Hokuriku Main Line

Hokuriku Main Line
Overview
Native name 北陸本線
Type Heavy rail, Passenger/freight rail
Regional rail, Intercity rail
System JR West
Status Operational
Locale Shiga Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
Termini Maibara Station
Kanazawa Station
Stations 43
Operation
Opening Stages between 1882-1902
Closed 14. 3. 2015: Kanazawa - Naoetsu (Converted to the three sectors of the private railway)
Owner JR West
Operator(s) JR West, JR Freight
Technical
Line length 176.6 km (109.7 mi)
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 1,500 V DC, 20 kV/60 Hz AC overhead line
Operating speed 130 km/h (80 mph)
Route map

The Hokuriku Main Line (北陸本線 Hokuriku-Honsen) is a 176.6 kilometer railway line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga, with Kanazawa Station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of Kansai, Tōkai, Kantō, and Tōhoku.

The line is an important transportation artery along the Sea of Japan coast, because the Shinkansen high-speed network has not yet been extended through the Hokuriku region. The Hokuriku Shinkansen was opened on March 14, 2015 between Nagano and Kanazawa, therefore the interval between the Kanazawa Station and the Naoetsu Station was converted to the three segments of private railway companies; the remaining segment onward to Kansai is still in the planning stages. As a result, narrow gauge limited expresses such as the Thunderbird and Shirasagi are common sights along the line.

The Hokuriku Main Line has double track and is completely electrified: the section from Maibara to Tsuruga use 1,500 V DC power, while the section from Tsuruga to Kanazawa uses 20 kV AC, 60 Hz power.

JR Freight operates a small branch line for freight from Tsuruga Station to a container facility at the port of Tsuruga.

Basic data

Stations

Station Japanese Distance
(km)		 Transfers Location
Through service to/from Tōkaidō Main Line, further to/from Sanyō Main Line and Akō Line
Hokuriku Line (Biwako Line)
Maibara 米原 0.0 Tōkaidō Shinkansen
Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line)
Ohmi Railway Main Line 		Maibara Shiga
Sakata 坂田 2.4
Tamura 田村 4.7 Nagahama
Nagahama 長浜 7.7
Hokuriku Line
Torahime 虎姫 12.8 Nagahama Shiga
Kawake 河毛 15.6
Takatsuki 高月 18.2
Kinomoto 木ノ本 22.4
Yogo 余呉 26.5
Ōmi-Shiotsu 近江塩津 31.4 Kosei Line
Shin-Hikida 新疋田 39.2 Tsuruga Fukui
Tsuruga 敦賀 45.9 Obama Line
Minami-Imajō 南今庄 62.5 Minamiechizen, Nanjō
Imajō 今庄 65.1
Yunoo 湯尾 68.7
Nanjō 南条 72.2
Ōshio 王子保 76.7 Echizen
Takefu 武生 81.0 Fukui Railway Fukubu Line (Echizen-Takefu)
Sabae 鯖江 86.2 Sabae
Kita-Sabae 北鯖江 89.4
Ōdoro 大土呂 94.1 Fukui
Echizen-Hanandō 越前花堂 97.3 Etsumi-Hoku Line
Minami-Fukui Freight Terminal 南福井 98.1
Fukui 福井 99.9 Katsuyama Eiheiji Line, Mikuni Awara Line
Fukui Railway Fukubu Line (Fukui-Ekimae)
Etsumi-Hoku Line
Morita 森田 105.8
Harue 春江 108.1 Sakai
Maruoka 丸岡 111.9
Awaraonsen 芦原温泉 117.6 Awara
Hosorogi 細呂木 121.4
Ushinoya 牛ノ谷 124.5
Daishōji 大聖寺 130.2 Kaga Ishikawa
Kagaonsen 加賀温泉 134.3
Iburihashi 動橋 137.5
Awazu 粟津 142.4 Komatsu
Komatsu 小松 148.2
Meihō 明峰 151.0
Nomineagari 能美根上 154.0 Nomi
Komaiko 小舞子 157.0 Hakusan
Mikawa 美川 158.8
Kaga-Kasama 加賀笠間 162.8
Mattō 松任 167.2
Nonoichi 野々市 170.5 Nonoichi
Nishi-Kanazawa 西金沢 172.9 Hokutetsu Ishikawa Line (Shin-Nishi-Kanazawa) Kanazawa
Kanazawa 金沢 176.6 Hokuriku Shinkansen
IR Ishikawa Railway Line
Hokutetsu Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa)
Kanazawa Freight Terminal 金沢貨物ターミナル 179.2

Rolling stock

A Thunderbird limited express at Takefu Station
A Hoketsu Express 681-2000 series EMU on a Hakutaka limited express service
Biwako Line 221 series EMU

Electric

Diesel

Former rolling stock

History

The entire line was built by the Japanese Government Railway, with the first section opened being from Nagahama, on the shore of Lake Biwa to Tsuruga in 1882. The Maibara to Nagahama section opened in 1889, and the line was then opened progressively to Fukui (in 1896), Kanazawa (in 1898), and Toyama (in 1899). The next extension opened to Uozu in 1908, and to Tomari in 1910. At the northeastern end, the Naoetsu to Nadachi section opened in 1911, and was extended to Itoigawa the following year. The final section opened in 1913, completing the line.

