TheGeibi Line (芸備線,Geibi-sen) is a railway line operated byWest Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of theChūgoku region inJapan. It begins atBitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side ofNiimi,Okayama Prefecture, connecting throughMiyoshi Station inMiyoshi,Hiroshima Prefecture, and terminating atHiroshima Station inHiroshima. In addition to theChūgoku Expressway, the Geibi Line is considered the main commuter and local rail line covering the route between northern Hiroshima Prefecture and the city of Hiroshima. The name of the line refers to the ancientprovinces ofAki (安芸) (in Hiroshima Prefecture) andBitchū (備中) (in Okayama Prefecture), which the line connects.

Geibi Line
A Geibi Line KiHa 120 DMU
Overview
Native name	芸備線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR West
Locale	Hiroshima andOkayama Prefectures
Termini	Bitchū Kōjiro Hiroshima
Stations	44
Service
Type	Commuter rail line
System	Hiroshima City Network (Karuga–Hiroshima)
Operator(s)	JR West
Rolling stock	KiHa 120 series DMU,KiHa 40 series DMU
History
Opened	28 April 1915; 109 years ago (1915-04-28)
Technical
Line length	159.1 km (98.9 mi)
Number of tracks	EntirelySingle-tracked
Character	Rural and urban
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph)
Signalling	Automatic closed block
Train protection system	ATS-SW
Route map km - Niimi - Nunohara Two tunnels Hakubi Line 0.0 Bitchū Kōjiro Merge toHakubi Line 3.9 Sakane 6.4 Ichioka 10.0 Yagami 13.6 Nochi 18.8 Tōjō 25.3 Bingo Yawata 29.0 Uchina 33.6 Onuka 37.8 Dōgoyama Four tunnels 44.6 Bingo Ochiai Kisuki Line Three tunnels 50.2 Hibayama 53.2 Bingo Saijō Saijō River 57.4 Hirako 68.5 Taka 68.5 Bingo Shōbara 70.5 Bingo Mikkaichi 72.2 Nanatsuka 75.2 Yamanouchi Chūgoku Expressway 80.1 Shimowachi Fukuen Line /Basen River 83.2 Shiomachi 84.7 Kamisugi Chūgoku Expressway 88.0 Yatsugi 90.3 Miyoshi Sankō Line 91.9 Nishi Miyoshi Two tunnels 99.6 Shiwachi 102.2 Kamikawatachi 106.5 Kōtachi 109.9 Yoshidaguchi 116.1 Mukaihara 122.0 Ibaraichi 126.0 Shiwaguchi 129.5 Kamimita 134.0 Nakamita 136.3 Shirakiyama 138.5 Karuga 140.7 Kamifukawa 143.5 Nakafukawa 144.9 Shimofukawa 146.8 Kumura Sanyō Expressway 149.3 Akiyaguchi 152.1 Hesaka 156.9 Yaga Hiroshima Prefectural Route 70 159.1 Hiroshima Hiroden Main Line San'yō Main Line Sanyō Shinkansen This diagram: view talk edit

Since 2007, theICOCA card can be used in all stations between Hiroshima Station and Karuga Station (stations in theHiroshima City Network).

The majority of the line was out of service after a bridge was destroyed in the2018 Japan floods. The entire line reopened in October 2019.

The line is one of the least used and least profitable in the JR West network, with average daily ridership of just 13 people (slightly more than two per train) on its least trafficked segment. The segment between Bitchu Kojiro and Bingo Yawata runs at an annual loss of JPY 700 million, while the segment between Tojo and Bingo Shobara is both circuitous and speed-restricted, making it less attractive than bus service. However, local authorities along the route have refused to discuss alternative transportation options with JR West.^[1]

Listed in order fromBitchū Kōjiro Station toHiroshima Station, though the chart shows throughNiimi Station for convenience as all Geibi Line trains originate and terminate at Niimi.

