Flower Nagai Line

{{Infobox rail line

| box_width =

| name = Flower Nagai Line

| native_name = フラワー長井線

| color = hotpink

| logo =

| logo_width =

| image = Flower line akayu station 2006-12-16.jpg

| image_width = 300px

| caption = A Flower Nagai Line train at Akayu station in December 2006

| system =

| status = In operation

| locale = Yamagata Prefecture

| start = {{STN|Akayu|x}}

| end = {{STN|Arato|x}}

| stations = 17

| routes =

| daily_ridership =

| open = 1913

| close =

| owner = Yamagata Railway

| type = Regional rail

| operator = Yamagata Railway

| character = Rural

| depot =

| stock = YR-880 series DMU

| linelength = {{convert|30.5|km|abbr=on}}

| tracklength =

| tracks = Entire line single tracked

| gauge = {{track gauge|1067mm|lk=on}}

| electrification = None

| speed = 85 km/h (53 mph)

| elevation =

| map =

{{routemap

| title = Flower Nagai Line

| title-bg = hotpink

| inline = 1

| map =

~~ ~~ ~~JR East：Yamagata Shinkansen

STRq\BHFq!~HUBa~~ ~~ ~~JR East Ōu Main Line（Yamagata Line）

STR+l\KBHFeq!~HUBe~~0.0~~{{STN|Akayu|x}}

BHF\~~0.9~~{{STN|Nanyō-Shiyakusho|x}}

BHF\~~3.0~~{{STN|Miyauchi|x|Yamagata}}

BHF\~~4.4~~{{STN|Orihata|x}}

BHF\~~6.8~~{{STN|Ringō|x}}

hKRZWae\~~Mogami River

BHF\~~10.3~~{{STN|Nishi-Ōtsuka|x}}

ABZg+l\STRq~~ ~~ ~~JR East：Yonesaka Line

BHF\~~12.2~~{{STN|Imaizumi|x}}

hKRZWae\~~Shirakawa River

eDST\~~ ~~Shirakawa Signal Stop~~-1984

ABZgl\STRq~~ ~~ ~~JR East：Yonesaka Line

BHF\~~14.9~~{{STN|Tokiniwa|x}}

BHF\~~17.3~~{{STN|Minami-Nagai|x}}

BHF\~~18.3~~{{STN|Nagai|x|Yamagata}}

BHF\~~19.1~~{{STN|Ayame-Kōen|x}}

BHF\~~21.0~~{{STN|Uzen-Narita|x}}

BHF\~~23.2~~{{STN|Shirousagi|x}}

BHF\~~24.6~~{{STN|Koguwa|x}}

BHF\~~27.9~~{{STN|Ayukai|x}}

BHF\~~28.6~~{{STN|Shikinosato|x}}

hKRZWae\~~Mogami River

KBHFe\~~30.5~~{{STN|Arato|x}}

}}

| map_state = collapsed

}}

The {{nihongo|Flower Nagai Line|フラワー長井線|Furawā-Nagai-sen}} is a Japanese railway line in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It connects Akayu Station in Nanyō to Arato Station in Shirataka.

The Flower Nagai Line is the only line operated by {{nihongo|Yamagata Railway Company|山形鉄道|Yamagata Tetsudō}}, a third-sector railway company which took over the former JR East line in 1988.

In 2005, Yamagata Railway was in danger of having to shut down due to low patronage, leaving many residents, especially the young and old, without a mode of transportation from their farms. The only option available to the company was to try to attract more tourists to the scenic views. A lone train operator, Tatsuo Asakura, working without the knowledge of his superiors, increased out-of-town passengers from 350 in 2005 to 7,000 in 2006, and in September 2008 had entertained more than 20,000 tourists with his uplifting guided tours, spoken in local dialect.{{cite news| url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080909jk.html| work=The Japan Times Online| title=Words to Live By - Tatsuo Asakura| author=Judit Kawaguchi| date=September 9, 2008}}

Operation

Six single-car diesel multiple units (YR-880 Series) serve the line, running from {{STN|Akayu|x}} to {{STN|Arato|x}} once every one to two hours.

Rolling Stock

=YR-880 Series=

Eight single-car diesel multiple units were built by Niigata Transys in 1988 and 1990 for the Flower Nagai Line, using the Niigata Transys NDC model. Six units exist as of 2018. One unit, YR-881 has been scrapped in 2003, and YR-885 had been scrapped in 2015.{{cn|date=December 2018}}

=MCR4A Series=

A snow blower car manufactured by Niigata Transys, one unit has been manufactured.{{cn|date=December 2018}}

History

October 26, 1913: {{STN|Akayu|x}} - {{STN|Ringō|x}} section opens
November 15, 1914: {{STN|Ringō|x}} - {{STN|Nagai|x|Yamagata}} section opens
December 11, 1922: {{STN|Nagai|x|Yamagata}} - {{STN|Ayukai|x}} section opens
April 22, 1923: {{STN|Ayukai|x}} - {{STN|Arato|x}} segment opens, completing the line
November 15, 1954: Diesel multiple units replace steam engines on the line
June 1, 1959: Miyauchi Station opens
May 20, 1960: Minami-Nagai Station opens
October 28, 1986: Government designates line for closure
April 1, 1987: Line inherited by JR East following privatization of JNR
October 10, 1988: Line transferred from JR East to Yamagata Railway Company
December 15, 1989: Shirousagi Station opens
October 23, 1997: Centralized traffic control (CTC) introduced
June 9, 2002: Ayame-Kōen Station opens
October 13, 2007: Shikinosato Station opens