Nanao Line
| Nanao Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A JR West 415-800 series EMU used on the Nanao Line | |||
| Overview | |||
| Owner | JR West | ||
| Locale | Ishikawa Prefecture | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 20 (JR West), 8 (Noto Railway) | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Regional rail | ||
| Operator(s) | JR West, Noto Railway | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1898 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 59.5 km (37.0 mi) (JR West), 33.1 km (20.6 mi) (Noto Railway) | ||
| Track length | 87.5 km (54.4 mi) (JR West) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | 1500 V DC (Tsubata — Wakura-Onsen) | ||
| Operating speed | 100 km/h (60 mph)* | ||
| |||
|}
The Nanao Line (七尾線, Nanao-sen) is a railway line in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Noto Railway. It runs between Tsubata Station in Tsubata and Anamizu Station in Anamizu.
JR West operates the section between Tsubata and Wakura-Onsen, while the Noto Railway (the second company with this name, see Former connecting lines section below) operates the section between Nanao and Anamizu. The section between Wakura-Onsen and Nanao is served by both companies. A further section of the line between Anamizu and Wajima closed in 2001.
Prior to the transfer of the Wakura-Onsen — Wajima section from JR West to Noto Railway in 1991, Noto Railway took control of another former Japanese National Railways (JNR) line in 1988, the Noto Line. It closed in 2005.
In 2015, the IR Ishikawa Railway took over the Hokuriku Main Line at Tsubata, effectively isolating the Nanao Line from the rest of the JR network.
JR West
JR West owns the entire Nanao Line between Tsubata and Anamizu, but it only operates the southern section while Noto Railway operates the rest of the line.
Nearly all local and rapid trains run between Nanao and Kanazawa or Komatsu. Between Nanao and Anamizu, only Noto Railway operates local trains.
The JR section is electrified and operates both local and limited express trains. Among others, there are nine Thunderbird limited express trains (4½ round trips) per day between Osaka and Wakura-Onsen, as well as a single round-trip Shirasagi limited express train between Nagoya and Wakura-Onsen.[1]
Basic data
- Operators, distances:
- West Japan Railway Company (Tracks)
- Tsubata — Anamizu: 87.5 km (54.4 mi)
- West Japan Railway Company (Services)
- Tsubata — Wakura-Onsen: 59.5 km (37.0 mi)
- Noto Railway (Services)
- Nanao — Wakura-Onsen: 5.1 km (3.2 mi)
- West Japan Railway Company (Tracks)
- Stations: 20
- Tracks: Entire line single-tracked
- Electrification: Tsubata — Wakura-Onsen (1,500 V DC)
- Railway signalling:
- Tsubata — Wakura-Onsen: Simplified automatic
Stations
The Nanao Line is entirely within Ishikawa Prefecture.
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Rapid | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations |
Total | |||||
| Tsubata | 津幡 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ● | IR Ishikawa Railway Line | Tsubata, Kahoku District |
| Naka-Tsubata | 中津幡 | 1.8 | 1.8 | ｜ | ||
| Hon-Tsubata | 本津幡 | 1.1 | 2.9 | ｜ | ||
| Nose | 能瀬 | 2.2 | 5.1 | ｜ | ||
| Unoke | 宇野気 | 3.7 | 8.8 | ● | Kahoku | |
| Ishikawa | 横山 | 3.0 | 11.8 | ｜ | ||
| Ishikawa | 高松 | 2.6 | 14.4 | ● | ||
| Menden | 免田 | 3.4 | 17.8 | ｜ | Hōdatsushimizu, Hakui District | |
| Hōdatsu | 宝達 | 3.1 | 20.9 | ● | ||
| Shikinami | 敷浪 | 3.3 | 24.2 | ｜ | ||
| Minami-Hakui | 南羽咋 | 2.5 | 26.7 | ｜ | Hakui | |
| Hakui | 羽咋 | 3.0 | 29.7 | ● | ||
| Chiji | 千路 | 4.1 | 33.8 | ▲ | ||
| Kanemaru | 金丸 | 3.7 | 37.5 | ▲ | Nakanoto, Kashima District | |
| Notobe | 能登部 | 3.6 | 41.1 | ● | ||
| Ishikawa | 良川 | 2.8 | 43.9 | ● | ||
| Noto-Ninomiya | 能登二宮 | 2.2 | 46.1 | ▲ | ||
| Ishikawa | 徳田 | 2.8 | 48.9 | ▲ | Nanao | |
| Nanao | 七尾 | 5.5 | 54.4 | ● | Noto Railway Nanao Line | |
| Wakura-Onsen | 和倉温泉 | 5.1 | 59.5 | Noto Railway Nanao Line | ||
Rapid trains stop at stations marked with a "●". Of trains bound for Kanazawa, some stop at stations marked with a "▲" while all stop at stations marked "■". All rapid trains pass stations marked "｜".
