Nikkō Line

Nikkō Line
A 205 series EMU on the Nikko Line, April 2013
Overview
Type	Regional rail
Locale	Tochigi Prefecture
Termini	Utsunomiya Nikkō
Stations	7
Operation
Opening	1890
Owner	JR East
Rolling stock	205-600 series EMUs
Technical
Line length	40.5 km (25.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Route map

The Nikkō Line (日光線, Nikkō-sen) is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) which connects Utsunomiya to Nikkō.

Both the Tobu and JR East railway stations in Nikkō are located within walking distance of each other.

Station list

• Trains can pass each other at any station.

Rolling stock

• 205-600 series 4-car EMUs (x4) (from 16 March 2013)^[1]

• 

  A Nikko Line 205-600 series set, March 2013

Former rolling stock

• 107 series 2-car EMUs (until 15 March 2013)^[1]

• 

  A 107 series EMU at Fubasami Station

History

The handcar-operated Tochigi Prefectural Government line

The Nippon Railway Co. opened the line in 1890 and was nationalised in 1906. The line was electrified in 1959, and CTC signalling was commissioned in 1970. Freight services ceased in 1984.

Former connecting lines

• Tsuruta Station:

The Tochigi Prefectural Government opened a 3 km 2 ft (610 mm) gauge line to Nishihara-cho in 1897, extending it 10 km to Yoshihara in 1899 and opening a 4 km branch to Tokujiro the following year. Handcar passenger services commenced on both lines from opening, operating until 1928. A 7.5 km branch from Nishihara-cho to Tateiwa was opened in 1898 to haul gravel.

In 1931, the lines were purchased by the Tobu Railway Co. which closed all bar the Tateiwa branch, which it converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and built a connection to Nishi-Kawada station on the Tobu Utsunomiya Line. The Tateiwa branch ceased operation in 1961 following a landslide and was formally closed in 1964.

• Nikko Station:

The Nikko Electric Railway Co. opened an 8 km line electrified at 600 V DC to Iwanohana between 1907 and 1913, and extended it 2 km to Umakae (approximately 300 m higher than Nikko) in 1931 to connect to a 1.2 km funicular railway that climbed 428 m which opened in 1932. In 1944, electric locomotives began hauling copper ore on the line. Freight tonnage decreased 25% between 1964 and 1966, and passenger numbers decreased by 17% over the same period, resulting in the line closing in 1968. The funicular railway closed in 1970.

References

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nikkō Line.

• Stations of the Nikkō Line (JR East) (Japanese)

