Nanao Line

Nanao Line

A JR West 415-800 series EMU used on the Nanao Line
Overview
Type Regional rail
Locale Ishikawa Prefecture
Termini Tsubata
Anamizu
Stations 20 (JR West), 8 (Noto Railway)
Operation
Opening 1898
Owner JR West
Operator(s) JR West, Noto Railway
Technical
Line length 59.5 km (37.0 mi) (JR West), 33.1 km (20.6 mi) (Noto Railway)
Track length 87.5 km (54.4 mi) (JR West)
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 1500 V DC (Tsubata — Wakura-Onsen)
Operating speed 100 km/h (60 mph)
Route map
JR West


Noto Railway

The Nanao Line (七尾線 Nanao-sen) is a railway line in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Noto Railway. It runs between Tsubata Station in Tsubata and Anamizu Station in Anamizu.

JR West operates the section between Tsubata and Wakura-Onsen, while the Noto Railway (the second company with this name, see Former connecting lines section below) operates the section between Nanao and Anamizu. The section between Wakura-Onsen and Nanao is served by both companies. A further section of the line between Anamizu and Wajima closed in 2001.

Prior to the transfer of the Wakura-Onsen — Wajima section from JR West to Noto Railway in 1991, Noto Railway took control of another former Japanese National Railways (JNR) line in 1988, the Noto Line. It closed in 2005.

JR West

JR West owns the entire Nanao Line between Tsubata and Anamizu, but it only operates the southern section while Noto Railway operates the rest of the line.

Nearly all local and rapid trains run between Nanao and Kanazawa or Komatsu. Between Nanao and Anamizu, only Noto Railway operates local trains.

The JR section is electrified and operates both local and limited express trains. Among others, there are nine Thunderbird limited express trains (4½ round trips) per day between Osaka and Wakura-Onsen, as well as a single round-trip Shirasagi limited express train between Nagoya and Wakura-Onsen.[1]

Basic data

Stations

The Nanao Line is entirely within Ishikawa Prefecture.

Station Japanese Distance (km) Rapid Transfers Location
Between
stations		 Total
Tsubata 津幡 0.0 0.0 ● IR Ishikawa Railway Line Tsubata, Kahoku District
Naka-Tsubata 中津幡 1.8 1.8 ｜  
Hon-Tsubata 本津幡 1.1 2.9 ｜  
Nose 能瀬 2.2 5.1 ｜  
Unoke 宇野気 3.7 8.8 ●   Kahoku
Yokoyama 横山 3.0 11.8 ｜  
Takamatsu 高松 2.6 14.4 ●  
Menden 免田 3.4 17.8 ｜   Hōdatsushimizu, Hakui District
Hōdatsu 宝達 3.1 20.9 ●  
Shikinami 敷浪 3.3 24.2 ｜  
Minami-Hakui 南羽咋 2.5 26.7 ｜   Hakui
Hakui 羽咋 3.0 29.7 ●  
Chiji 千路 4.1 33.8 ▲  
Kanemaru 金丸 3.7 37.5 ▲   Nakanoto, Kashima District
Notobe 能登部 3.6 41.1 ●  
Yoshikawa 良川 2.8 43.9 ●  
Noto-Ninomiya 能登二宮 2.2 46.1 ▲  
Tokuda 徳田 2.8 48.9 ▲   Nanao
Nanao 七尾 5.5 54.4 ● Noto Railway Nanao Line
Wakura-Onsen 和倉温泉 5.1 59.5   Noto Railway Nanao Line

Rapid trains stop at stations marked with a "●". Of trains bound for Kanazawa, some stop at stations marked with a "▲" while all stop at stations marked "■". All rapid trains pass stations marked "｜".

Noto Railway

Noto Railway NT200 series DMU at Anamizu Station

The Noto Railway section is not electrified (except for the section shared with JR West) and operates local trains only. Between Nanao and Anamizu, only Noto Railway operates local trains; there is no through service to the JR West-operated part of the line south of Nanao.

Basic data

Stations

The Nanao Line is entirely within Ishikawa Prefecture.

Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers Location
Between
stations		 Total
Nanao 七尾 - 0.0 JR West Nanao Line Nanao
Wakura-Onsen 和倉温泉 5.1 5.1 JR West Nanao Line
Tatsuruhama 田鶴浜 3.5 8.6  
Kasashiho 笠師保 4.1 12.7  
Noto-Nakajima 能登中島 3.6 16.3  
Nishigishi 西岸 6.2 22.5  
Noto-Kashima 能登鹿島 4.3 26.8   Anamizu, Hōsu District
Anamizu 穴水 6.3 33.1  

History

The section between Tsubata Station (now Hon-Tsubata Station) and Yatashin Station (later renamed Nanaominato Station and closed in 1984) via Nanao Station was constructed and opened by the Nanao Railway (七尾鉄道 Nanao-tetsudō) on April 24, 1898. The terminal in Tsubata was moved to the present Tsubata Station on August 2, 1900, and connected to the government-owned Hokuriku Main Line. Nanao Railway was nationalized on September 1, 1907.[2]

The line was extended and had been operated by the Japanese Government Railways. In 1925 the Nanao — Wakura (now Wakura-Onsen) section opened, and in 1935 the line was completed with the opening of the Anamizu — Wajima section. In 1991, the Nanao Line was electrified to Wakura-Onsen, enabling through operation of trains from the Hokuriku Main Line. Operation of the Nanao — Wajima section was transferred to the Noto Railway. In 2001, the section between Anamizu and Wajima was closed.

Former connecting lines

See also

References

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

  1. ↑ October 2009 timetable
  2. ↑ Ishino, Tetsu et al. (eds.) (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 162, vol. I. ISBN 4533029809.

External links