Echigo Tokimeki Railway
Native name | えちごトキめき鉄道株式会社 |
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Third sector | |
Genre | Rail transport |
Founded | 22 November 2010 |
Headquarters | Joetsu, Niigata, Japan |
Area served | Niigata Prefecture |
Key people | Tadahiro Shimazu (President) |
Services | Passenger railway |
Website |
www |
Echigo Tokimeki Railway Co., Ltd. (えちごトキめき鉄道株式会社 Echigo Tokimeki Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) (ETR) is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2010 to operate passenger railway services on the sections of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line and JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Niigata Prefecture when they were separated from the respective JR Group operators in March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano to Kanazawa. The main shareholders of the company are Niigata Prefecture, the city of Joetsu, the city of Itoigawa, and the city of Myoko.[1]
Lines
- ■ Myōkō Haneuma Line (37.7 km, Myōkō-Kōgen - Naoetsu)
- ■ Nihonkai Hisui Line (59.3 km, Naoetsu - Ichiburi)
Since 14 March 2015, Echigo Tokimeki Railway operates local passenger operations on two lines: 10 stations on the 37.7 km Myōkō Haneuma Line (妙高はねうまライン) (formerly part of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line) between Myōkō-Kōgen and Naoetsu, and 11 stations on the 59.3 km Nihonkai Hisui Line (日本海ひすいライン) (formerly part of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line) between Naoetsu and Ichiburi.[2]
Myōkō Haneuma Line
Myōkō Haneuma Line | |
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An ET127 series EMU on the Myōkō Haneuma Line in June 2015 | |
Overview | |
Native name | 妙高はねうまライン |
Type | Regional rail |
Status | Operational |
Locale | Niigata Prefecture |
Termini |
Myōkō-Kōgen Naoetsu |
Stations | 10 |
Operation | |
Opened | 15 August 1886 |
Owner | Echigo Tokimeki Railway |
Rolling stock |
ET127 series EMUs E653-1100 series EMUs |
Technical | |
Line length | 37.7 km (23.4 mi) |
No. of tracks | Single track |
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Electrification | 1,500 V DC Overhead line |
Myōkō Haneuma Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend
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Service outline
In addition to all-stations "Local" (普通 futsū) services operated by ETR, the line is used by JR East Shirayuki limited express services operating over the section between Jōetsumyōkō and Naoetsu, providing connections with the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Naoetsu,[2] and also by one return "Rapid" service daily operated by the Hokuetsu Express, to and from Echigo-Yuzawa and using the section of the line between Naoetsu and Arai.[3]
Stations
Station | Japanese | Transfers | Location | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Myōkō-Kōgen | 妙高高原 | ■ Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line | Myōkō | Niigata Prefecture |
Sekiyama | 関山 | |||
Nihongi | 二本木 | Jōetsu | ||
Arai | 新井 | Myōkō | ||
Kita-Arai | 北新井 | |||
Jōetsumyōkō | 上越妙高 | ■ Hokuriku Shinkansen | Jōetsu | |
Minami-Takada | 南高田 | |||
Takada | 高田 | |||
Kasugayama | 春日山 | |||
Naoetsu | 直江津 |
|
Rolling stock
Local services on the Myōkō Haneuma Line use a fleet of ten ET127 series 2-car electric multiple unit (EMU) trains transferred from JR East.[2] These have reinforced front-end skirts, and feature a new livery.[2] They operate as two- or four-car formation during the off-peak periods, and as six-car formations during peak periods.[2] Shirayuki limited express services operated by JR East use four-car E653-1100 series EMUs.[2]
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An ET127 series EMU, May 2015
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A Shirayuki E653-1100 series EMU
Nihonkai Hisui Line
Nihonkai Hisui Line | |
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An ET122 diesel car on the Nihonkai Hisui Line in June 2015 | |
Overview | |
Native name | 日本海ひすいライン |
Type | Regional rail |
Status | Operational |
Locale | Niigata Prefecture |
Termini |
Naoetsu Ichiburi |
Stations | 11 |
Operation | |
Opened | 1911 |
Owner | Echigo Tokimeki Railway |
Rolling stock |
ET122 DMUs 485 series (JR), 521 series |
Technical | |
Line length | 59.3 km (36.8 mi) |
No. of tracks | Double track |
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Electrification | 1,500 V DC / 20 kV AC (60 Hz) Overhead line |
Nihonkai Hisui Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend
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Service outline
While the western boundary of the Nihonkai Hisui Line is at Ichiburi Station, most services on the line operate between Naoetsu and Tomari on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line. At Tomari Station, both ETR trains and Ainokaze Toyama Railway trains use platform 2, allowing a same-platform transfer.[2]
Stations
Station | Japanese | Transfers | Location | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ichiburi | 市振 | ■ Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line | Itoigawa | Niigata Prefecture |
Oyashirazu | 親不知 | |||
Ōmi | 青海 | |||
Itoigawa | 糸魚川 | |||
Kajiyashiki | 梶屋敷 | |||
Uramoto | 浦本 | |||
Nō | 能生 | |||
Tsutsuishi | 筒石 | |||
Nadachi | 名立 | Jōetsu | ||
Arimagawa | 有間川 | |||
Tanihama | 谷浜 | |||
Naoetsu | 直江津 | |||
Rolling stock
The eastern section of the line is electrified at 1,500 V DC and the western section of the line is electrified at 20 kV AC (60 Hz) overhead, with a dead section separating the two different power supplies between Itoigawa and Kajiyashiki stations, but in order to eliminate the need to procure new dual-voltage rolling stock, local services on the Nihonkai Hisui Line use a fleet of eight new ET122 single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains based on the JR West KiHa 122 series design.[2] This fleet includes two special-event cars.[2] Services normally operate as single-car trains during the off-peak periods, increased to two cars during the peaks.[2] In addition to ETR services, a seasonal limited-stop "Rapid" service operating between Niigata and Itoigawa runs once a day in each direction using a 6-car JR East 485 series EMU.[2]
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An ET122 DMU car, June 2015
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An ET122 DMU special-event car, May 2015
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A JR East 485 series EMU
History
The company was founded on 22 November 2010.[1] The new names for the two lines to be operated by the company were announced in June 2012,[4] and the company name was changed to Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company from 1 July 2012.[1] The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 February 2014.[5]
Resort train
A two-car ET122-1000 series diesel multiple unit resort train is due to enter service from 23 April 2016, operating over both of the ETR lines.[6] The two-car diesel train will be branded Setsugekka (雪月花, lit. "Snow, Moon, Flowers").[7]
See also
- List of railway companies in Japan
- List of railway lines in Japan
- Shinano Railway, a third-sector railway company in neighbouring Nagano Prefecture
References
- 1 2 3 会社概要 [Company overview] (in Japanese). Japan: Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company. 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 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.
- ↑ 北越急行 えちごトキめき鉄道に乗入れ [Hokuetsu Express to inter-run over Echigo Tokimeki Railway]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ 並行在来線会社名・路線名の候補が決定しました [Names decided for operating company and lines] (pdf) (in Japanese). Japan. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ↑ 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 19 March 2014.
- ↑ リゾート列車(観光列車)愛称名募集 [Invitation to name new resort train]. News release (in Japanese). Echigo Tokimeki Railway. January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ ET122形1000番台「雪月花」が甲種輸送される [ET122-1000 series "Setsugekka" delivered]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Echigo Tokimeki Railway. |
- Official website (Japanese)