Taita Line

The line began not as a state project but as a light railway. The Tōnō Railway — a company distinct from the later 1944 firm of the same name — opened a 762 mm narrow-gauge line of about 11.9 km between Shin-Tajimi and Hiromi (the present-day Kani) on 28 December 1918. The little railway was extended onward from Hiromi toward Mitake in 1920, and at this stage Hiromi Station stood east of its present site.

Because the Tōnō Railway's route overlapped a government plan for a railway connecting Tajimi and Mino-Ōta, the Shin-Tajimi–Hiromi section was nationalised on 25 September 1926 and named the Taita Line. The remaining Hiromi–Mitake stretch was handed to the newly established Tōmi Railway, and that line later became part of what is today the Meitetsu Hiromi Line.

The line was completed on 1 October 1928, when the Hiromi–Mino-Ōta section opened. At the same time the original Tajimi–Hiromi portion was regauged from 762 mm to the standard Japanese 1,067 mm — partly along a newly built alignment — and Hiromi Station was moved to its current location. In 1930 the line's operating distance was restated from miles to metric, becoming 17.8 km. Diesel railcar operation began on 15 March 1934, and three additional stations — Nemoto, Shimogiri and Mino-Kawai — were opened in December 1952.

Through the postwar decades the Taita Line settled into the role of a quiet local route. Steam haulage ended with the line's de-steaming on 1 October 1969, and in 1982 Hiromi Station was renamed Kani. With the division and privatisation of the Japanese National Railways on 1 April 1987 the line was taken over by JR Central, and freight operations over the whole line were discontinued at the same time.

Under JR Central the line was steadily modernised. One-man (driver-only) operation was introduced on 20 February 1989, and on 10 March 1990 through services began running between Tajimi and Gifu over the Takayama Main Line, alongside a seat-reserved commuter "Home Liner Taita" that ran via the Chūō Main Line to Nagoya. Centralised traffic control (CTC) was commissioned in October 1993, and the TOICA smart-card system was extended across the whole line on 13 March 2010.

Today the Taita Line is a commuter and school route serving an increasingly built-up corridor, with most trains stopping at every station and many continuing through to Gifu via the Takayama Main Line. The "Home Liner Taita" was withdrawn on 17 March 2012, ending the last regular through service onto the Chūō Main Line, so scheduled trains now stay within Gifu Prefecture. Station numbering and a dedicated line colour, with the line code "CI", were introduced in March 2018.

• 191828 December: the Tōnō Railway opens a 762 mm narrow-gauge light railway, Shin-Tajimi–Hiromi (about 11.9 km), the origin of the present line.
• 1920The Tōnō Railway is extended from Hiromi toward Mitake.
• 192625 September: the Shin-Tajimi–Hiromi section is nationalised and named the Taita Line; the Hiromi–Mitake section passes to the newly formed Tōmi Railway (later part of the Meitetsu Hiromi Line).
• 19281 October: the Hiromi–Mino-Ōta section opens, completing the line; the Tajimi–Hiromi portion is regauged to 1,067 mm (partly on a new alignment) and Hiromi Station is relocated.
• 19301 April: the operating distance is converted from miles to metric, becoming 17.8 km.
• 193415 March: diesel railcar (DMU) operation begins between Tajimi and Mino-Ōta.
• 195226 December: Nemoto (second generation), Shimogiri and Mino-Kawai stations open.
• 19691 October: steam locomotive operation ends on the line (de-steaming).
• 19821 April: Hiromi Station is renamed Kani Station.
• 19871 April: with the division and privatisation of Japanese National Railways, JR Central takes over the line; all freight operations are discontinued.
• 198920 February: one-man (driver-only) operation is introduced.
• 199010 March: through services between Tajimi and Gifu begin via the Takayama Main Line, and the seat-reserved 'Home Liner Taita' commuter train begins running to Nagoya via the Chūō Main Line.
• 1993October: centralised traffic control (CTC) is commissioned.
• 201013 March: the TOICA smart-card system is introduced across the whole line.
• 201217 March: the 'Home Liner Taita' is withdrawn, ending through services onto the Chūō Main Line.
• 2018March: station numbering and a line colour are introduced; the line code is 'CI'.