Takachiho Railway Bridge, Railway bridge in Takachiho, Japan.
The Takachiho Railway Bridge spans the Iwatogawa gorge on the former Takachiho Railway line between Fukazumi and Amaniwato stations. Its deck measures 353.76 metres, with the rail surface 105.0 metres above the riverbed, making it Japan's highest railway bridge when in service. The central section is a 254.80-metre three-span continuous Warren truss, flanked by a simple Warren truss and plate girders.
The structure was completed in 1971 and enabled rail transport through the gorge for several decades. A typhoon in 2005 caused severe damage to the railway infrastructure in the area.
The bridge is not named after Amaterasu; the name Takachiho comes from the town and the line it served. The operating company, Takachiho Amaterasu Railway, founded in 2008, does carry the goddess's name. Since 2013 its engine-powered Super Cart has crossed the bridge, and in 2018 it carried about 52,000 passengers.
The bridge is crossed by the open-sided Super Cart, which stops before entering it so the driver can check the anemometer mounted on the span and decide whether the wind allows passage; in strong wind the cart turns back at the old Takanodō Station. The crossing runs year-round except in strong wind or bad weather, and since 2020 the cart has turned around at the tunnel mouth just beyond the bridge.
Since 2013, the operator Takachiho Amaterasu Railway has run its engine-powered "Super Cart" across the bridge; it stops before crossing while the driver checks the anemometer mounted on the span. About 52,000 passengers rode in fiscal 2018.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,525 contributors worldwide.