Stations 20 Line length 33.7 km (20.9 mi) Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | Opened 1897 Number of tracks Single Locale Gunma Prefecture | |
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Owner Joshin Electric Railway Terminis Takasaki, Shimonita Station | ||
The Joshin Line (上信線, Jōshin-sen) is a Japanese railway line in Gunma Prefecture, between Takasaki Station in Takasaki and Shimonita Station in Shimonita, operated by the private railway operator Joshin Electric Railway (上信電鉄, Joshin Dentetsu). This is the only line operated by the company, although it also operates a few bus lines. The first section of the line opened in 1897.
Contents
Rolling stock
The 1000 and 6000 series EMUs purchased new are unusual in having the driver's seat on the right-hand side facing the direction of travel.
History
The line opened on 10 May 1897, as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge steam-hauled railway line from Takasaki to Fukushima (present-day Jōshū-Fukushima), operated by the Kōzuke Railway (上野鉄道, Kōzuke Tetsudō). The entire line to Shimonita was opened on 25 September in the same year. The line was planned to be extended southward from Shimonita to connect with the Saku Railway (present-day Koumi Line) at Haguroshita, and the owning company was accordingly renamed Joshin Electric Railway (上信電鉄, Jōshin Denki Tetsudō) from 25 August 1921. The line was ultimately never extended, but the track was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and electrified with an overhead wire at 1,500 V DC.
Freight operations on the line were discontinued from 1 October 1994.