Ainokaze Toyama Railway

Ainokaze Toyama Railway
Native name
 あいの風とやま鉄道
Third sector
Genre Rail transport
Founded 24 July 2012
Headquarters Toyama, Toyama, Japan
Area served
 Toyama Prefecture
Services Passenger railway
Number of employees
 155 (as of January 2015)
Website ainokaze.co.jp

The Ainokaze Toyama Railway (あいの風とやま鉄道株式会社 Ainokaze Toyama Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Toyama Prefecture when it was separated from the JR West network in March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano to Kanazawa. The company was founded on 24 July 2012, and has its headquarters in Toyama, Toyama.[1]

Shareholders

As of 2013, Toyama Prefecture is the main shareholder, owning 63% of the company's shares, 27% is owned by municipalities within Toyama Prefecture, and 10% is owned by private-sector businesses.[1]

Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line

Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line
Overview
Native name あいの風とやま鉄道線
Type Regional rail
Status Operational
Locale Ishikawa Prefecture
Toyama Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
Termini Kurikara
Ichiburi
Stations 21
Operation
Opened 1898
Owner Ainokaze Toyama Railway
Rolling stock 413 series/521 series EMUs
Technical
Line length 100.1 km (62.2 mi)
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 20 kV AC (60 Hz)
Route map

Legend
 IR Ishikawa Railway Line
 0.0 Kurikara
Kurikara Tunnel

↑Ishikawa/Toyama↓
Hokuriku Shinkansen
4.6 Anrakuji (Signal Box) Until 1962
Kaetsunō Railway Kaetsu Line

6.8 Isurugi
 Oyabe River
 14.0 Fukuoka
 17.5 Nishi-Takaoka
 20.3 Tenpogawa (Signal Box) Until 1965
 West JR Jōhana Line
22.8 Takaoka
(Takaoka Station)
 JR West Himi Line
 Shō River
 26.5 Etchū-Daimon
For Denki Kagaku Kogyo
Hokuriku Shinkansen
30.2 Kosugi
36.8 Kureha
Kureha Tunnel
Former Line
Takayama Main Line
Toyama Chihō Railway Imizu Line
40.2 Dakariya (Signal Box) Until 1956
40.9 Toyama Until 1908
Jinzū River
Toyama Port Line

41.6 Toyama

Toyama Station/(Toyama Station Nord)

Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line
Itachigawa
Chitetsu (Toyamaguchi)
Toyama Rail Yard

Former Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line
44.4 Toyama Freight Terminal
Hasumachi
Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line
 48.2 Higashi-Toyama
 Jōganji River
 53.1 Mizuhashi
 Shiraiwagawa
 Kamiichigawa
 56.1 Kamiichigawa (Signal Box) Until 1966
Chitetsu Main Line
Naka-Namerikawa

58.6 Namerikawa
Hamakazumi
Hayatsuki-Kazumi
62.1 Higashi-Namerikawa
Etchu-Nakamura
Hayatsukigawa
64.4 Kadokawa (Signal Box) (Until 1968)(Nishi-Uozu)
ER-Uozu
For Japan Carbide Industries

67.1 Uozu
69.7 Katakai (Signal Box) Until 1969

73.4 Kurobe
Former TER Ishida LineHorikiri
Former ER Kurobe BranchlineIshida (Signal Box)
ER Main LineDentetsu Kurobe
 77.4 Ikuji
 Kurobe River
 81.6 Nishi-Nyūzen
 85.5 Nyūzen
 88.1 Ogawa (Signal Box) Until 1967
 90.7 Tomari
 Miyazaki Tunnel
 95.4 Etchū-Miyazaki
 ↑Toyama/Niigata↓
 100.1 Ichiburi
 ETR Nihonkai Hisui Line

From 14 March 2015, the Ainokaze Toyama Railway took over control of local passenger operations on the 100.1 km section JR West Hokuriku Main Line between Ichiburi in neighbouring Niigata Prefecture and Kurikara in neighbouring Ishikawa Prefecture, with a total of 21 stations.[2]

Service outline

While the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line officially stretches from Kurikara in the west to Ichiburi in the east, most services terminate at Tomari to the east, with a same-platform transfer provided to Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line services.[2] Some through services continue over the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line to and from Itoigawa.[2] To the west, most services continue to and from Kanazawa over the IR Ishikawa Railway Line.[2] In addition to all-stations "Local" (普通 futsū) services, limited-stop "Rapid" services named Ainokaze Liner (あいの風ライナー) operate between Tomari and Toyama or Kanazawa during the weekday morning and evening peaks. A supplementary liner fare of 300 yen is required to board these services, and all seats are reserved.[2]

ICOCA and other compatible IC farecards can be used on the line since 26 March 2015.[2]

