A Class C11 steam locomotive at Senzu Station on the Ōigawa Main LineClass C11 227 Thomas & FriendsDD20 at Senzu Station on the Ikawa Line
Ōigawa Railway (大井川鐵道, Ōigawa Tetsudō) is a railway company in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, which first opened in 1927. The company is commonly known as Daitetsu (大鐵). The company belonged to the Meitetsu Group until 2015, when it was sold to Eclipse Hidaka, a food and hotel company headquartered in Hidaka, Hokkaido.
Operation
The company operates preserved steam locomotives, and has "sister railway" agreements with Brienz Rothorn Railway in Switzerland and Alishan Forest Railway in Taiwan. Because of its historical rolling stock and the picturesque scenery, the Ōigawa Main Line is often used for shooting films or TV programs, especially those set in the pre-war period, and has been used as a setting in anime.
In September 2022, the Ōigawa Main Line suffered substantial damage from Tropical Storm Talas. Rail services between Kawane-Onsen Sasamado and Senzu Station were suspended until further notice.[3] Steam locomotives were changed to only operate between Shin-Kanaya and Kawane-Onsen Sasamado. Ōigawa Railway advises customers intending to travel beyond Ieyama Station to the Ikawa Line, towards Senzu and the Sumata Gorge area, to transfer to Kawanehon Town's community buses at Ieyama Station, which provide connections to Senzu Station.[4]
Lines
The company operates two 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge railway lines:
Both lines function primarily as sightseeing lines. The Ōigawa Main Line is known for its heritagesteam trains, while the Ikawa Line is the only rack railway line in existence in Japan.
The company also operates a bus line near Sumatakyō Onsen in the town of Kawanehon.
