Biwako Line

Biwako Line
Biwako Line
	A
	223-2000 series EMU on a Biwako Line Special Rapid service
Overview
Native name	琵琶湖線
Owner	JR West
Locale	Kyoto Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture
Termini	Maibara; Kyoto (Tōkaidō Line); Nagahama (Hokuriku Line);
Stations	23
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	Urban Network
Operator(s)	JR West; JR Freight
History
Opened	May 1, 1882 (as part of Tōkaidō Main Line); March 13, 1988 (renamed as Biwako Line)
Technical
Line length	75.4 km (46.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph)

Biwako Line

Legend

Hokuriku Main Line

for Fukui, Naoetsu

Tōkaidō Main Line

to Sekigahara

7.7

4.7

2.4

0.0

JR Central/JR West boundary

445.9

0.0

Maibara

451.9

6.0

Hikone

Ohmi Railway Main Line

for Yōkaichi, Kibukawa

455.2

9.3

Minami-Hikone

458.3

12.4

Kawase

462.0

16.1

Inae

465.7

19.8

Notogawa

470.8

24.9

Azuchi

Ohmi Railway Yōkaichi Line

for Yōkaichi

474.3

28.4

Ōmi-Hachiman

478.3

32.4

Shinohara

483.9

38.0

Yasu

Yasu River

487.0

41.1

Moriyama

489.1

43.2

Rittō

Kusatsu Line

to Kibukawa, Tsuge

491.4

45.5

Kusatsu

Kusatsu River

493.9

48.0

Minami-Kusatsu

496.6

50.7

Seta

Seta River

Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line

499.1

53.2

Ishiyama

501.9

56.0

Zeze

Hama-Ōtsu

503.6

57.7

Ōtsu

Ōtsu Port

Keishin Line

Ishiyama Sakamoto Line

to Sakamoto

Ōsakayama Tunnel

Ōtani

Kosei Line

to Ōmi Shiotsu

Shiga/Kyoto border

508.1

62.2

Yamashina

(old) Yamashina

Higashiyama Tunnel

to Kizu

left to Sanjō

513.6

67.7

Kyoto

Sanin Main Line

to Hatabu

JR Kyoto Line

To Osaka

The Biwako Line (琵琶湖線, Biwako-sen) is the nickname used by the operator of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) to refer to the portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line (between Maibara Station and Kyoto Station) and the Hokuriku Main Line (between Maibara Station and Nagahama Station). The section, along with JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line, forms a contiguous service that is the main trunk of JR West's "Urban Network" commuter rail network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area.

Overview

The line is named after Lake Biwa (琵琶湖, Biwa-ko), which the route runs along. Line nicknames were introduced when the newly privatized JR West intended to use "familiar" names over official line names, such as Tōkaidō Main Line and Fukuchiyama Line. Biwako Line did not appear on the first list, and instead The JR Kyoto Line was to be called up to Maibara. A move in Shiga Prefecture opposed the name, claiming that the name of Kyoto Line in Shiga sounds like an auxiliary, requiring its own name in the prefecture. Biwako Line was thus made to refer to the section between Maibara and Kyoto.

The section of the name was extended to Nagahama, on the alteration of electric supply from 20 kV AC to 1,500 V DC, which enabled through operation to Kyoto and Osaka.

Although the "Biwako Line" nickname is used by the operator JR West for passenger announcements, the official status of Tōkaidō Main Line has not been changed or discussed. The counterpart for the line, Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) uses its official name "Tōkaidō Main Line" for the section of JR West, at the connections of Kyoto and Maibara. The "Biwako Line" nickname appears in some local newspapers and real estate advertisements. Frequent passengers understand that the Biwako, JR Kyoto, JR Kobe lines are in fact one line, however, public recognition of the name is still in question, especially among non-users along the line.

Trains

Special Rapid Service (新快速)

Trains terminate at Nagahama, Maibara and Yasu (some trains continue on Hokuriku Line to Omi-Shiotsu and Tsuruga). Stops at Nagahama, Tamura, Sakata, Maibara, Hikone, Notogawa, Omi-Hachiman, Yasu, Moriyama, Kusatsu, Minami-Kusatsu, Ishiyama, Otsu, Yamashina, and Kyoto. Continues on JR Kyoto Line to Osaka and beyond.

Local trains (普通)

Operated as rapid service trains when running in the west of Takatsuki (Kyoto in the morning) (3 doors par car)
- These local trains are mainly operated on the Biwako Line and make every stop on the line. They terminate at Maibara and Yasu.
JR Kyoto Line local trains (4 doors par car)
- JR Kyoto Line local service extends to Yasu during rush hour on weekdays.

