Tomytec Bus Collection JR Bus Kanto Good-Bye Suitosai Line 2 Bus Set (N scale)

The JR Bus Kanto Suitō West Line, running between Mōka, Sobai, and Utsunomiya, was inaugurated in 1937.

It was originally planned as a route linking Mito and Utsunomiya, fulfilling a role similar to that of a “preliminary railway line” for the former JNR, and the name Suitō (“water capital”) originates from this concept.

The route was divided at Gozenyama (Akasawa) in Ibaraki Prefecture: the Mito side was designated the Suitō East Line, while the Utsunomiya side became the Suitō West Line. The eastern section was discontinued in 1980.

Afterward, the mission of the Suitō West Line shifted to providing a direct connection between the Mōka Railway area and the Tōhoku Main Line—essentially a “railway shortcut”—and to promoting use of the Utsunomiya Station on the Tōhoku Shinkansen. It evolved into an urban-style route, with many short-turn services and final buses running past 9 p.m.

However, with the opening of the Utsunomiya Light Rail in August 2023, its role of linking Utsunomiya and Haga Town was taken over. In recent years, the number of buses entering JR Utsunomiya Station decreased significantly, leaving only a limited number of morning and evening services.

Finally, on September 30, 2025, the Suitō West Line—long known as one of Tochigi Prefecture’s representative long-distance bus routes—was discontinued, and JR Bus services disappeared from both Utsunomiya Station and Mōka Station.