Type Commuter rail Line length 15.2 km (9.4 mi) Stations 11 | Rolling stock 1000 series Locale Nagoya Terminis Nagoya, Kinjo Futo Route | |
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Opened 1 June 1950 (as Nishi-Nagoyakō Line)
6 October 2004 (as Aonami Line) Owner Nagoya Seaside Rapid Railway Depot(s) Shionagi (between Inaei and Noseki Stations) | ||
Aonami line nagoya
The Aonami Line (あおなみ線, Aonami-sen) is a third-sector railway line in the city of Nagoya operated by the Nagoya Seaside Rapid Railway (名古屋臨海高速鉄道, Nagoya Rinkai Kōsoku Tetsudō). Officially called the Nishi-Nagoyakō Line (西名古屋港線, Nishi-Nagoyakō-sen, West Nagoya Port Line), it connects Nagoya Station with Kinjō-Futō Station, and was a freight branch line of Tokaido Main Line, converted for passenger usage in October 2004.
Contents
This line is still operated as a freight line by Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) between Nagoya and Nagoya Freight Terminal, and so the section between Nagoya and Arako Station is used for both passenger and freight traffic.
Rolling stock
Services on the line are operated by a fleet of eight four-car 1000 series electric multiple unit (EMU) trains.
History
The Nishi-Nagoyakō Line opened on 1 June 1950 as a freight branch of the Tokaido Main Line between Sasashima Freight Terminal (笹島貨物) and Nishi-Nagoyakō (西名古屋港) operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR). Nagoya Freight Terminal opened on 1 October 1980, and with the closure of Sasashima Freight Terminal on 1 November 1986, Nagoya Freight Terminal became the starting point of the line. With the privatization and division of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line was transferred to Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) as a "Class 1 railway operator" and JR Freight as a "Class 2 railway operator".
Plans to operate passenger services on the line were formalized in the 1990s, and Nagoya Seaside Rapid Railway company was established in 1997 as a third-sector company funded by the city of Nagoya. The passenger Aonami Line utilized approximately 12 km of existing freight line with a new approximately 4 km extension to Kinjō-Futō Station. This opened on 6 October 2004, and at the same time, the section of track between Nagoya Station and Nagoya Freight Terminal was closed.
Despite serving attractions such as the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall and Nagoya Race Course, passenger ridership figures fell short of targets, and in July 2010, the operating company declared debts of approximately 46 billion yen, applying for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to avoid bankruptcy.
A special "SL Aonami-go" steam train service operated on the Aonami Line on 16 and 17 February 2013, using JNR Class C56 locomotive number 160 as well as three 12 series passenger coaches.