Prior to the opening of the Sanyo Shinkansen , many expresses operated on the Sanyō Main Line and it serves as a major transport corridor through Western Honshu and connecting to Kyushu . The Shinkansen was extended as the Sanyō Shinkansen line , first to Okayama Station in 1972 , and then to Hakata Station in 1975 . On both occasions many express services on the Sanyo Main Line were withdrawn , and since 1972 , the line has been mainly used by local and freight services . CTC signalling was commissioned between Mihara and Shimonoseki in 1984 . The section between Kobe and Nishi Akashi was severely damaged by the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake , and took ten weeks to repair
Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
San'yō Main Line