Native name 越美南線 Opened 5 October 1923 Line length 72.1 km (44.80 mi) Locale Gifu Prefecture | Stations 38 Owner Nagaragawa Railway Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | |
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Terminis Mino-Ōta Station, Hokunō Station | ||
The Etsumi-Nan Line (越美南線, Etsumi Nansen, "Etsumi South Line") is a railway line in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, operated by the third-sector operator Nagaragawa Railway (長良川鉄道, Nagaragawa Tetsudō). The line connects Mino-Ōta Station in Minokamo with Hokunō Station in Gujō. It is the only railway line operated by the Nagaragawa Railway. The line was originally operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR). JNR planned to connect the Etsumi-Nan Line and Etsumi-Hoku Line ("Etsumi North Line"), but the plan was never realized. The north line was later succeeded by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), while the south line was taken by Nagaragawa Railway, a newly founded third-sector company, in 1986. As the company name suggests, the line runs along Nagara River. As a consequence of Japan's declining population and frequent natural disasters (such as typhoons and heavy snowfall), the company is facing financial difficulties.
Contents
Rolling stock
From spring 2016, two of the line's Nagara 300 series diesel cars are scheduled to be rebuilt as a Nagara sightseeing train. The rebuilding work on the two cars will be overseen by Don Design Associates, headed by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka.
History
The Mino-Ota to Mino-Shi section opened on 5 October 1923, and the line was then progressively extended, reaching Hokuno in 1934. Freight services ceased in 1974.