The , commonly known as the Sangi Hokusei Line, is a railway line of the Japanese private railway company Sangi Railway

Sangi Railway

is a railway company in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It also operates bus lines. The company was founded in 1928. Its original line, the Sangi Line, mainly functioned as a freight line transporting cement, but in recent years, it also became important as a commuter railway line for Yokkaichi. The Hokusei...

, connecting Nishi-Kuwana Station

Nishi-Kuwana Station

is a train station in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is the origin of the Hokusei Line.-Lines:*Sangi**Hokusei Line*JR Central **Kansai Main Line*Kintetsu **Nagoya Line*Yōrō Railway **Yōrō Line-Adjacent stations:-Usage:...

 (Kuwana

Kuwana, Mie

is a city located in the northern end of Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is known as a major sightseeing city in the prefecture. Located at the mouth of the three rivers dividing Mie and Aichi prefectures, the city has functioned as a regional center of fishing, industry, business, and culture.As of...

, Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....

) and Ageki Station

Ageki Station

is a train station in Inabe, Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is the terminus of the Hokusei Line.-Layout:The station has a terminal-style island platform with trains departing for Nishi-Kuwana from either side.-Adjacent stations:-History:...

 (Inabe

Inabe, Mie

, is a city located in the northernmost tip of Mie Prefecture in Japan along the border with Gifu and Shiga prefectures. The city was formed on December 1, 2003 from the merger of the towns of Inabe, Hokusei, Daian and Fujiwara, all from Inabe District....

, Mie Prefecture) in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. For many years the line was owned by major railway operator Kintetsu

Kintetsu

, named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...

 but control was transferred to Sangi in 2003.

At Kuwana Station

Kuwana Station

is a train station in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Central Japan Railway Company **Kansai Main Line*Kintetsu**Nagoya Line*Yōrō Railway**Yōrō LineSangi Railway's Nishi-Kuwana Station is attached to the station.-Layout:...

, a short walk from Nishi-Kuwana Station, passengers can transfer to the Kansai Main Line

Kansai Main Line

The is a Japanese railway line which connects Nagoya Station with JR Namba Station in Osaka. It is jointly run by the Central Japan Railway Company and the West Japan Railway Company with the boundary between both companies being located at Kameyama Station in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture.The section...

, the Kintetsu Nagoya Line, and the Yōrō Line.

The name Hokusei (北勢) means "northern Mie". It is a kanji

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

 abbreviation of "north" (北) and "Ise" (伊勢). Ise (as opposed to "Mie") is used in the name because the northern and central parts of present-day Mie Prefecture were called Ise Province

Ise Province

or was a province of Japan including most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces.The ancient provincial capital was at Suzuka...

 during the Edo era before the modern prefecture system

Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...

 was established; it is common for regional companies like railways to use these old province names.

Narrow gauge railway

The gauge is especially narrow. In the early 20th century many of Japan's train lines were built using this gauge however the vast majority of them were widened in the mid 20th century. Today, there are only four 762 mm gauge train lines in operation in Japan, of which the Hokusei Line is the longest. This special classification makes the Hokusei Line (as well as the other 762 mm lines) popular with Japanese rail fans.

762 mm railways of Japan

• Sangi Railway: Hokusei Line (this line)
• Kintetsu
  Kintetsu
  , named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...
  
  : Utsube Line
  Kintetsu Utsube Line
  The is a railway line of the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu, connecting Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station and Utsube Station, both in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan....
  
   (also in northern Mie Prefecture)
• Kintetsu: Hachiōji Line
  Kintetsu Hachioji Line
  The , often called the Kintetsu Nishihino Line is a railway line of the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu, connecting Hinaga Station and Nishihino Station, both in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan...
  
   (small line braching off of the Utsube Line)
• Kurobe Gorge Railway
  Kurobe Gorge Railway
  The , or for short, is a private 762 mm narrow gauge railway company operating the Kurobe Gorge Main Line along the Kurobe River in the Kurobe gorge area of Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
  
  : Main Line (Kurobe
  Kurobe, Toyama
  is a city located in Toyama, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 42,612 and the density of 99.9 persons per km². The total area is 426.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1954...
  
  , Toyama Prefecture
  Toyama Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
  
  )

Service

Local (普通 futsū)

For

For , ,

Locals stop at every station.

All trains offer conductor-less (One man) service.

Trains run two times per hour during the day, three times per hour in the mornings and evenings.

Stations

Station		Dist. (km)	Connections	Location
	西桑名	0.0	JR Central Japan Railway Company The is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station... : Kansai Main Line Kansai Main Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Nagoya Station with JR Namba Station in Osaka. It is jointly run by the Central Japan Railway Company and the West Japan Railway Company with the boundary between both companies being located at Kameyama Station in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture.The section...   Kintetsu Kintetsu , named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise... : Nagoya Line (Kuwana) Yōrō Railway: Yōrō Line (Kuwana)	Kuwana Kuwana, Mie is a city located in the northern end of Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is known as a major sightseeing city in the prefecture. Located at the mouth of the three rivers dividing Mie and Aichi prefectures, the city has functioned as a regional center of fishing, industry, business, and culture.As of...	Mie Prefecture Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
	馬道	1.1
	西別所	2.0
	蓮花寺	3.3
	在良	4.1
	星川	5.5
	七和	6.9
	穴太	8.0		Tōin Toin, Mie is a town located in Inabe District, Mie, Japan.In 2010, the town had an estimated population of 25,448 and a population density of 1,123 people per km². The total area is 22.66 km².-External links:*...
	東員	9.7
	大泉	12.4		Inabe Inabe, Mie , is a city located in the northernmost tip of Mie Prefecture in Japan along the border with Gifu and Shiga prefectures. The city was formed on December 1, 2003 from the merger of the towns of Inabe, Hokusei, Daian and Fujiwara, all from Inabe District....
	楚原	14.4
	麻生田	18.1
	阿下喜	20.4