Kishigawa Line
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The Kishigawa Line (貴志川線 Kishigawa-sen?) is a railway in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It is the sole line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co., Ltd. The 14.3 km route stretches from Wakayama Station in the city of Wakayama to Kishi Station in neighboring Kinokawa. Including the terminals, the Kishigawa Line has 14 stations. Its gauge is 1,067 mm (42 inch). The line is single-track and electrified at 600 V DC. Prior to April 1, 2006, the line was part of the Nankai Electric Railway system.
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[edit] Rolling stock and service
The Kishigawa Line uses 6 sets (12 cars) of 2270 Series EMU, originally built for Nankai and transferred to the new operator together with the tracks and other assets of the Kishigawa Line. Some of the cars have been repainted with the design by Eiji Mitooka, who designed the type 9200 "MOMO" tram of Okayama Electric Tramway and trains of Kyushu Railway Company including 800 Series Shinkansen while others are still in the Nankai livery.
In the morning and evening, service operates three to four times each hour; at off-peak times, two per hour is the norm. Trains are driver-only operated, and do not have conductors.
[edit] Stations
- Wakayama Station
- Tanakaguchi Station
- Nichizengū Station
- Kōzaki Station
- Kamayama Station
- Kōtsū Center-mae Station
- Okazakimae Station
- Kire Station
- Itakiso Station
- Sandō Station
- Oike Yūen Station
- Nishiyamaguchi Station
- Kanrojimae Station
- Kishi Station
[edit] Attractive features
Besides the new design of cars, the operator is eager in attracting passengers with unique measures such as:
- Before trains arrive at Kishi Station or after trains leave there, the arranged tune by The Beatles, "Strawberry Fields Forever" is played.
- As a stroke of PR genius, Kishi Station has appointed a cat named Tama as its stationmaster, complete with miniature stationmaster hat.[1]
