Kōtoku Line

The Kōtoku Line (高徳線) is a railway line in northeastern Shikoku, Japan that connects the prefectural capitals Takamatsu (Kagawa) and Tokushima (Tokushima). Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) owns and operates the line, whose name comes from the characters in the cities that the line connects: Takamatsu (高松) and Tokushima (徳島). Sanuki, the name of the ancient province that preceded the modern Kagawa Prefecture, appears in the names of four stations on the line.

The Uzushio limited express serves the entire line. Two round trips per day run through to/from
In addition to local trains that run the entire length of the Kōtoku Line, there are trains that run between Takamatsu and Orange Town, Sambommatsu, and Hiketa, as well as between Tokushima and Itano and Tokushima and Hiketa. For a single tracked line service levels are quite high, except along the prefectural border between Itano and Hiketa. In Tokushima there are through trains to/from the Naruto and Mugi lines, with one train per day running from Takamatsu to via
Since the completion of electrification work between Takamatsu and Iyoshi on the Yosan Line, the Kōtoku Line has received some of the newest DMUs on the JR Shikoku network. Local services often use 1000 series, 1200 series and 1500 series DMUs, while limited express services are handled by N2000 series DMUs.

Local trains stop at all stations. For details of the Uzushio limited express service see that article. Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇" and "^" and cannot pass at those marked "｜". Station No. StationJapaneseDistance (km)Transfers LocationBetweenstationsTotalCity/townPrefecture高松 0.0 (Y00) (Seto Ōhashi Line)Kotoden Kotohira Line (Takamatsu Chikkō)∨TakamatsuKagawa昭和町1.51.5 ｜栗林公園北口1.73.2 ｜栗林1.14.3 ◇木太町2.46.7 ｜屋島2.89.5 ◇古高松南1.310.8 ｜八栗口1.512.3 ◇讃岐牟礼1.113.4Kotoden Shido Line ｜志度2.916.3Kotoden Shido Line ◇Sanukiオレンジタウン2.618.9 ◇造田2.421.3 ◇神前2.123.4 ｜讃岐津田4.327.7 ◇鶴羽2.730.4 ◇丹生4.034.4 ◇Higashikagawa三本松3.237.6 ◇讃岐白鳥3.140.7 ◇引田4.445.1 ◇讃岐相生2.547.6 ◇阿波大宮5.653.2 ◇Itano, Itano DistrictTokushima板野4.858.0 ◇阿波川端1.859.8 ｜板東2.362.1 ◇Naruto池谷2.164.2 (N04) (some trains through to Tokushima)◇勝瑞2.766.9 ◇Aizumi, Itano District吉成1.368.2 ◇Tokushima佐古4.973.1 (B01) (All trains through to Tokushima)◇徳島1.474.5 (M00)◇

The first part of what is now the Kotoku Line was built by the Tokushima Railway, being the Sako to Tokushima section of its line from Kamojima (now the Tokushima Line) opened on February 16, 1899. That company was nationalised in 1907. In 1916 the Awa Electric Railway opened a line from Nakahara to Naruto, including the Yoshinari to Ikenotani section, which is now part of the Kotoku Line. The Takamatsu to Hikida section was opened between 1925 and 1928 by the (then) Japanese Imperial Railways. In 1933 the Awa Electric Railway was nationalised, and in 1935 the Hikida to Ikenotani and Yoshinari to Sako sections were opened, completing the line. In 1977 CTC signalling became operational for the line, and freight operations ceased in 1986. With the privatization of JNR, the line became part of the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) on April 1, 1987. On June 1, 1988, the line name changed from Kōtoku Main Line to Kōtoku Line. The elevated Sako Station was commissioned in 1993, and in 1998 track improvement allowing faster speeds was completed, and Orange Town Station opened.

Itano Station: The Awa Electric Railway opened a 7 km line to Kajiyabara in 1923, it being taken over by the Japanese Imperial Railways when the company was nationalised in 1933. The line closed in 1972.