Tadami Line -201109 Sheltering from the Rain-

只見線〜2011年9月の雨宿り〜

The illustration depicts the Tadami Line cars sheltering under the snow shed between Aizu-Gamou station and Aizu-Shiozawa station on September 2011 (about two months after “the 2011 Niigata-Fukushima Heavy Rainfall event” also hit a part of Tadami town), waiting patiently for the day when they will be on duty again.

The cars were stopped at Aizu-Gamou station when the heavy rainfall　occurred and then unable to move because the rail line was damaged on either side of the station.
Aizu-Gamou does not have a roof except on the platform, so the train was moved to this place for the time being to shelter from the rain.

The tunnel is close to the National road and eventually the cars were carried away and are not here anymore.

Tadami Line is a JR Line that runs about 135.2km between Aizu-Wakamatsu station (Aizu-Wakamatsu city, Fukushima prefecture) and Koide station (Uonuma city, Niigata prefecture). Back in July 2011, at the time the event occurred, the railway was damaged although out Aizu-Bange in Fukushima pref. to Koide in Niigata pref. (113.6km out of 135.2km total, 84% of the line).

The line was restored one section at a time, with Aizu-Bange – Aizu-Kawaguchi restored by Dec 3rd 2011, and Tadami – Ooshirakawa from Oct 1st 2012. But Aizu-Kawaguchi – Tadami (27.6km) had service suspended due to the collapse of the three railway bridges (the 5th, 6th and 7th Tadami River Bridges). Substitute buses for this section are running still in 2019.

The Aizu-Kawaguchi –Tadami section has had no prospect of restoration for a long time, but after reviewing the methods and costs, including that of repairing the 8th Tadami River Bridge, in November 2016, continuing the railway service has a become a real possibility.

In June 2017, Fukushima Pref and JR East concluded the Basic Agreement and Memorandum on Railway Resumption of Tadami Line (between Aizu-Kawaguchi –Tadami), and the railway restoration is now expected to continue, based on separating ownership of railway facilities and operations.
The construction period is about three years, and full-scale construction has began in the spring of 2019 this year.

Tadami, Fukushima pref.
Located in a heavy snowfall region in the south-west of Fukushima prefecture on the border with Niigata prefecture. Declared「Shizen shuto・Tadami（Capital of Nature・Tadami）in 2007.
Its natural environment and resources together with the life and culture of its residents were judged particularly valuable among the modern world environment,
In 2014 it was designated as a biosphere reserve under the Man and the Biosphere Program. UNESCO’s Japan committee calls them Eco Parks.