Hokuriku Main Line
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Hokuriku Main Line 北陸本線 | |||
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![]() Thunderbird limited express at Takefu Station | |||
Overview | |||
Status | Operating | ||
Owner | JR West | ||
Locale | Hokuriku region | ||
Termini | |||
Stations | 78 | ||
Service | |||
Type | Heavy rail | ||
System | JR West | ||
Operator(s) | JR West, JR Freight | ||
History | |||
Opened | March 10, 1882 | ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 356.5 km (221.5 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1067 | ||
Operating speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) | ||
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The Hokuriku Main Line (北陸本線, Hokuriku-Honsen) is a 358.3 kilometer line of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of Kansai, Tōkai, Kantō, and Tōhoku.
The line is an important transportation artery along the Sea of Japan coast, because the Shinkansen high-speed network has not yet been extended through the Hokuriku region. The Hokuriku Shinkansen is currently under construction between Nagano and Kanazawa; the remaining segment to Kansai is still in the planning stages. As a result, narrow gauge limited expresses such as the Thunderbird, Raicho, and Shirasagi are common sights along the line.
The Hokuriku Main Line has two tracks and is completely electrified: the sections from Maibara to Tsuruga and from Itoigawa to Naoetsu use 1,500 V DC power, while the section from Tsuruga to Itoigawa uses 20,000 V AC, 60 Hz power.
JR Freight operates a small branch line for freight from Tsuruga Station to a container facility at the port of Tsuruga.
Basic data
- Operators, distances
- West Japan Railway Company (Services and tracks)
- Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
- From Maibara to Naoetsu: 353.8 km / 219.8 mi.
- Japan Freight Railway Company (Services and tracks)
- From Tsuruga to Tsuruga-minato: 2.7 km / 1.7 mi.
- Stations:
- Passenger stations: 78, including those with freight services
- Freight terminals: 4
- Double-track line: From Maibara to Naoetsu
- Electric supply: From Maibara to Naoetsu
- Railway signalling:
- From Maibara to Naoetsu: Automatic train control
- From Tsuruga to Tsuruga-minato: Token system
- Maximum line speed: 130 km/h
- CTC center:
- From Maibara to Ōmi-Shiotsu: Shin-Ōsaka Operation Control Center
- From Ōmi-Shiotsu to Naoetsu: Kanazawa Operation Control Center
- CTC system:
- From Maibara to Ōmi-Shiotsu: Safety Urban Network Traffic System (SUNTRAS)
Stations
- For the section between Maibara and Nagahama, see also the Biwako Line article.
- Rapid or Special Rapid trains from the Urban Network (Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area) do not skip any of the stations listed below.
Rolling stock
EMU
- 125 series (DC)
- 221 series (DC)
- 223-1000/2000 series (DC)
- 225-0 series (DC)
- 413 series (AC/DC)
- 415-800 series (AC/DC)
- 457 series (AC/DC)
- 471 series (AC/DC)
- 475 series (AC/DC)
- 521 series (AC/DC)
- 681 series (Thunderbird, Hakutaka, Ohayō Express, Oyasumi Express Limited Express)
- 683 series (Thunderbird, Hakutaka, Shirasagi, Ohayō Express, Oyasumi Express Limited Express)
- 485 series (JR East) (Hokuetsu Limited Express)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Hokuetsu_kyuko_681-2000_20090518.jpg/220px-Hokuetsu_kyuko_681-2000_20090518.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Holiday_liner_Kanazawa.jpg/220px-Holiday_liner_Kanazawa.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Biwako-Line_221.jpg/220px-Biwako-Line_221.jpg)
DMU
Former
- 419 series EMU (until March 2011)
- 583 series (Express Kitaguni until January 2013)