Kesennuma Line

{{Infobox rail line

| box_width =

| name = Kesennuma Line

| native_name = 気仙沼線

| color =

| logo =

| logo_width =

| image = Eki-Motoyoshi.JPG

| image_width = 300px

| caption = North and southbound trains at Motoyoshi Station, April 2005

| type =

| system =

| status = In operation
(Maeyachi - Yanaizu as a railway)
(Yanaizu - Kesennuma as a BRT route)

| locale = Miyagi Prefecture

| start = Maeyachi Station

| end = Kesennuma Station

| stations = 23 (Only 6 are railway stations following the 2011 disaster)

| routes =

| daily_ridership =

| open = 11 February 1957

| close = 1 April 2020 (Section between Yanaizu - Kesennuma was replaced by bus rapid transit in December 2012 but was only formally closed in 2020)

| owner = JR East

| operator = JR East

| character = Mainly rural with some more urban areas

| depot =

| stock = KiHa 110 series DMU, Hino Blue Ribbon City Bus

| linelength = {{Convert|72.8|km|abbr=on}} (Until 2011)
17.5 km (10.9 mi) (After 2011)

| tracklength =

| tracks = Entire line single tracked

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

| electrification = None

| speed = 85 km/h (53 mph)

| elevation =

| map = 250px

| map_state =

}}

{{routemap

|title =Route map

|collapse =yes

|map =

KBHFaq grey\KBHFeq grey~~ ~~Services suspended indefinitely

gKBHFaq\gKBHFeq~~ ~~ BRT service area

|map2=

CONTg~~ ~~ ~~Ishinomaki Line

\BHF!~HUBaq\gKBHFa!~HUBeq~~0.0~~{{STN|Maeyachi|x}}

CONTgq\ABZgr\gSTR~~ ~~ ~~Ishinomaki Line

\BHF\gSTR~~3.2~~{{STN|Wabuchi|x}}

\BHF\gSTR~~6.2~~{{STN|Nonodake|x}}

\BHF\gSTR~~10.3~~{{STN|Rikuzen-Toyosato|x}}

\BHF\gSTR~~13.6~~{{STN|Mitakedō|x}}

\hKRZWae\gSTR~~Kitakami River

\KBHFa grey!~KBHFe\gBHF~~17.5~~{{STN|Yanaizu|x|Miyagi}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~22.3~~{{STN|Rikuzen-Yokoyama|x}}

\TUNNEL1 grey\gSTR~~ ~~Yokoyama Tunnel~~ ~~3,508 m

\BHF grey\gBHF~~29.5~~{{STN|Rikuzen-Togura|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~33.7~~{{STN|Shizugawa|x}}

\TUNNEL1 grey\gSTR~~ ~~Shizugawa Tunnel~~ ~~2,136 m

\STR grey\gBHF~~36.1~~{{STN|Bayside Arena|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~38.2~~{{STN|Shizuhama|x}}

\TUNNEL1 grey\gSTR

\BHF grey\gBHF~~42.3~~{{STN|Utatsu|x}}

\TUNNEL1 grey\gSTR

\BHF grey\gBHF~~44.9~~{{STN|Rikuzen-Minato|x}}

\TUNNEL1 grey\gSTR

\BHF grey\gBHF~~46.7~~{{STN|Kurauchi|x}}

\TUNNEL1 grey\gSTR

\BHF grey\gBHF~~48.7~~{{STN|Rikuzen-Koizumi|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~51.5~~{{STN|Motoyoshi|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~54.6~~{{STN|Koganezawa|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~58.3~~{{STN|Ōya-Kaigan|x}}

\STR grey\gBHF~~ ~~{{STN|Otanimachi|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~61.6~~{{STN|Rikuzen-Hashikami|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~63.3~~{{STN|Saichi|x}}

\BHF grey\gBHF~~65.6~~{{STN|Matsuiwa|x}}

exSTR+l\exSTR+r!~STR grey\gSTR

exSTR\BHF grey\gBHF~~68.3~~{{STN|Minami-Kesennuma|x}}

exKDSTe\STR grey\gSTR~~69.6~~Kesennumakō

\BHF grey\gBHF~~69.6~~{{STN|Fudōnosawa|x}}

KBHFeq grey!~KBHFaq\STRr grey!~STRq\gmKRZo~~72.8~~{{STN|Kesennuma|x}}

gBHFq\gSTRq\gSTRr~~ ~~ ~~Ōfunato Line

}}

The {{Nihongo|Kesennuma Line|気仙沼線|Kesennuma-sen}} is a local railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connected Maeyachi Station in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi to Kesennuma Station in the city of Kesennuma, Miyagi. The route links the north-eastern coast of Miyagi Prefecture, with the Ishinomaki Line (and the Tohoku Main Line a few stops farther) available for transfer in the south, and the Ōfunato Line in the north.

A large section of the railway infrastructure between Minami-Kesennuma Station and Rikuzen-Togura Station, including tracks, stations, and railway bridges, were badly damaged or destroyed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Destroyed stations include Minami-Kesennuma (except for the platform){{cite news|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110312004840.htm |title=Kesennuma described as 'hellish sight' |last=Akiyama |first=Hironari |author2=Ishibashi, Takeharu |date=13 March 2011 |work=Yomiuri Shimbun |access-date=16 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316043821/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110312004840.htm |archive-date=16 March 2011 |url-status=dead }} 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 (BRT) route on 27 December 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.asahi.com/travel/rail/news/TKY201112270516.html |title=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 |website=www.asahi.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227131249/http://www.asahi.com/travel/rail/news/TKY201112270516.html |archive-date=2011-12-27}} At present only the Maeyachi to Yanaizu section is operated as a railway, with services on the balance of the route provided by buses.

An autonomous driving system has been being tested on the BRT line since 2018 and has been fully implemented since 5 December 2022.{{cite web |url=https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/business/companies/20221203-74717/ |title=JR East's self-driving bus to begin operations in Miyagi|date=3 December 2022|website=The Japan News }}

Service

Although the Kesennuma Line's south end is Maeyachi, its operational south end should be considered Kogota Station in Misato, as the majority of Kesennuma Line trains either have Kogota as their south terminus or go through it on the way to Sendai. Trains going this far also stop at Kami-Wakuya (local only) and Wakuya Stations in Wakuya, Miyagi on the Ishinomaki Line.

file:JRE DC110 100.jpg|KiHa 110 series diesel multiple unit

file:JR-East-Kesennuma-line-BRT-2220.jpg|Hino Blue Ribbon City bus used on the Kesennuma BRT

Station list

Greyed-out stations have been closed since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and operate only as bus stops for the JR East BRT route.

class=wikitable

!Station name

!Japanese

!Distance
from previous station

!Distance from Maeyachi

!Local train

! BRT

!Transfers

!Location

| 前谷地

| -

| 0.0