The Ryōmō Line (両毛線) is a main line run by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It runs from Oyama Station in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, to Shin-Maebashi Station in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture.
History
The line began as separate railways. The Ryōmō Railway (両毛鉄道) built the Oyama to Maebashi section to carry raw silk and silk fabrics such as Kiryu weave from the Ryōmō area. The Nippon Railway (日本鉄道) built the Maebashi to Shin-Maebashi section as an extension of the present Takasaki Line (高崎線). On 20 August 1884 the Nippon Railway opened its line from Takasaki to the old Maebashi station. The Ryōmō Railway opened from Oyama to Ashikaga on 22 May 1888, and from Ashikaga to Kiryu on 15 November 1888. The Kiryu to Maebashi section opened on 20 November 1889, which completed the Ryōmō Railway's line. On 26 December 1889 the Nippon Railway extended its line to the Ryōmō Railway's Maebashi station, and the old Maebashi station closed. This joined the two railways at Maebashi.
In 1897 the Nippon Railway took over the Ryōmō Railway. The transfer took effect on 1 January 1897. Under the Railway Nationalisation Act (鉄道国有法), the Nippon Railway's lines were nationalised in 1906. On 1 November 1906 the Takasaki to Maebashi and Oyama to Maebashi sections were nationalised. On 12 October 1909 the state railway names were set, and the Oyama to Takasaki route was named the Ryōmō Line.
On 1 July 1921 Shin-Maebashi Station opened, with the opening of the Jōetsu South Line (上越南線) between Shin-Maebashi and Shibukawa. From 1 September 1931, when the Jōetsu Line (上越線) was fully open, the Shin-Maebashi to Takasaki section was shared with that line. On 20 December 1957 the Ryōmō Line's end point moved from Takasaki to Shin-Maebashi, which ended the shared section. At the same time the Takasaki to Shin-Maebashi track was changed from parallel single lines to double track, and Ino signal station became Ino Station.
Diesel railcars began running between Kiryu and Takasaki on 10 July 1934. Japanese Wikipedia also says diesel railcar operation began in 1951, when many new stations were opened. Electrification came in stages. Takasaki to Shin-Maebashi was electrified on 1 April 1947. Maebashi to Shin-Maebashi was electrified on 27 November 1957. The Oyama to Maebashi section was electrified on 1 September 1968, which completed electrification of the whole line. Double track was laid between Iwafune and Sano on 19 July 1968, and between Komagata and Maebashi on 8 August 1968.
On 1 October 1962 the Watarase (わたらせ) started running as a semi-express from Ueno to Takasaki via Oyama. It was upgraded to an express in 1966. Several stations were suspended from 1966 to 1968. Onodera, Inuibushi and Higashi-Isesaki were suspended on 20 December 1966. Higashi-Maebashi was suspended on 1 September 1967. On 1 October 1968 Higashi-Ashikaga, Nishi-Ashikaga, Mie, Hajika, Higashi-Kiryu, Mano-tani and Shimomasuda were suspended. Mie station was later abolished on 1 March 1984. The Watarase express was abolished on 14 March 1985. The Kiryu area was elevated on 16 October 1985, and the Maebashi area on 6 October 1986.
On 1 April 1987 the national railways were split up and privatised. East Japan Railway Company (JR East) took over the whole line as the main rail operator, and Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) became the freight operator. A rapid train service ran one round trip between Oyama and Kiryu from 1 December 1995. Maebashi-Ōshima Station opened on 12 March 1999. Suica IC card service started across the whole line on 18 November 2001. On 1 April 2004 freight trains stopped running on the whole line. On 16 October 2004 the through service with the Takasaki Line was shortened to Maebashi. The ATS-P safety system was completed across the whole line on 11 October 2009.
On 30 May 2010 the area around Isesaki Station was elevated. After the Tōhoku earthquake of 11 March 2011 (東北地方太平洋沖地震), power plant shutdowns led to planned blackouts. Service was suspended between Oyama and Isesaki, and the whole line was restored on 31 March 2011. From June 2011 all trains ran semi-automatically at all stations, all year, to save power, and this practice continued. On 4 March 2017 the through trains from Kuroiso to Takasaki ended, and the through section with the Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line) was shortened to Utsunomiya. Ashikaga Flower Park Station opened on 1 April 2018. On 16 March 2019 the through trains between Utsunomiya and Shin-Maebashi via Oyama ended. Damage from Typhoon No. 19 (令和元年東日本台風) was found on 13 October 2019 at the Nagano River bridge between Ohirashita and Tochigi, and service was suspended between Oyama and Kiryu. The suspended section was shortened on 14 October. Trains resumed between Oyama and Tochigi on 16 October. On 20 October service resumed between Iwafune and Ashikaga, with buses between Tochigi and Sano. The whole line was restored on 11 November 2019. On 13 March 2021 the limited express services Akagi (あかぎ) and Swallow Akagi (スワローあかぎ) stopped running between Maebashi and Shin-Maebashi, which ended scheduled limited express trains on the Ryōmō Line. On 1 July 2026 the line's management changed from the branch office system to business headquarters. The Oyama to Omata section is run by the Tochigi Business Headquarters, and the Kiryu to Shin-Maebashi section by the Gunma Business Headquarters.
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Written by an AI from the line's history on Japanese Wikipedia, nothing else, and checked by a program for dates and numbers that are not in those facts. It can still be wrong. Adapted from Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0; this text is shared under the same licence.