Nanbu Jūkan Railway

The Nanbu Jūkan Railway (lit. "Southern Through Railway") was a private third-sector railway company based in Aomori, Japan.
The railway was founded in 1962 by Nanbu Jūkan Co. Ltd., with a nine-station line between Nishichibiki and Shichinohe stations; it was initially supposed to be funded by the municipal governments the line passed through but ultimately funding came from the Mutsu Steelworks. The line operated a fleet of four railbuses. The line would then be extended to Noheji station in 1968, an interchange station with the Japanese National Railways. The railway operated at a loss for most of its history due to many people around the line choosing to instead purchase cars and drive instead of taking the railbuses; however the company hoped they could serve as a connecting railway to a proposed Shinkansen station at Shichinohe, which ultimately was not the case as the actual Shinkansen station was some distance away from Shichinohe Station. Operations on the line were suspended on 5 May 1997 due to the company being in financial ruin; it would not be until 1 August 2002 when the line was officially closed and the railway division closed.
Today, a portion of the line still exists, maintained by Nanbu Jūkan Co. Ltd. The remaining portion of the line has either been removed or is in disrepair.
Category:Companies
Category:Japanese Railways
Category:Defunct companies