Iyotetsu

Iyo Railway Co., Ltd.
Iyotetsu (伊予鉄)
Native name
伊予鉄道株式会社
TypeKabushiki gaisha
IndustryTransport
FoundedSeptember 14, 1887 (1887-09-14) in Takahama, Shikoku, Japan
Headquarters4-4-1 Minatomachi,
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
,
Japan
Area served
Matsuyama and surrounding area
Websitewww.iyotetsu.co.jp

Iyo Railway Co., Ltd. (伊予鉄道株式会社, Iyo Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha), commonly known as Iyotetsu, is the main transport provider in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan. The company operates railway, tram, and bus lines, and also has many subsidiaries, including a bank, department stores, travel agencies, and various other businesses.

History

The company was founded on September 14, 1887. Its Takahama railway line, the first in Shikoku, was opened on October 28, 1888. In addition to being the first railway in Shikoku, it was also the third private railway in Japan. It is named after the former Iyo Province.

The first tramway was electrified in 1911, whilst the entire tram network was changed from 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge in 1923.

Services

Railway

System route map

Iyotetsu operates three railway lines, all of which connect Matsuyama to the surrounding region. They are known locally in Japanese as kougai densha (郊外電車; lit. 'suburban trains'):

Takahama Line

This 9.4 km line opened as 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge in 1888, and was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), double-tracked to Baishinji (8.2 km) and electrified at 600 V DC in 1931. This line is still electrified at 600 V DC, not increased to 750 V DC as Yokogawara or Gunchū Lines. The Takahama Line and the Ōtemachi Tramline have one of the few remaining rail/tram level crossings in Japan.

Yokogawara Line

This 13.2 km line opened as 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge in 1893, and was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) in 1931. Steam locomotives were replaced by diesel traction in 1954, and the line was electrified at 750 V DC in 1967. Through services to and from the Takahama line commenced in 1981.

Gunchū Line

The initial 10.7 km line was opened as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line in 1896 by the South Iyo Railway. Iyotetsu acquired it through merger in 1900. It was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) in 1937. In 1939, a 600 m extension opened to Gunchuko, enabling a transfer to JR Iyo Station (today Iyoshi on the Yosan Line. The line was electrified in 1950 at 600 V DC, increased to 750 V DC in 1976.

CTC signalling was introduced on the rail system in 1993.

Former connecting lines

A 4.4 km 762 mm gauge line opened from Iyo Tachibana (on the Yokogawara Line) to Morimatsu in 1896, the line being regauged to 1,067 mm in 1931. The line closed in 1965.

Tram

Iyotetsu operates a system of five interconnected tram lines within Matsuyama, known locally in Japanese as shinai densha (市内電車; lit. 'inter-city trains').

Diagram of the tram network, illustrating the various routes

Lines

There are officially five lines, as follows:

Routes

There are five routes regularly in service, which use one or more lines above:

  • ■ Route 1 - Loop Line (clockwise): Matsuyama City Station → JR Matsuyama Station → Kiyachō → Kami-Ichiman → Ōkaidō → Matsuyama City Station
  • ■ Route 2 - Loop Line (counter-clockwise): Matsuyama City Station → Ōkaidō → Kami-Ichiman → Kiyachō → JR Matsuyama Station → Matsuyama City Station
  • ■ Route 3: Dōgo Onsen — Ōkaidō — Matsuyama City Station
  • ■ Route 5: Dōgo Onsen — Ōkaidō — JR Matsuyama Station
  • ■ Route 6: Dōgo Onsen — Hommachi 6

(Route 4 is skipped, as the number 'four' in Japanese is pronounced the same as the word "death".)

Bus

Iyotetsu local bus

The company operates highway buses which links Matsuyama to various major cities in Japan, including Tokyo/Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka/Kyoto, Kobe, Okayama, Fukuyama, Fukuoka, Tokushima, Takamatsu, and Kōchi. It also operates a local network in and around the city, including services that operate to and from Matsuyama Airport.

Rolling stock

Heavy rail

Trams

Two 5000 series low-floor tramcars (numbers 5001 and 5002) were delivered in September 2017, scheduled to enter revenue service on 21 September 2017.

Former rolling stock

Botchan Ressha

Botchan Ressha turning at Matsuyama City Station

Iyo Railway also operates the Botchan Ressha, diesel-powered replicas of the original Iyotetsu steam locomotives, well-known from Natsume Sōseki's famous 1906 novel Botchan. The current Botchan Ressha, operating on two of the city lines since 2001, reproduces the atmosphere of early Meiji era train travel in Matsuyama.

See also

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.

  1. ↑ "Yuichiro Kishi, "Railway Operators in Japan 13: Shikoku Region", Japan Railway & Transport Review 39 (2004): 44". Archived from the original on 2011-09-22. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  2. ↑ Brown, Colin (2007). "Tramway Opening and Closure Dates". Bullet-In Issue 61, p.25
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. pp. 170, 301. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  4. ↑ Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第2巻 四国西部エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 2 Western Shikoku] (in Japanese). Kodansha. p. 18. ISBN 9784062951616.
  5. ↑ Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第2巻 四国西部エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 2 Western Shikoku] (in Japanese). Kodansha. p. 86. ISBN 9784062951616.
  6. ↑ Imao, Keisuke (2009). 日本鉄道旅行地図帳 11号 中国四国―全線・全駅・全廃線 (11) [Japan Rail Travel Atlas No. 11 Chugoku Shikoku - all lines, all stations and disused lines] (in Japanese). Mook. p. 55. ISBN 9784107900296.
  7. ↑ "伊予鉄高速バス【公式予約】". Iyotetsu (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  8. ↑ 伊予鉄道、67年ぶり新型車両「7000系」の運行開始 [Iyotetsu's first new train in 67 years, the 7000 series, enters revenue service]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  9. ↑ 伊予鉄道5000形が古町車両工場に搬入される [Iyo Railway 5000 series delivered to Komachi Depot]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  10. ↑ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (2017-09-25). "ゆったり乗車できます 松山・伊予鉄路面電車に新型ＬＲＴ５０００系車両導入". 産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-21.