Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line
| Asanogawa Line | |
|---|---|
 Hokuriku Railway 8800 series EMU heading for Kanazawa Station | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Locale | Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Termini |
Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Uchinada |
| Stations | 12 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Owner | Hokuriku Railway |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 6.8 km (4.23 mi) |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Electrification | 1500 V DC |
The Asanogawa Line (浅野川線 Asanogawa-sen) is a Japanese railway line which connects Kanazawa Station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture with Uchinada Station in Uchinada, Ishikawa Prefecture. It is owned and operated by Hokuriku Railroad. Due to its history as the former Asanogawa Electric Railway, the line is often referred to as the Asaden (浅電).
Service
All trains make the run from Hokutetsu-Kanazawa to Uchinada once every 30 minutes during the day, and once every 22-24 minutes during peak periods. The trip takes 17 minutes
Until December 2006, there was express service which stopped at Kami-Moroe, Waridashi, Mitsuya, and Kagatsuma; the trip took 14 minutes.
History
- May 10, 1925: Asanogawa Electric Railway opens Nanatsuya — Shin-Susaki section, electrified at 600 VDC
- May 18, 1926: Kanazawa-Ekimae (now Hokutetsu-Kanazawa) — Nanatsuya section opens
- July 14, 1929: Shin-Sumachi — Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae (now Uchinada) — Awagasaki-Kaigan section opens
- February 11, 1945: Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae — Awagasaki-Kaigan section closes
- October 1, 1945: Hokuriku Railway absorbs Asanogawa Electric Railway; line becomes Asanogawa Line
- April 21, 1946: Mitsuya Station renamed Tsuribashi Station
- 1952: Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae — Awagasaki-Kaigan section reopens
- July 5, 1956: Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station moved due to expansion of Kanazawa Station plaza
- May 14, 1960: Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae Station moves 0.1 km, renamed to Uchinada Station
- June 30, 1961: Shin-Susaki Station closes
- April 1, 1972: Freight operations end
- July 8, 1974: Uchinada — Awagasaki-Kaigan section closes
- November 26, 1974: Tsuribashi Station renamed Mitsuya Station
- December 19, 1996: Catenary voltage increased from 600 V to 1500 V DC; Driver-only operation begins
- March 28, 2001: Hokutetsu-Kanazawa — Nanatsuya section moved underground; ATS system begins operation
- December 1, 2006: Express service abolished
Former connecting lines
- Kanazawa Station: The 5 km 762 mm gauge Jinshi horse-drawn tramway opened in 1898, being converted to 1,067 mm gauge and electrified at 600 V DC in 1914. In 1920, the line was extended to Ono Port, and a further 2 km to Ono Minato in 1923. A 400m branch to Ryokuchi Park opened in 1930, passenger services on the branch ceasing in 1945 though the line remained to service a paper mill. The entire system closed in 1970.
Rolling stock
Hokuriku Railway uses ten 8000 series (formerly Keio 3000 series) railcars on the Asanogawa Line. They are typically run in paired sets.
Stations
All stations located in Ishikawa Prefecture.
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between Stations |
Total | ||||
| Hokutetsu-Kanazawa | 北鉄金沢駅 | - | 0.0 | JR West: Hokuriku Main Line (Kanazawa) | Kanazawa |
| Nanatsuya | 七ツ屋駅 | 0.6 | 0.6 | ||
| Kami-Moroe | 上諸江駅 | 0.9 | 1.5 | ||
| Isobe | 磯部駅 | 0.7 | 2.2 | ||
| Waridashi | 割出駅 | 0.6 | 2.8 | ||
| Mitsukuchi | 三口駅 | 0.5 | 3.3 | ||
| Mitsuya | 三ツ屋駅 | 0.6 | 3.9 | ||
| Ōkobata | 大河端駅 | 0.6 | 4.5 | ||
| Kitama | 北間駅 | 0.6 | 5.1 | ||
| Kagatsume | 蚊爪駅 | 0.4 | 5.5 | ||
| Awagasaki | 粟ヶ崎駅 | 0.8 | 6.3 | Uchinada, Kahoku District | |
| Uchinada | 内灘駅 | 0.5 | 6.8 | ||
See also
References
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia