Kesennuma Line BRT and Ōfunato Line BRT
| Kesennuma Line BRT | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | East Japan Railway Company |
| Began service | August 20, 2012 |
| Route | |
| Route type | Bus rapid transit |
| Locale | Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Start | Maeyachi Station |
| End | Kesennuma Station |
| Length | 72.8 km (45.2 mi) |
| Stops | 26 |
| Ōfunato Line BRT | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | East Japan Railway Company |
| Began service | March 2, 2013 |
| Route | |
| Route type | Bus rapid transit |
| Locale | Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Start | Kesennuma Station |
| End | Sakari Station |
| Length | 43.7 km (27.2 mi) |
| Stops | 27 |
The Kesennuma Line BRT (気仙沼線BRT, Kesennuma-sen BRT) and Ōfunato Line BRT (大船渡線BRT, Ōfunato-sen BRT) are a bus rapid transit line in Iwate Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
History
Kesennuma Line BRT
Originally a railway from end to end, the line was severely damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, with tracks, stations, and railway bridges between Minami-Kesennuma Station and Rikuzen-Togura Station sustaining major damage. Destroyed stations included Minami-Kesennuma (except for the platform)[1] and Shizugawa Station, as well as various others. As a result of the catastrophic damage to the line and prohibitive costs of restoration as a railway, JR East officially proposed the line's conversion into a dedicated bus rapid transit route on 27 December 2011.[2] The buses have been Level 2 self-driving since December 2022.[3][4]
Ōfunato Line BRT
The eastern section of the Ōfunato Line, a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company, suffered severe damage in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Although other sections of the line resumed operation in January 2012, the eastern section between Kesennuma and Sakari remained closed, and in February 2012, JR East formally proposed to close this section and utilize the site as a bus rapid transit (BRT) line.[5]
The first section of the busway replacing the Kesennuma – Sakari section opened in March 2013.
Station list
- Express trains do not stop at station “○”.
- Light green (■) indicates a dedicated road section, and light blue (■) indicates a general road section.
- The ＋ in the station name indicates a new station after BRT conversion.
Kesennuma Line
| Station name | Distance (km) from | Via Akaiwaminato | Via Kesennuma City Hospital | Connections | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| previous station | Maeyachi | |||||
| Maeyachi Station | - | (-17.5) | ● | Ishinomaki Line, Kesennuma Line | Ishinomaki | |
| Yanaizu Station | 17.5 | 0.0 | ● | Kesennuma Line | Tome | |
| Rikuzen-Yokoyama Station | 4.8 | 4.8 | ● | |||
| Rikuzen-Togura Station | 7.2 | 12.0 | ● | Minamisanriku | ||
| Shizugawa Station | 4.2 | 16.2 | ● | |||
| Minami-Sanriku Town Office·Hospital Station＋ | 0.8 | 17.0 | ○ | |||
| Shizugawa-Chūōdanchi Station＋ | 1.1 | 18.1 | ○ | |||
| Shizuhama Station | 2.6 | 20.7 | ● | |||
| Utatsu Station | 4.1 | 24.8 | ● | |||
| Rikuzen-Minato Station | 2.6 | 27.4 | ● | |||
| Kurauchi Station | 1.8 | 29.2 | ● | Kesennuma | ||
| Rikuzen-Koizumi Station | 2.0 | 31.2 | ● | |||
| Motoyoshi Station | 2.8 | 34.0 | ● | ● | ||
| Koganezawa Station | 3.1 | 37.1 | ● | ● | ||
| Ōya-Kaigan Station | 3.7 | 40.8 | ● | ● | ||
| Ōyamachi Station＋ | 1.1 | 41.9 | ● | ● | ||
| Rikuzen-Hashikami Station | 2.2 | 44.1 | ● | ● | ||
| Saichi Station | 1.7 | 45.8 | ● | ● | ||
| Iwatsuki Station＋ | 1.0 | 46.8 | ● | ● | ||
| Matsuiwa Station | 1.3 | 48.1 | ● | ● | ||
| Akaiwaminato Station＋ | 1.3 | 49.4 | ● | ∥ | ||
| Kesennuma City Hospital Station＋ | 0.3 | 49.7 | ∥ | ● | ||
| Minami-Kesennuma Station | 1.1 | 50.8 | ● | ● | ||
| Fudōnosawa Station | 1.3 | 52.1 | ● | ● | ||
| Higashi-Shinjō Station＋ | 1.4 | 53.5 | ● | ● | ||
| Kesennuma Station | 1.8 | 55.3 | ● | ● | Ōfunato Line, Ōfunato Line BRT | |
Ōfunato Line
| Station name | Distance (km) from | Kesennuma section | Kami-Shishiori section | Rikuzen-Yahagi section | Connections | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| previous station | Kesennuma | |||||||
| Kesennuma Station | - | 0.0 | ● | ● | Ōfunato Line, Kesennuma Line BRT | Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture | ||
| Naiwan-Iriguchi (Yōkamachi) Station＋ | 1.0 | 1.0 | ● | ※ | ||||
| Shishiori-Karakuwa Station | 1.2 | 2.2 | ● | ● | ||||
| Hachiman-Ōhashi (Tōryō High School) Station＋ | 1.1 | 3.3 | ● | ∥ | ||||
| Kami-Shishiori Station | 4.2 | 7.5 | ∥ | ● | ||||
| Driving on the Sanriku Coast Expressway | ||||||||
| Karakuwaōsawa Station＋ | 6.0 | 13.5 | ● | |||||
| Osabe Station＋ | 2.3 | 15.8 | ● | Iwate Prefecture | Rikuzentakata | |||
| Rikuzen-Yahagi Station | 1.7 | 17.5 | ∥ | ● | ||||
| Rikuzen-Imaizumi Station＋ | 2.7 | 20.2 | ○ | ∥ | ||||
| Kiseki-no-Ippon-Matsu Station＋ | 0.2 | 20.4 | ● | ∥ | ||||
| Takekoma Station | 0.1 | 20.5 | ∥ | ● | ||||
| Tochigasawa-Kōen Park Station＋ | 1.2 | 21.7 | ∥ | ● | ||||
| Rikuzen-Takata Station | 1.7 | 23.4 | ● | ● | ||||
| Takatakōkōmae Station＋ | 0.8 | 24.2 | ○ | ● | ||||
| Takata Hospital Station＋ | 1.4 | 25.6 | ○ | ● | ||||
| Wakinosawa Station | 0.7 | 26.3 | ● | ● | ||||
| Nishishita Station＋ | 2.1 | 28.4 | ● | ● | ||||
| Otomo Station | 2.4 | 30.8 | ● | ● | ||||
| Goishikaiganguchi Station＋ | 2.6 | 33.4 | ● | ● | Ōfunato | |||
| Hosoura Station | 1.7 | 35.1 | ● | ● | ||||
| Ōfunatomarumori Station＋ | 1.7 | 36.8 | ● | ● | ||||
| Shimofunato Station | 1.4 | 38.2 | ● | ● | ||||
| Ōfunato Fish Market Station＋ | 1.5 | 39.7 | ● | ● | ||||
| Ōfunato Station | 1.4 | 41.1 | ● | ● | ||||
| Jinomori Station＋ | 0.9 | 42.0 | ● | ● | ||||
| Tamoyama Station＋ | 1.0 | 43.0 | ● | ● | ||||
| Sakari Station | 0.7 | 43.7 | ● | ● | Rias Line | |||
References
- ^ Akiyama, Hironari; Ishibashi, Takeharu (13 March 2011). "Kesennuma described as 'hellish sight'". Yomiuri Shimbun. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "Asahi.com（朝日新聞社）：気仙沼線のバス専用道化を正式提示 ＪＲ東が地元に - 鉄道 - トラベル". www.asahi.com. Archived from the original on 2011-12-27.
- ^ "JR East's self-driving bus to begin operations in Miyagi". The Japan News. 3 December 2022.
- ^ "気仙沼線 BRT における自動運転レベル4認証取得を目指します" [Challenging self-driving Level 4 approval of Kesennuma Line BRT] (PDF). JR East (in Japanese). 4 April 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ 被災２路線、廃止しバス専用道提案へ ＪＲ東、岩手県に [JR East proposes to scrap two lines and convert to bus routes]. The Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
External links
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