On 14 March 2015 the name of Terai Station was changed to Nomineagari Station.[1]

Double-tracking and realignments

The initial section double-tracked was between Kanazawa and Tsubata in 1938, with the Maibara to Tsuruga section duplicated between 1957 and 1958. The rest of the line was double-tracked in stages between 1960 and 1969.

There have been three major line deviations. The first between Kinomoto and Tsuruga involving the 5,170 m Fukasaka tunnel opened in 1957 as a new line, with the original line remaining in service until the second new line opened in 1965, including the Shin-fukasaka tunnel at 5,173 m and a spiral section partially in tunnels to ease the ruling grade on the climb from Tsuruga to Biwako.

The second major deviation, between Tsuruga and Imajo opened in 1962 as a dual track line including the 13,870 m Hokuriku tunnel, providing a significantly straighter and faster line as well as avoiding numerous coastal sections vulnerable to disruption during severe weather events.

The third major deviation, the 21 km section between Uramoto and Arimagawa stations, was competed in 1969 as a dual track line, including the 11,353 m Kubiki tunnel, being the final section to be duplicated.

Electrification

The Tsuruga to Tamura section was electrified in 1957 at 20 kV AC. As Maibara was electrified at 1,500 V DC, steam locomotives hauled trains over the 5 km non-electrified section until it was electrified (at 1,500 V DC, with dual-voltage EMUs being used) in 1962, the year the 20 kV AC electrification was extended to Fukui, extending progressively to Kanazawa (in 1963), Toyama (in 1964), and Itoigawa (in 1965).

The Itoigawa to Naoetsu section was electrified at 1,500 V DC in 1969, whilst in 1991, the Tamura to Nagahama section was changed to 1,500 V DC, this change being extended to Tsuruga in 2006.

Former connecting lines

An 8 km line to Mikuni on the Mikuni Awara Line operated between 1911 and 1972.

The Eiheiji Railway Co. opened a 25km line to its namesake town in 1929, connecting with the Katsuyama Eiheiji Line at Higashi-Furuichi. The company merged with the Keifuku Electric Railway Co. in 1944. The Arawa Onsen - Higashi-Furuichi section closed in 1969, and the section to Eijeihi closed in 2002 after a fatal head-on collision resulted in services being suspended and subsequently never resumed.

On the western side of the line, the 3 km line to Katayamazu opened in 1914 as a 915 mm gauge horse-drawn tramway. It was converted to 1,067 mm gauge and electrified in 1922, and closed in 1965.

On the eastern side, the 3 km electrified line to Uwano operated between 1911 and 1971.

A 17 km 762 mm gauge line opened to the Ogoya copper mine between 1919 and 1920. The Meitetsu Railway took over management of the line in 1962, renaming the terminus Ogoya Onsen. The copper mine closed in 1971, and the line closed in 1977.

A 6 km horse-drawn tramway opened in 1906 to serve the Yusenji copper mine. Steam locomotion was introduced the following year, and the mine and line closed in 1918. In 1929, the line was regauged to 1,067 mm, electrified and reopened by the Hakusen Electric Railway, but it was declared bankrupt the following year. The Komatsu Electric Railway purchased the line at the receiver's auction in 1935, and merged with the Hokuriku Railway in 1945. Patronage declined from 2,126,000 in 1967 to 623,000 in 1983, and as a result the line closed in 1986.

Future developments

The Hokuriku Shinkansen extension, from Nagano to Kanazawa scheduled to open in March 2015, approximately parallels the route of the Hokuriku Main Line. With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, control of local passenger services on the sections of the Hokuriku Main Line running through Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures will be transferred to the following three third-sector operating companies owned by the respective prefectures.[2]

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

  1. ↑ "JR西日本 News Release 平成２７年春ダイヤ改正について" [West Japan Railway Company News Release. Information regarding the Spring 2015 timetable amendment] (PDF). West Japan Railway Company. 19 December 2014. p. 11. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  2. ↑ しなの鉄道（株）、えちごトキめき鉄道（株）、あいの風とやま鉄道（株）及びＩＲいしかわ鉄道（株）申請の第一種鉄道事業許可について [Details of railway business approval for Shinano Railway, Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company, Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and IR Ishikawa Railway]. News release (in Japanese). Japan: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.