Echigo Tokimeki Railway

Nihonkai Hisui Line
Nihonkai Hisui Line
	An ET122 diesel car on the Nihonkai Hisui Line in October 2021
Overview
Native name	日本海ひすいライン
Status	Operational
Owner	Echigo Tokimeki Railway
Locale	Niigata Prefecture
Termini	Naoetsu; Ichiburi;
Stations	13
Service
Type	Regional rail
Rolling stock	ET122 DMUs; 485 series (JR), 521 series
History
Opened	1911
Technical
Line length	59.3 km (36.8 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC / 20 kV AC (60 Hz) Overhead line
Route map

Myōkō Haneuma Line
Myōkō Haneuma Line
	An ET127 series EMU on the Myōkō Haneuma Line in February 2022
Overview
Native name	妙高はねうまライン
Status	Operational
Owner	Echigo Tokimeki Railway
Locale	Niigata Prefecture
Termini	Myōkō-Kōgen; Naoetsu;
Stations	10
Service
Type	Regional rail
Rolling stock	ET127 series EMUs; E653-1100 series EMUs
History
Opened	15 August 1886
Technical
Line length	37.7 km (23.4 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC Overhead line
Route map

Echigo TOKImeki Railway Company
Native name	えちごトキめき鉄道株式会社
Romanized name	Echigo TOKImeki Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha
Company type	Private KK
Genre	Rail transport
Founded	22 November 2010
Headquarters	Joetsu, Niigata, Japan
Area served	Niigata Prefecture
Key people	Tadahiro Shimazu (President)
Services	Passenger railway
Website	www.echigo-tokimeki.co.jp

The Echigo TOKImeki Railway Company (えちごトキめき鉄道株式会社, Echigo TOKImeki Tetsudō kabushiki gaisha) (ETR) is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2010 to operate passenger railway services on the sections of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line and JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Niigata Prefecture when they were separated from the respective JR Group operators in March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano to Kanazawa. The main shareholders of the company are Niigata Prefecture, the city of Joetsu, the city of Itoigawa, and the city of Myoko.^[1]

Lines

■ Myōkō Haneuma Line (37.7 km, Myōkō-Kōgen - Naoetsu)
■ Nihonkai Hisui Line (59.3 km, Naoetsu - Ichiburi)

Since 14 March 2015, Echigo Tokimeki Railway operates local passenger operations on two lines: 10 stations on the 37.7 km Myōkō Haneuma Line (妙高はねうまライン) (formerly part of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line) between Myōkō-Kōgen and Naoetsu, and 13 stations on the 59.3 km Nihonkai Hisui Line (日本海ひすいライン) (formerly part of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line) between Naoetsu and Ichiburi.^[2]

Myōkō Haneuma Line

Legend

	Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line
0.0	Myōkō-Kōgen
6.4	Sekiyama	Since 1985
	Sekiyama	Until 1985
14.7	Nihongi
21.0	Arai
23.9	Kita-Arai
	JR East Hokuriku Shinkansen
27.3	Wakinoda	Until 2014
27.3	Jōetsumyōkō	Since 2014
	JR West Hokuriku Shinkansen

29.0	Minami-Takada
31.0	Takada
34.9	Kasugayama

	Nihonkai Hisui Line
37.7	Naoetsu	Since 1899
37.9	Naoetsu	Until 1899
	JR East Shinetsu Main Line

Service outline

In addition to all-stations "Local" (普通, futsū) services operated by ETR, the line is used by JR East Shirayuki limited express services operating over the section between Jōetsumyōkō and Naoetsu, providing connections with the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Naoetsu,^[2] and also by one return "Rapid" service daily operated by the Hokuetsu Express, to and from Echigo-Yuzawa and using the section of the line between Naoetsu and Arai.^[3] The Rapid service on only holidays which uses 455 series and 413 series has been commenced operated since 4 July 2021.^[4]

Stations

All stations are in Niigata Prefecture.

Station	Japanese	Transfers	Location
Myōkō-Kōgen	妙高高原	Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line	Myōkō
Sekiyama	関山		Myōkō
Nihongi	二本木		Jōetsu
Arai	新井		Myōkō
Kita-Arai	北新井		Myōkō
Jōetsumyōkō	上越妙高	Hokuriku Shinkansen	Jōetsu
Minami-Takada	南高田
Takada	高田
Kasugayama	春日山
Naoetsu	直江津	ETR Nihonkai Hisui Line ■ Shinetsu Main Line

Rolling stock

Local services on the Myōkō Haneuma Line use a fleet of ten ET127 series 2-car electric multiple unit (EMU) trains transferred from JR East.^[2] These have reinforced front-end skirts, and feature a new livery.^[2] They operate as two- or four-car formation during the off-peak periods, and as six-car formations during peak periods.^[2] Shirayuki limited express services operated by JR East use four-car E653-1100 series EMUs.^[2]

Since 4 July 2021, Rapid service which uses 413 series and 455 series has been commenced operating on Myoko Haneuma Line on only holidays.