• A ● indicates a station at which a Rapid train stops, and ｜ indicates a station at which a Rapid train does not stop. In addition, Rapid trains are only operated from Niimi to Bingo Ochiai in one direction, and thus the stations it skips are marked ↓. Local trains stop at all stations.
• The section of the Geibi Line between Karuga and Hiroshima forms part of theHiroshima City Network.

•  Sankō Line (closed 1 April 2018) – Miyoshi Station

The followingdiesel multiple unit (DMU)rolling stock currently operate on the Geibi Line:

The Geibi Line consists of the section opened by the Geibi Railway, which connected Hiroshima Station and Bingo Shōbara, the Shōbara Line between Bingo Shōbara and Bingo Ochiai which was partly built by the Geibi Railway and then nationalised and extended by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) and the Sanshin Line built by the JGR between Onuka and Bitchū Kōjiro. In 1936, the line between Hiroshima and Bitchū Kōjiro was completed, and the Geibi Railway was nationalised the following year, bringing the entire line under the control of the JGR. Opening dates for individual sections are given below.

• 18 April 1915: The Geibi Railway opened between Higashi Hiroshima (different from the currentHigashi-Hiroshima Station) andShiwachi.
• 1 June 1915: The line is extended from Shiwachi to Miyoshi (the currentNishi Miyoshi Station).
• 15 April 1916:Hesaka Station opens.
• 15 July 1920: The line betweenHiroshima and Higashi Hiroshima opens.JNR Hiroshima Station opens.
• 7 June 1922: The line between Miyoshi (the current Nishi Miyoshi Station) and Shiomachi (the currentKamisugi Station) opens.
• 8 December 1923: The line between Shiomachi (the current Kamisugi Station) andBingo Shōbara opens.
• 20 September 1924:Nakafukawa Station andYamanouchi Station open.
• 1 February 1925: Wadamura Station becomesShimowachi Station.
• 20 March 1929:Yaga Station andKamifukawa Station open.
• 1 January 1930: Shirakiyamaguchi Station, Mita Yoshinaga Station, and Tōkaichi Station open.
• 22 April 1930: Takō Station (the currentShiomachi Station) opens.
• 25 April 1930: Mikkaichi Station opens.

• 1 June 1933: Tōkaichi Station is renamed Bingo Tōkaichi Station and Mikkaichi Station is renamed Bingo Mikkaichi Station. The Geibi Railway line between Bingo Tōkaichi Station (the currentMiyoshi Station) and Bingo Shōbara Station is nationalized and renamed the Shōbara Line.
• 1 January 1934: Shiomachi Station is renamedKamisugi Station, and Takō Station is renamedShiomachi Station.
• 15 March 1934: The line between Bingo Shōbara Station andBingo Saijō Station opens.
• 20 December 1935: The line between Bingo Saijō Station andBingo Ochiai Station opened.

• 10 February 1930: The Sanshin Line opens betweenBitchū Kōjiro Station andYagami Station.
• 25 November 1930: The line opens between Yagami Station andTōjō Station.
• 15 June 1935: The line between Tōjō Station andOnuka Station opens.
• 10 October 1936: The line between Onuka Station and Bingo Ochia Station opens. The Shōbara Line is absorbed into the Sanshin Line, which now includes everything between Bitchū Kōjiro Station and Bingo Tōkaichi Station.
• 21 November 1936:Dōgoyama Station opens.