Noto Railway
The Noto Railway section is not electrified (except for the section shared with JR West) and operates local trains only. Between Nanao and Anamizu, only Noto Railway operates local trains; there is no through service to the JR West-operated part of the line south of Nanao.
Basic data
- Operators, distances:
- West Japan Railway Company (Tracks)
- Tsubata — Anamizu: 87.5 km (54.4 mi)
- Noto Railway (Services)
- Nanao — Anamizu: 33.1 km (20.6 mi)
- West Japan Railway Company (Tracks)
- Stations: 8
- Tracks: Entire line single-tracked
- Electrification: Nanao — Wakura-Onsen (1,500 V DC)
- Railway signalling:
- Nanao — Anamizu: Simplified automatic
Stations
The Nanao Line is entirely within Ishikawa Prefecture.
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations |
Total | ||||
| Nanao | 七尾 | - | 0.0 | JR West Nanao Line | Nanao |
| Wakura-Onsen | 和倉温泉 | 5.1 | 5.1 | JR West Nanao Line | |
| Tatsuruhama | 田鶴浜 | 3.5 | 8.6 | ||
| Kasashiho | 笠師保 | 4.1 | 12.7 | ||
| Noto-Nakajima | 能登中島 | 3.6 | 16.3 | ||
| Nishigishi | 西岸 | 6.2 | 22.5 | ||
| Noto-Kashima | 能登鹿島 | 4.3 | 26.8 | Anamizu, Hōsu District | |
| Anamizu | 穴水 | 6.3 | 33.1 | ||
History
The section between Tsubata Station (now Hon-Tsubata Station) and Yatashin Station (later renamed Nanaominato Station and closed in 1984) via Nanao Station was constructed and opened by the Nanao Railway (七尾鉄道, Nanao-tetsudō) on April 24, 1898. The terminal in Tsubata was moved to the present Tsubata Station on August 2, 1900, and connected to the government-owned Hokuriku Main Line. Nanao Railway was nationalized on September 1, 1907.[2]
The line was extended and had been operated by the Japanese Government Railways. In 1925 the Nanao — Wakura (now Wakura-Onsen) section opened, and in 1935 the line was completed with the opening of the Anamizu — Wajima section. In 1991, the Nanao Line was electrified to Wakura-Onsen, enabling through operation of trains from the Hokuriku Main Line. Operation of the Nanao — Wajima section was transferred to the Noto Railway. In 2001, the section between Anamizu and Wajima was closed.
Former connecting lines
- Hakui station - The Noto Railway Co. opened a 26km line to Sanming in 1926/27. The company merged with the Hokuriku Railway Co. in 1943, and the line closed in 1972.
See also
References
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
- ^ October 2009 timetable
- ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 162. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
External links
| Shinkansen | .svg){kind=logo} | |
|---|---|---|
| Main | ||
| Local |
| |
| Other | ||
| Past | ||