Stations

Station Japanese Rapid Transfers Location
Kurikara 倶利伽羅 | IR Ishikawa Railway Line Tsubata, Kahoku Ishikawa Prefecture
Isurugi 石動 O   Oyabe Toyama Prefecture
Fukuoka 福岡 | Takaoka
Nishi-Takaoka 西高岡 |
Takaoka 高岡 O Jōhana Line
Himi Line
Manyōsen Takaoka Kidō Line (Takaoka Station)
Etchū-Daimon 越中大門 |   Imizu
Kosugi 小杉 O
Kureha 呉羽 | Toyama
Toyama 富山 O Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line (Toyamaekikita)
Toyama Chiho Railway Main Line (Dentetsu-Toyama), Toyama City Tram Line (Toyama-Ekimae)
Takayama Main Line
Higashi-Toyama 東富山 |  
Mizuhashi 水橋 |
Namerikawa 滑川 O Toyama Chiho Railway Main Line Namerikawa
Higashi-Namerikawa 東滑川 |
Uozu 魚津 O Toyama Chiho Railway Main Line (Shin-Uozu) Uozu
Kurobe 黒部 O   Kurobe
Ikuji 生地 |
Nishi-Nyūzen 西入善 | Nyūzen, Shimoniikawa
Nyūzen 入善 O
Tomari 泊 O Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line Asahi
Etchū-Miyazaki 越中宮崎    
Ichiburi 市振 Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line Itoigawa Niigata Prefecture

Rolling stock

Services on the line use a fleet of 16 two-car 521 series (2nd-batch type) electric multiple unit (EMU) trains and five three-car 413 series EMUs (former sets B01 to B03, B07, and B10) acquired from JR West.[3] The 521 series trains will receive a new livery with a blue wave design on the seaward (north) side and a green wave design on the landward (south) side.[2] While both the Ainokaze Toyama Railway and neighbouring IR Ishikawa Railway operate similar 521 series trains, the respective operators' trains do not run coupled together.[2]

As of 1 April 2015, the 521 series and 413 series fleets are as follows.[4]

521 series

An Ainokaze Toyama Railway 521 series EMU at Tomari Station in June 2015
Set No. Former JR West set No. Manufacturer Delivery date
AK01 6 Kinki Sharyo 27 October 2009
AK02 7 Kinki Sharyo 27 October 2009
AK03 8 Kinki Sharyo 22 December 2009
AK04 9 Kinki Sharyo 22 December 2009
AK05 11 Kinki Sharyo 15 February 2010
AK06 12 Kinki Sharyo 15 February 2010
AK07 13 Kinki Sharyo 2 March 2010
AK08 15 Kinki Sharyo 2 March 2010
AK09 16 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 18 December 2010
AK10 17 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 18 December 2010
AK11 18 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 18 December 2010
AK12 21 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 12 January 2011
AK13 23 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 26 January 2011
AK14 24 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 26 January 2011
AK15 31 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 24 February 2011
AK16 32 Kawasaki Heavy Industries 24 February 2011

413 series

JR West 413 series EMU set B03
Set No. Former JR West set No. Livery
AM01 B01      Hokuriku white/blue
AM02 B02      Hokuriku white/blue
AM03 B03      All-over blue No. 1
AM04 B07      All-over blue No. 1
AM05 B10      All-over blue No. 1

Future developments

An additional 521 series set is to be ordered during fiscal 2016 or 2017, and one of the 413 series sets is to be modified for use as a special-event train in the first half of fiscal 2016, with new seat covers and a new external livery. The train will also be used to provide additional capacity on regular services during the peak periods.[5] From the first half of fiscal 2018, a 413 series set will be rebuilt as a tourist train, returning to service on the line in the second half of fiscal 2018.[5]

History

The company was founded on 24 July 2012.[1] The company name "Ainokaze Toyama Railway" was announced on 30 May 2013.[6] Ainokaze refers to a north-easterly breeze that blows in the region in spring and summer, and is mentioned in the Manyoshu collection of Japanese poetry.[6]

The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 February 2014.[7]

Future developments

New stations are planned to be built between Takaoka and Nishi-Takaoka, and between Toyama and Higashi-Toyama.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 会社概要 [Company overview] (in Japanese). Japan: Ainokaze Toyama Railway. 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Osano, Kagetoshi (March 2015). 　北陸新幹線並行在来線各社の姿 [Guide to companies operating conventional lines alongside the Hokuriku Shinkansen]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 44 no. 371 (Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun). pp. 28–33.
  3. ↑ Terada, Hirokazu (June 2015). 北陸新幹線長野ー金沢間開業 並行在来線4社5路線を訪ねて（１） [Visiting the 5 parallel conventional lines of 4 companies following the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Nagano and Kanazawa]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 55 no. 650 (Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd.). pp. 42–47.
  4. ↑ JR電車編成表 2015夏 [JR EMU Formations - Summer 2015] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 20 May 2015. p. 142. ISBN 978-4-330-56915-4.
  5. 1 2 観光列車の整備について [Tourist train details] (pdf) (in Japanese). Japan: Ainokaze Toyama Railway. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 富山県の北陸新幹線並行在来線、新社名は「あいの風とやま鉄道」に内定! [New company name "Ainokaze Toyama Railway" chosen for old line running parallel to Hokuriku Shinkansen in Toyama Prefecture]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  7. ↑ 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.

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