History
The line was first opened in 1913 by the Tomakomai Light Railway (苫小牧軽便鉄道, Tomakomai Keiben Tetsudō?), operating between Tomakomai and Saruta (now Tomikawa), and the line between Saruta and Atsuga was opened in 1924 by the Hidaka Takushoku Railway (日高拓殖鉄道, Hidaka Takushoku Tetsudō?), both funded by the Oji Paper Company in Tomakomai. The two lines were light railways with a track gauge of 762 mm (2 ft 6 in). The lines were nationalized in 1927, and merged into one, becoming the Hidaka Line. The track gauge was widened in 1929 and 1931, and the line was extended to Samani in 1937. There was a plan to link the Hidaka Main Line with the Hiroo Line (広尾線?), via Cape Erimo. The plan never came into reality, however, and the Hiroo Line closed in 1987.
Read more about this topic: Hidaka Main Line
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