An ET127 series EMU, June 2021
A Shirayuki E653-1100 series EMU
455 series and 413 series EMU which had been used by JR West on Nanao Line since 2020

Nihonkai Hisui Line

Legend

Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line

0.0

Ichiburi

Former Line

Oyashirazu Tunnel

Namiki Tunnel

5.9

Kazanami (Signal Box)

8.6

Oyashirazu

Koshirazu Tunnel

Shinkoshirazu Tunnel

Katsuyama Tunnel

12.8

Kuroiwa (Signal Box)

for Electrochemical Industry

13.9

Ōmi

17.1

Himekawa (Signal Box)

Hokuriku Shinkansen

Himekawa River

for Myojo Cement

Ōito Line

20.5

Itoigawa

20 kV AC↑

1,500 V DC↓

Umikawa

22.1

Echigo Oshiage Hisui Kaigan

24.8

Kajiyashiki

Hayakawa

28.3

0.0*

Uramoto

Former Line

until 1969

Uramoto Tunnel

Konoura (Signal Box)

Konoura Tunnel

5.6*

Nō

33.4

Nō

Hakusan Tunnel

Kodomari Tunnel

Momogawa Tunnel

Momogawa (Signal Box)

Gubiki Tunnel

12.0*

Tsutsuishi

40.9

Tsutsuishi

Nishinadachi (Signal Box)

Nadachi Tunnel

45.1

Nadachi

18.6*

Nadachi

Nadachi Tunnel

Aokisaka Tunnel

49.3

23.2*

Arimagawa

Nagahama Tunnel/former Nagahama Tunnel

52.7

26.5*

Tanihama

28.9*

Gōzu

Yudono Tunnel/Gōzu Tunnel

Myōkō Haneuma Line

59.3

33.4*

Naoetsu

Shinetsu Main Line

Service outline

While the western boundary of the Nihonkai Hisui Line is at Ichiburi Station, most services on the line operate between Naoetsu and Tomari on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line. At Tomari Station, both ETR trains and Ainokaze Toyama Railway trains use platform 2, allowing a same-platform transfer.^[2] The Express service on only holidays which uses 455 series and 413 series has been commenced operated since 4 July 2021, and boarding on this service costs 500 yen.^[4]

Stations

All stations are in Niigata Prefecture.

Station	Japanese	Transfers	Location
Ichiburi	市振	Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line	Itoigawa
Oyashirazu	親不知
Ōmi	青海
Itoigawa	糸魚川	Hokuriku Shinkansen ■ Ōito Line
Echigo Oshiage Hisui Kaigan	えちご押上ひすい海岸
Kajiyashiki	梶屋敷
Uramoto	浦本
Nō	能生
Tsutsuishi	筒石
Nadachi	名立		Jōetsu
Arimagawa	有間川
Tanihama	谷浜
Naoetsu	直江津	■ Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line ETR Myoko Haneuma Line ■ Shinetsu Main Line

Rolling stock

The eastern section of the line is electrified at 1,500 V DC and the western section of the line is electrified at 20 kV AC (60 Hz) overhead, with a dead section separating the two different power supplies between Itoigawa and Kajiyashiki stations, but in order to eliminate the need to procure new dual-voltage rolling stock, local services on the Nihonkai Hisui Line use a fleet of eight new ET122 single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains based on the JR West KiHa 122 series design.^[2] This fleet includes two special-event cars.^[2] Services normally operate as single-car trains during the off-peak periods, increased to two cars during the peaks.^[2]

Until March 2017, a seasonal limited-stop "Rapid" service operating between Niigata and Itoigawa ran once a day in each direction using a 6-car JR East 485 series EMU.^[2]^[5]

Since 4 July 2021, Express service which uses 413 series and 455 series has been commenced operating on Hisui Line on only holidays.

An ET122 DMU car, June 2015
An ET122 DMU special-event car, May 2015
A JR East 485 series EMU
413 series and 455 series EMU which had been used by JR West on Nanao Line since 2020

History

The company was founded on 22 November 2010.^[1] The new names for the two lines to be operated by the company were announced in June 2012,^[6] and the company name was changed to Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company from 1 July 2012.^[1] The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 February 2014.^[7]

Resort train

A two-car ET122-1000 series diesel multiple unit resort train entered service from 23 April 2016, operating over both of the ETR lines.^[8] The two-car diesel train is branded Setsugekka (雪月花, lit. "Snow, Moon, Flowers").^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c 会社概要 [Company overview] (in Japanese). Japan: Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company. 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Osano, Kagetoshi (March 2015). 北陸新幹線並行在来線各社の姿 [Guide to companies operating conventional lines alongside the Hokuriku Shinkansen]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 44, no. 371. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. pp. 28–33.
^ 北越急行えちごトキめき鉄道に乗入れ [Hokuetsu Express to inter-run over Echigo Tokimeki Railway]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
^ ^a ^b About Rapid and Express service
^ 2017年3月ダイヤ改正について [Timetable revision in March 2017] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company. 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
^ 並行在来線会社名・路線名の候補が決定しました [Names decided for operating company and lines] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
^ しなの鉄道（株）、えちごトキめき鉄道（株）、あいの風とやま鉄道（株）及びＩＲいしかわ鉄道（株）申請の第一種鉄道事業許可について [Details of railway business approval for Shinano Railway, Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company, Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and IR Ishikawa Railway]. News release (in Japanese). Japan: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
^ リゾート列車（観光列車）愛称名募集 [Invitation to name new resort train]. Echigo Tokimeki Railway (in Japanese). January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
^ ET122形1000番台「雪月花」が甲種輸送される [ET122-1000 series "Setsugekka" delivered]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.