Stations

Stations are listed from east to west. The distance of Tokyo - Maibara is 445.9 km, and that of Tokyo - Kyoto is 513.6 km. Historically, the Tōkaidō Main Line continued from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond, through Maibara. In the Japanese timetable books, the distances from Tokyo are still shown in the table, although the Biwako Line's officially begins at Maibara.

S: Trains stop.
s: limited stop
|: Trains pass.
Local (4-door trains): JR Kyoto Line local trains
Local (3-door trains): operated as rapid service trains when running in the west of Takatsuki (Kyoto in the morning)

No.	Station	Japanese	Stop			Transfers	Location
No.	Station	Japanese	Local (4 doors)	Local (3 doors)	Special Rapid	Transfers	Ward, city	Prefecture
Hokuriku Main Line
Through service from Hokuriku Main Line
JR-A09	Nagahama	長浜		S	S	Hokuriku Main Line for Ōmi-Shiotsu and Tsuruga	Nagahama	Shiga
JR-A10	Tamura	田村		S	S		Nagahama
JR-A11	Sakata	坂田		S	S		Maibara
Tōkaidō Main Line
JR-A12	Maibara	米原		S	S	Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tokaido Line for Gifu and Nagoya Ohmi Railway Main Line	Maibara	Shiga
JR-A13	Hikone	彦根		S	S	Ohmi Railway Main Line	Hikone
JR-A14	Minami-Hikone	南彦根		S	\|
JR-A15	Kawase	河瀬		S	\|
JR-A16	Inae	稲枝		S	\|
JR-A17	Notogawa	能登川		S	S		Higashiomi
JR-A18	Azuchi	安土		S	\|		Omihachiman
JR-A19	Ōmi-Hachiman	近江八幡		S	S	Ohmi Railway Yōkaichi Line
JR-A20	Shinohara	篠原		S	\|
JR-A21	Yasu	野洲	s	S	S		Yasu
JR-A22	Moriyama	守山	s	S	S		Moriyama
JR-A23	Rittō	栗東	s	S	\|		Ritto
JR-A24	Kusatsu	草津	s	S	S	Kusatsu Line	Kusatsu
JR-A25	Minami-Kusatsu	南草津	s	S	S		Kusatsu
JR-A26	Seta	瀬田	s	S	\|		Otsu
JR-A27	Ishiyama	石山	s	S	S	Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line
JR-A28	Zeze	膳所	s	S	\|	Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line
JR-A29	Ōtsu	大津	s	S	S
JR-A30	Yamashina	山科	s	S	S	Kosei Line Kyoto Municipal Subway Tōzai Line Keihan Keishin Line (Keihan Yamashina Station)	Yamashina-ku, Kyoto	Kyoto
JR-A31	Kyoto	京都	S	S	S	Sagano Line (Sanin Main Line), Nara Line Tōkaidō Shinkansen Kintetsu Kyoto Line Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line	Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto	Kyoto
Through service on JR Kyoto Line

Rolling stock

Local

113 series (Kusatsu – Kusatsu – Kyoto, through service with Kusatsu Line and Kosei Line)
117 series (Kusatsu – Kusatsu – Kyoto, through service with Kusatsu Line and Kosei Line)
207 series (Yasu – Kusatsu – Kyoto, through service with Kosei Line)
221 series (through service with Kosei Line)
223-6000 series (through service with Kosei Line)
321 series (Yasu – Kusatsu – Kyoto, through service with Kosei Line)
521 series (Nagahama – Maibara, through service with Hokuriku Line)

Special Rapid and Local

223-1000 series (through service with Kusatsu Line, Kosei Line, Hokuriku Line)
223-2000 series (through service with Kusatsu Line, Kosei Line, Hokuriku Line)
225-0 series (through service with Kusatsu Line, Kosei Line, Hokuriku Line)
225-100 series (through service with Kusatsu Line, Kosei Line, Hokuriku Line)

Limited Express

281 series (Haruka service)
285 series (Sunrise Izumo/Sunrise Seto service, from 1998)
681 series (Biwako Express service)
683 series (Biwako Express service)
KiHa 189 series (Biwako Express service, from March 2014)
KiHa 85 series (JR Central) (Hida service)

Former

485 series (Biwako Liner rapid service until June 2003)
583 series (Express Kitaguni until January 2013)
383 series (JR Central) (Limited Express Shinano until 26 March 2016)