Echigo Tokimeki Railway

Echigo Tokimeki Railway

Native name	えちごトキめき鉄道株式会社
Type	Third sector
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

Echigo Tokimeki Railway Co., Ltd. (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.

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 11 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.

Myōkō Haneuma Line

Myōkō Haneuma Line
An ET127 series EMU on the Myōkō Haneuma Line in June 2015
Overview
Native name	妙高はねうまライン
Type	Regional rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Niigata Prefecture
Termini	Myōkō-Kōgen Naoetsu
Stations	10
Operation
Opened	15 August 1886
Owner	Echigo Tokimeki Railway
Rolling stock	ET127 series EMUs E653-1100 series EMUs
Technical
Line length
No. of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC Overhead line

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, 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.

Stations

Station	Japanese	Transfers	Location
Myōkō-Kōgen	妙高高原	■ Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line	Myōkō	Niigata Prefecture
Sekiyama	関山
Nihongi	二本木		Jōetsu
Arai	新井		Myōkō
Kita-Arai	北新井
Jōetsumyōkō	上越妙高	■ Hokuriku Shinkansen	Jōetsu
Minami-Takada	南高田
Takada	高田
Kasugayama	春日山
Naoetsu	直江津	■ 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. These have reinforced front-end skirts, and feature a new livery. They operate as two- or four-car formation during the off-peak periods, and as six-car formations during peak periods. Shirayuki limited express services operated by JR East use four-car E653-1100 series EMUs.

• 

  An ET127 series EMU, May 2015

• 

  A Shirayuki E653-1100 series EMU

Nihonkai Hisui Line

Nihonkai Hisui Line
An ET122 diesel car on the Nihonkai Hisui Line in June 2015
Overview
Native name	日本海ひすいライン
Type	Regional rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Niigata Prefecture
Termini	Naoetsu Ichiburi
Stations	11
Operation
Opened	1911
Owner	Echigo Tokimeki Railway
Rolling stock	ET122 DMUs 485 series (JR), 521 series
Technical
Line length
No. 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

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 24.8 Kajiyasiki 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.

Stations

Station	Japanese	Transfers	Location
Ichiburi	市振	■ Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line	Itoigawa	Niigata Prefecture
Oyashirazu	親不知
Ōmi	青海
Itoigawa	糸魚川	■ Hokuriku Shinkansen ■ Ōito Line
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 ■ Echigo Tokimeki Railway Myōkō 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. This fleet includes two special-event cars. Services normally operate as single-car trains during the off-peak periods, increased to two cars during the peaks. In addition to ETR services, a seasonal limited-stop "Rapid" service operating between Niigata and Itoigawa runs once a day in each direction using a 6-car JR East 485 series EMU.

• 

  An ET122 DMU car, June 2015

• 

  An ET122 DMU special-event car, May 2015

• 

  A JR East 485 series EMU

History

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

Resort train

A two-car ET122-1000 series diesel multiple unit resort train is due to enter service from 23 April 2016, operating over both of the ETR lines. The two-car diesel train will be branded Setsugekka (雪月花, lit. "Snow, Moon, Flowers").

See also

• List of railway companies in Japan
• List of railway lines in Japan
• Shinano Railway, a third-sector railway company in neighbouring Nagano Prefecture

External links

• Official website (Japanese)