The story
The Takachiho Line, originally named the Hinokage Line (日ノ影線, Hinokage-sen) of Japanese Government Railways (JGR), opened on February 20, 1935, running between Nobeoka and Hyūga-Okamoto stations. The line was transferred to Japanese National Railways following JGR's dissolution in 1949.
Following extensions, the line reached Takachiho Station on July 22, 1972, and was renamed the Takachiho Line.
Freight service ceased in 1974. In 1982, all service was suspended for four months due to typhoon damage.
When the national railway was privatized in 1987, the line was transferred to JR Kyushu. They withdrew from the operation of the Takachiho Line and transferred it to Takachiho Railway, a new company established by local funds, on April 28, 1989.
On September 6, 2005, flooding triggered by Typhoon Nabi washed away two bridges on the line, halting all operations. By December, it was clear that no government funding for rebuilding was available. Attempts by local communities to rebuild the railway were unsuccessful. A shareholders' resolution made on January 6, 2009 started the company's liquidation procedures which ended in March 2009 with no distribution to shareholders.
A new company, Takachiho Amaterasu Railway, was established in March 2006. It repurposed a section of the line in Takachiho for tourist services. Heritage railway trains currently run from Takachiho Station to the railway bridge (the highest in Japan) just past the former Amanoiwato Station, which was left in tact with the original station building and timetables.
Former proposed extension
After the line opened in 1972, construction of the 23 km section from Takachiho to the Takamori line continued until 1975, when flooding in the 6500m Takamori tunnel (16 km north of Takachiho) resulted in work being suspended. Construction was formally abandoned in 1980.
From Wikipedia’s article on Takachiho Railway, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3