Stations 12 Line length 59.5 km (37.0 mi) Operating speed | Owner Hokuetsu Express Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Locale Niigata Prefecture | |
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Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead catenary Terminis Saigata Station, Muikamachi Station | ||
fhd at hokuhoku oshima station on the hokuetsu express hokuhoku line
The Hokuhoku Line (ほくほく線, Hokuhoku-sen) is a Japanese railway line in Niigata Prefecture, between Muikamachi in Minamiuonuma and Saigata in Jōetsu. This is the only railway line Hokuetsu Express (北越急行, Hokuetsu Kyūkō) operates. Construction began in 1968 by the Japanese National Railways (JNR), and it was finally completed as a third sector line in 1997, including the 10,472 m (6.5 mi) Akakura Tunnel, the longest on a non-JR line.
Contents
- fhd at hokuhoku oshima station on the hokuetsu express hokuhoku line
- Hokuetsu express hokuhoku line
- Services
- Passing loops
- Akakura
- Yakushitge
- Gimy
- Stations
- References
Unlike most other third sector company lines, the line made steady profits. Until the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2015, the shortest rail link between Kantō and Hokuriku was to take the Jōetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa and then transfer to the Hakutaka express service on the Hokuhoku Line. The maximum line speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) is the fastest non-Shinkansen service in the country, matched only by the Keisei Skyliner services to Narita Airport (also at 160 km/h).
Hokuetsu express hokuhoku line
Services
Upon the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen on 14 March 2015, the thirteen express services in each direction of the Hokuhoku Line, which had run from 1997 with an average daily ridership of 6,900 passengers, were cancelled and replaced by a daily special rapid service in each direction. Since then the services are:
Passing loops
There are three passing loops on the Hokuhoku Line. Each has one bi-directional through track to allow full line speed.
Akakura
Between Uonumakyūryō and Misashima in Tōkamachi, Niigata. It is in the 10472m Akakura tunnel.
Yakushitōge
Between Tōkamachi and Matsudai in Tōkamachi, Niigata. It is in the 6199m Yakushitōge tunnel.
Gimyō
Between Matsudai and Hokuhoku-Ōshima in Tōkamachi, Niigata. It is in the 9130m Nabetachiyama tunnel.
Stations
The Hokuhoku line is entirely in Niigata Prefecture.