JR Hokkaido overlap with other JR company?

[scott]

I was looking at this 900kb pdf map of JR Hokkaido services, and there are some sections that are in gray and not labeled. Anybody know what company is covering those stations? I assume JR Hokkaido uses the same tracks as the other unnamed service, at least sometimes.

[CaptOblivious]

That's interesting, and surprisingly hard to find information on!

 

I focused on the line labeled "Sapporo~Hokkaido—Iryodaigaku", although it's normally called (as I've painfully discovered) the Gakuen Toshi Line. The gray line that extends from it after station G14 is called the Sassho Line, and is also operated by JR Hokkaido, but it is apparently a small rural line—some information on it can be had here:

http://hisaai.hp.infoseek.co.jp/JRHokkaido/doo/Ss_s_eg.html

 

Information about all JR Hokkaido lines is available here, including those in gray (you'll have to dig just a little):

http://hisaai.hp.infoseek.co.jp/JRHokkaido/index_eg.html

[bill937ca]

Without doing a lot of research, I suspect those gray lines are former JNR lines now operated by third-sector lines.

[CaptOblivious]

third-sector lines

 

What are those?  <----ignorant

 

The other question I forgot to ask was--at what point does service switch from JR East to JR Hokkaido? Is there a place where JR East service ends and you change trains, or does JR East also serve some cities on Hokkaido?

 

A third-sector line is basically any Japanese railroad that's not JR. Roughly. But I don't think these are third-sector lines—I can't find any reference to a third-sector railroad that operates in Hokkaido (But if there is, I know Bill's got one ready…). Anyway, the stuff to the south, around Hakodate, is definitely in the hands of JR Hokkaido (with services from JR East).

 

And, here's where you transfer from JR East to JR Hokkaido: Hakodate Station. I don't think that JR East services any station in Hokkaido besides Hakodate, but again, I could be wrong (can't find a concrete timetable for the Hakucho or Super Hakucho services between Hachinohe and Hakodate).

[CaptOblivious]

Any objections, PilotFish, Bill? to me splitting this thread to make Bill's interesting posts on third-sector railways a little easier to find?

[scott]

Not from me, certainly--I think they'd make a great "sticky" in "Prototypes."

[bikkuri bahn]

Scott, the grey lines are all JR lines.  They simply lack the alphanumeric codes that have been added to other stations to aid foreign visitors who can't read or understand Japanese.  I suppose JR Hokkaido deems these lines or the areas they serve of insufficient interest to visitors from abroad, so they haven't bothered to designate them.  As for third sector railways, there used to be one in Hokkaido- the Hokkaido "Furusato Ginga Line" running between Ikeda and Kitami (the former JNR Chihoku Line).  It was abandoned in 2006, and the remaining passengers (mainly high school students and elderly) were diverted to bus service.

[scott]

Thanks!

 

suppose JR Hokkaido deems these lines or the areas they serve of insufficient interest to visitors from abroad, so they haven't bothered to designate them.

 

That just makes me want to ride them more....  :)

[bikkuri bahn]

 

Thanks!

 

suppose JR Hokkaido deems these lines or the areas they serve of insufficient interest to visitors from abroad, so they haven't bothered to designate them.

 

That just makes me want to ride them more....   :)

 

The one on the extreme right is the Hanasaki Line (technically the easternmost section of the Hakodate Main Line) between Kushiro and Nemuro.  I lived in Nemuro for two years, and would take this line several times a week.  FYI Higashi-Nemuro station is the easternmost railway station in Japan- though it's just a halt with a platform.