Miki Railway Miki Line

The Miki Line (三木線) was a Japanese railway line in Hyōgo Prefecture, between Yakujin Station in Kakogawa and Miki Station in Miki. This was the only railway line Miki Railway Company (三木鉄道株式会社) operated. The line linked Miki and the West Japan Railway Company Kakogawa Line at Yakujin station.

Basic data

 * Distance: 6.6 km
 * Gauge:
 * Stations: 9
 * Track: Single
 * Power: Internal combustion (Diesel)
 * Railway signalling: Staff token

History
The Banshū Railway (播州鉄道) opened the line from 1916 to 1917. The railway was acquired by the Bantan Railway (播丹鉄道) in 1923 and nationalised in 1943 together with other Bantan Railway lines, i.e. the Kakogawa Line, the Takasago Line, the Kajiya Line and the Hōjō Line.

Freight services ceased in 1974. Miki Railway, a third sector company, took over the line from Japanese National Railways in 1985.

The majority of commuters used Kobe Electric Railway's (Shintetsu) Ao Line to get to Kobe instead of the Miki–Kakogawa Line route. As a result, Miki Railway had been unable to justify continued financial support from the city. On March 1, 2007, the Miki City Council officially decided to abandon the line with the company agreeing on April 26, 2007. The line was closed on April 1, 2008. This was the fourth third-sector railway operator to cease operations, and the fifth third-sector line closed.