The is Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese railway line in Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...

, between Tateno Station

Tateno Station (Kumamoto)

is a railway station on the Hohi Main Line operated by JR Kyushu and Minami Aso Railway in Minamiaso, Kumamoto, Japan.-See also:*Tateno Station *List of railway stations in Japan...

, Minamiaso

Minamiaso, Kumamoto

is a village located in Aso District, Kumamoto, Japan. It was formed on February 13, 2005 from the merger of the villages of Chōyō, Hakusui and Kugino. Neighbouring towns are Takamori-Machi , Ozu-machi and Nishihara-mura ....

 and Takamori Station, Takamori

Takamori, Kumamoto

is a town located in Aso District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of October 1, 2007 the town has an estimated population of 7,018 and a density of 40.1 persons per km². The total area is 174.90 km².-Geography:...

. This is the only railway line operates. As the company name suggests, the line runs along the south part of Mount Aso

Mount Aso

is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyūshū. Its peak is 1592 m above sea level. Aso has one of the largest caldera in the world...

 caldera

Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...

. The third sector company took former Japanese National Railways

Japanese National Railways

, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...

 line in 1986. The line has two stations with very long names, namely Minamiaso Mizu-no-Umareru-Sato Hakusui-Kōgen Station

Minamiaso Mizu-no-Umareru-Sato Hakusui-Kogen Station

is a train station located in Minamiaso, Kumamoto, Japan. It is the longest train station name in Japan.- Lines :*Minamiaso Railway**Takamori Line- Adjacent stations :...

 and Aso-Shimodajō-Fureai-Onsen Station, the former being the longest in Japan. MLIT

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan)

The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government. It is responsible for one-third of all the laws and orders in Japan and the largest Japanese ministry in terms of employees, as well as the second-largest organ of the Japanese government after the Ministry of Defense...

 plans to test DMV

Dual mode transit

Dual mode transit describes transportation systems in which vehicles operate on both public roads and on a guideway; thus using two modes of transport....

 along the line from November, 2007.

Basic data

• Distance: 17.7 km / 11.0 mi.
• Gauge
  Rail gauge
  Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
  
  : 1,067 mm / 3 ft. 6 in.
• Stations: 9
• Double-track line: None
• Electric supply: Not electrified
• Railway signalling
  Railway signalling
  Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
  
  : Simplified automatic
• Stations with passing loop
  Passing loop
  A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
  
  s: 1 (Nakamatsu Station)