Mie Kōtsū split off its railway operations into a separate company, Mie Electric Railway. Just weeks later, in March 1964, the Yunoyama Line was regauged from 762 mm to 1,435 mm standard gauge and its voltage raised to 1,500 V DC; on the same day through-running with the Utsube and Hachiōji lines ended. The wider gauge let the line connect to Kintetsu's network: on 23 March 1964 Ōbaneen Station opened and through semi-express services with the Kintetsu Nagoya Line began. Mie Electric Railway was merged into Kintetsu Railway on 1 April 1965.

Limited-express operation began on 15 July 1965, with through trains onto the Nagoya and Osaka lines; from March 1983 the Osaka Line trains ran to and from Namba. The present terminus name, Yunoyama-Onsen, dates from 1 August 1970, when Yunoyama Station was renamed. An imperial special train ran on the line during Emperor Shōwa's visit on 24–25 May 1980.

From the late 1990s the limited-express network was wound back: the through limited expresses to the Nagoya Line ended on 18 March 1997 and to the Osaka Line on 17 March 1998, one-man local operation began on 16 March 1999, the remaining limited expresses were cut to weekends and holidays from 20 March 2002, and limited-express service ended altogether on 18 March 2004. Daytime frequency was trimmed from three to two trains per hour on 20 March 2012.

Stations on this line

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

Timeline
  • 191017 November: the Yokkaichi Railway receives its railway licence for the Yokkaichi–Komono section.
  • 19131 June: the Yokkaichi Railway opens Kawashima-mura (now Ise-Kawashima)–Yunoyama (now Yunoyama-Onsen) as a 762 mm narrow-gauge line; Suwa–Kawashima-mura follows on 24 September.
  • 19165 March: the Yokkaichi–Suwa section opens, extending the line to Yokkaichi Station on the national railway.
  • 19211 November: the Yokkaichi-shi–Yunoyama section is electrified.
  • 192729 November: the Yokkaichi-shi–Suwa section is closed and its right-of-way transferred to the Ise Electric Railway.
  • 193118 March: the Yokkaichi Railway is absorbed by the Mie Railway.
  • 194411 February: the Mie Railway and six other companies merge to form Mie Kōtsū.
  • 1954July: Kawashima-mura Station is renamed Ise-Kawashima and Sakura-mura Station is renamed Sakura.
  • 195623 September: a new alignment between Kintetsu-Yokkaichi and Nakagawara opens.
  • 1959The overhead voltage is raised from 600 V to 750 V DC.
  • 19641 February: Mie Kōtsū splits its railway operations off into Mie Electric Railway. March: the line is regauged from 762 mm to 1,435 mm standard gauge, voltage raised to 1,500 V DC, and through-running with the Utsube and Hachiōji lines ends. 23 March: Ōbaneen Station opens and semi-express through service to the Kintetsu Nagoya Line begins.
  • 19651 April: Mie Electric Railway is merged into Kintetsu Railway. 15 July: limited-express operation begins, with through trains onto the Nagoya and Osaka lines.
  • 19701 August: Yunoyama Station is renamed Yunoyama-Onsen.
  • 1983March: the Osaka Line through limited expresses begin running to and from Namba, coupled to Nagoya–Osaka limited expresses, with the trains joined or split at Shiroko.
  • 1998Through limited expresses to the Nagoya Line end (18 March 1997) and to the Osaka Line end (17 March 1998).
  • 200418 March: limited-express service on the line ends (having been cut to weekends and holidays only from 20 March 2002).
  • 201220 March: daytime frequency is reduced from three to two trains per hour.

Sources

Last updated 16 October 2026.

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