Obama Line

The corridor has its origins in the railway-building plans of the Meiji period. In 1895 the Railway Construction Act was amended to add, under the Hokuriku Line programme, "a railway from Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture via Obama in Fukui Prefecture to Tsuruga" — the route the Obama Line would eventually follow. Land surveys for the line were carried out in 1911, and construction began in May 1915.

The line was opened in stages from the Tsuruga end. The first segment, from Tsuruga to Tomura, opened on 15 December 1917, a distance recorded at the time as 18.2 miles (about 29.29 km). It was extended westward to Obama on 10 November 1918, and on to Wakasa-Takahama on 3 April 1921.

The final segment, from Wakasa-Takahama to Shin-Maizuru, opened on 20 December 1922, completing the through route and connecting it to what would become the Maizuru Line. With this the coastal link between Tsuruga and the Maizuru area was finished. On 1 April 1930 the line's distances were converted from miles to kilometres, the route's length being set at 84.3 km, and on 1 June 1939 its western terminus, Shin-Maizuru Station, was renamed Higashi-Maizuru Station.

Under Japanese National Railways the Obama Line was modernised through the postwar decades. Diesel railcars were introduced on 1 March 1961, replacing steam haulage on passenger services, and automatic train stop (ATS) equipment was brought into use across the whole line on 20 January 1966. A number of new stations were added during the early 1960s as local traffic grew.

With the breakup and privatisation of Japanese National Railways on 1 April 1987, the line passed to the newly formed West Japan Railway Company. JR West reorganised local operations, setting up the Obama Railway Division in 1991, and began one-man (driver-only) operation on 14 March 1992. Freight trains between Tsuruga and Matsuoji were discontinued on 22 March 1997 as the line's role narrowed to local passenger service.

The most significant change of the JR West era was electrification. Work began on 15 July 2000, and on 15 March 2003 the entire Tsuruga–Higashi-Maizuru route was electrified at 1,500 V DC, with new 113-series and 125-series electric trains taking over from the diesel railcars. Operations were later standardised on 125-series units, and from 14 March 2020 all trains on the line ran as one-man services. Today the Obama Line remains a single-track regional route carrying local traffic along the Wakasa Bay coast under JR West.

• 1895The Railway Construction Act is amended to add, under the Hokuriku Line programme, a railway from Maizuru via Obama to Tsuruga — the future Obama Line route.
• 1915May: construction of the line begins (land surveys having been carried out in 1911).
• 191715 December: the first segment, Tsuruga–Tomura (18.2 miles ≒ 29.29 km), opens.
• 191810 November: the line is extended from Tomura to Obama (12.5 miles ≒ 20.12 km).
• 19213 April: the line is extended from Obama to Wakasa-Takahama (12.1 miles ≒ 19.47 km).
• 192220 December: the final segment, Wakasa-Takahama–Shin-Maizuru (9.6 miles ≒ 15.45 km), opens, completing the through line. EN Wikipedia gives the date as 10 December 1922; the JA date is used per the project's JA-deference policy.
• 19301 April: the line's distances are converted from miles to kilometres (52.4 mi → 84.3 km).
• 19391 June: the western terminus, Shin-Maizuru Station, is renamed Higashi-Maizuru Station.
• 19611 March: diesel railcars are introduced, replacing steam haulage on passenger services.
• 196620 January: automatic train stop (ATS) equipment is brought into use across the whole line.
• 19871 April: with the breakup and privatisation of Japanese National Railways, the line passes to the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
• 19911 April: JR West establishes the Obama Railway Division to manage local operations.
• 199214 March: one-man (driver-only) operation begins on the line.
• 199722 March: freight trains between Tsuruga and Matsuoji are discontinued.
• 200015 July: electrification work on the line begins.
• 200315 March: the entire Tsuruga–Higashi-Maizuru route is electrified at 1,500 V DC; new 113-series and 125-series electric trains take over from the diesel railcars.
• 202014 March: all trains on the line are converted to one-man (driver-only) operation.