• 1 July 1937: The Geibi Railway line betweenHiroshima Station and Bingo Tōkaichi Station is nationalized, and the Sanshin Line is absorbed into the Geibi Line. Kawatachi Station is renamedKamikawatachi Station, Mita Yoshinaga Station is renamedKamimita Station, Shirakiyamaguchi Station is renamedShirakiyama Station, and Yaguchi Station is renamedAkiyaguchi Station.
• 10 August 1941:Kamifukawa Station andYaga Station close.
• 28 October 1942: Yaga Station closes, and asignal box is installed.
• 2 April 1943: Yaga Station reopens.
• 10 August 1948: Kamifukawa Station reopens.
• 1 February 1952:Hirako Station opens.
• 1 October 1953:Ichioka Station opens.
• 10 November 1954: The former Miyoshi Station is renamedNishi Miyoshi Station.
• 10 December 1954: Bingo Tōkaichi Station is renamedMiyoshi Station.
• 20 July 1955:Uchina Station opens.
• 11 November 1955: TheChidori service begins.
• 20 December 1956: Bingo Kumano Station is renamedHibayama Station.
• 13 April 1959: TheChidori is upgraded to a local express train.
• 15 March 1962: TheTaishaku service begins.
• 5 March 1968: TheTaishaku andChidori services are upgraded to regular express trains.
• 1 March 1983: The line between Miyoshi Station and Hiroshima Station usesCTC.
• 31 October 1983: The line between Bitchū Kōjiro and Miyoshi uses CTC.
• 15 March 1985: TheMiyoshi express service begins.
• 1 November 1986: Freight service is discontinued on the Geibi Line.
• 1 April 1987: The Geibi Line becomes part ofWest Japan Railway Company following privatization ofJapanese National Railways.
• 1 April 1991:Wanmandriver-only operation commences on the line betweenNiimi andMiyoshi.
• 1 November 1991: The line between Miyoshi and Hiroshima is converted towanmandriver-only operation.
• 22 March 2002: TheChidori andTaishaku express services are absorbed into theMiyoshi express service.
• 1 October 2003: TheMiyoshi Liner andTsūkin Liner services begin.
• 23 April 2006: The Geibi Line is moved between Kamikawatachi and Kōtachi following widening of Hiroshima Prefectural Route 37 between Hiroshima and Miyoshi.
• 19 July 2006: Services between Bingo Ochiai and Bingo Saijō are suspended due to storm damage of the Geibi Line. An interim bus service begins the following day.
• 1 April 2007: Train service is resumed between Bingo Ochiai and Bingo Saijō.
• 1 July 2007:Miyoshi express services are discontinued, andTsūkin Liner rapid services are integrated intoMiyoshi Liner rapid services.^[2]
• 7 July 2018: The2018 Japan floods result in damage to the line in several places, most significantly destroying the bridge over the Misasagawa River between Shirakiyama and Karuga stations, resulting in the closure of the entire line.^[3]
• 23 July 2018: The Hiroshima – Shimofukawa section of the line is reopened. JR West advises replacement of the Misasagawa Bridge is expected to take up to a year.
• 25 August 2018: The Karuga – Shimofukawa section of the line is reopened.
• 27 August 2018: The Bitchū Kōjiro – Tōjō section of the line is reopened.
• 31 August 2018: The Tōjō – Bingo Ochiai section of the line is reopened.
• 4 October 2018: The Bingo Shōbara – Miyoshi section of the line is reopened.
• 20 December 2018: The Bingo Ochiai – Bingo Shōbara section of the line is reopened.
• 4 April 2019: The Miyoshi – Nakamita section of the line is reopened. However, trains only operate in the morning and evening hours (Operations were suspended from 25 July to 31 August).
• 23 October 2019: The Nakamita – Karuga section of the line is reopened. The entire line reopened after 1 year and 3 months from the 2018 Japan floods.
• 9 March 2020: A KiHa 120 car derails near Bingo Yawata station, causing a temporary closure of the line between Tōjō and Bingo Ochiai.^[4]
• 8 June 2021: JR West initiated a work group with local communities along theBingo-Shōbara –Niimi section to assess the future of the line. According to JR West data, on average only 81 passengers use the line betweenBitchū-Kōjiro andTōjō, 11 between Tōjō andBingo-Ochiai and 215 between Bingo-Ochiai andMiyoshi. Due to the lack of patronage, JR West is considering to abolish the aforementioned section and replace it with bus services.^[5]

• List of railway lines in Japan