Mass transit in the Greater Tokyo Area JR East lines (Tokyo urban/suburban area) ■ Chūō ■ Rapid ■ (Chūō-Sōbu) Local ■ Hachikō ■ Itsukaichi ■ Jōban ■ Karasuyama ■ Kawagoe ■ Keihin-Tōhoku ■ Keiyō ■ Mito ■ Musashino ■ Nambu ■ Narita ■ Negishi ■ Nikkō ■ Ōme ■ Ryōmō ■ Sagami ■ Saikyō (Akabane) ■ ■ Shōnan-Shinjuku ■ Sōbu ■ Rapid ■ (Chūō-Sōbu) Local ■ Sotobō ■ Takasaki ■ Tōgane ■ Tōkaidō ■ Tsurumi ■ Uchibō ■ Ueno-Tōkyo ■ Utsunomiya Tōhoku ■ Yamanote ■ Yokohama ■ Yokosuka Tokyo Metro lines (list of stations) Chiyoda Fukutoshin Ginza Hibiya Marunouchi Namboku Tōzai Yūrakuchō Hanzōmon Toei subway lines (list of stations) Asakusa Ōedo Mita Shinjuku Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Green 8 major corporate groups (heavy rail) Keikyu Keikyū Main Airport Daishi Kurihama Zushi Keio Keiō Keiō New Dōbutsuen Inokashira Keibajō Sagamihara Takao Keisei Keisei Main Chiba Chihara Higashi-Narita Kanamachi Narita Sky Access Oshiage Odakyu Odawara Enoshima Tama Seibu Ikebukuro lines ■ Ikebukuro ■ Sayama ■ Seibu Chichibu ■ Seibu Yūrakuchō ■ Toshima Shinjuku Lines ■ Shinjuku ■ Haijima ■ Kokubunji ■ Seibu-en ■ Tamagawa ■ Tamako Sotetsu Sotetsu Main Izumino Tobu Skytree Kameido Daishi Isesaki Sano Koizumi Kiryū Nikkō Kinugawa Utsunomiya Urban Park Tōjō Ogose Tokyu Den-en-toshi Ikegami Meguro Oimachi Tokyu Tamagawa Toyoko Kodomonokuni Other commuter rail lines Hokusō Kantō Jōsō Ryūgasaki Nagareyama Rinkai Saitama Rapid Shibayama Shin-Keisei Tōyō Rapid Tsukuba Express Minatomirai Kodomonokuni Minatomirai 21 Monorails & light transit Monorails Chiba Monorail Disney Resort Shōnan Monorail Tama Monorail Tokyo Monorail People movers New Shuttle Kanazawa Seaside Nippori-Toneri Yamaguchi Yūkarigaoka Yurikamome Trams Enoden Setagaya Arakawa Hinterland Chichibu Main Line Fuji-Hakone-Izu-Yamanashi Cable cars and aerial tramways Ōyama Cable Car Hodosan Ropeway (Takao Tozan Railway Mitake Tozan Cable Car ) (Nokogiriyama Ropeway Mount Tsukuba Cable Car Mount Tsukuba Ropeway) Akechidaira Ropeway Ikaho Ropeway Bus Willer Express List of bus operating companies in Japan (east) Public ferries Tokyo-Wan Ferry Tokyo Cruise Ship Tokyo Mizube Line Keihin Ferry Boat The Port Service (Yokohama) Major terminals Rail Akihabara Chiba Hachiōji Ikebukuro Kita-Senju Mito Odawara Ōmiya Ōtemachi Shibuya Shinagawa Shinjuku Tachikawa Tokyo Ueno Yokohama Airports Haneda Narita Chofu Ibaraki Ports Yokohama Tokyo Miscellaneous Shinkansen Smart cards Pasmo Suica Transportation in Greater Tokyo Rail transport in Japan List of named passenger trains of Japan List of through trains in Japan Rail construction projects Sōtetsu JR Link Line Japan transit: Tokyo Osaka Nagoya Fukuoka Hakone Fuji Izu Hokkaido Toyama Hiroden Metro systems in Japan Shinkansen trams (list)

JR East lines Shinkansen Hokuriku Jōetsu Tōhoku Akita Yamagata Main Chūō Ōu Shin'etsu Sōbu Tōhoku Tōkaidō Uetsu Local Agatsuma Aterazawa Ban'etsu East Ban'etsu West Echigo Gonō Hachikō Hachinohe Hakushin Hanawa Iiyama Ishinomaki Itō Itsukaichi Jōban Jōetsu Kamaishi Karasuyama Kashima Kawagoe Keiyō Kesennuma Kitakami Koumi Kururi Mito Musashino Nambu Narita Negishi Nikkō Ōfunato Oga Ōito Ōme Ōminato Rikuu East Rikuu West Ryōmō Sagami Senseki Senzan Shinonoi Sotobō Suigun Tadami Takasaki Tazawako Tōgane Tsugaru Tsurumi Uchibō Utsunomiya Yahiko Yamada Yamanote Yokohama Yokosuka Yonesaka Others Chūō Rapid Chūō-Sōbu Gala-Yuzawa Keihin-Tōhoku Saikyō (incl. Akabane) Senseki-Tōhoku Shōnan-Shinjuku Sōbu Rapid Ueno-Tokyo Past Aizu Ashio Iwaizumi Kihara Marumori Mōka Nagai Shin'etsu Main (Shinano / Echigo Tokimeki) Tōhoku Main (Aoimori / Iwate Galaxy)