Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad
Encyclopedia
Kagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
, which is on the island of Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
, 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...
. With headquarters in Takamatsu
Takamatsu, Kagawa
is a city located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island...
, the company operates three passenger railway lines, as well as bus subsidiaries. It was established on November 1, 1943. In 2005, it reported sales of ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
3,694,000,000 with a capitalization of ¥250,000,000.
Outline
Kotoden was established by the wartime merger of rail lines in the Takamatsu area. Immediately after its establishment, it absorbed the bus transportation operations in the vicinity.Aerial bombing destroyed some lines during the war. After the war, the company extended its line to Takamatsu Chikkō Station, a few minutes' walk from JR
Shikoku Railway Company
, commonly known as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company is headquartered in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.- Lines :...
Takamatsu Station
Takamatsu Station (Kagawa)
is a railway station on the Yosan and Kōtoku lines in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by Shikoku Railway Company.The station is the terminus of the Yosan Line and the Kōtoku Line.- Ground platforms :-External links:*...
. Its network took its present form in the early 1950s.
In the 1970s, the company built a new station building at Kawaramachi, the nexus of its lines. It opened a department store in the building. During the following decade, it allied with Sogo
Sogo
Sogo Co., Ltd. is a department store chain that operates an extensive network of branches in Japan. It once owned stores in locations as diverse as Beijing in China, Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Taipei in Taiwan, Jakarta, Medan, Bandung & Surabaya in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore,...
. However, the bursting of the Japanese asset price bubble
Japanese asset price bubble
The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991, in which real estate and stock prices were greatly inflated. The bubble's collapse lasted for more than a decade with stock prices initially bottoming in 2003, although they would descend even further amidst the global crisis in 2008. The...
and the downfall of Sogo led Kotoden to restructuring under the courts in accordance with the bankruptcy laws. It emerged from this restructuring in March 2006.
The company introduced IruCa
IruCa
is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport introduced by Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad in Takamatsu, Japan from February 2, 2005. The name comes from IC and iruka , the latter being the mascot character of the company...
, a smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
ticketing system in February 2005.
History
The company traces its origins to 1909, when the Takamatsu Electric Railway was founded. This would later merge with other companies. One of those was the Kotohira Electric Railway, established in 1924. The third group of companies that became Kotoden began in 1910, and eventually through mergers became the Sanuki Electric Railroad.The 1943 merger of these three companies resulted in Kotoden. A month later, it absorbed 16 bus companies as well as the bus operations of another railroad.
In 1997, the railroad was the first to introduce new track safety precautions in order to combat the rising number of suicides committed by jumping in front of a train. In the first year after new measures were implemented, the number of train suicides linked to Kotoden fell by 40%.
In 2011, celebrated its 100th anniversary.http://www.kotoden.co.jp/publichtm/kotoden/100th
Lines
Kotoden operates three lines. The Kotohira LineKotoden Kotohira Line
The is a Japanese railway line in Kagawa Prefecture, which connects Takamatsu-Chikkō Station in Takamatsu with Kotoden-Kotohira Station in Kotohira. It is owned and operated by the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad. The line color is yellow.-Station list:...
, at 32.9 km, is the longest. Its terminals are Takamatsu Chikkō Station in the center of the city, and Kotoden-Kotohira Station in the town of Kotohira
Kotohira, Kagawa
is a town located in Nakatado District, Kagawa, Japan. The town is best known as the site of Shikoku's largest shrine complex, the Kotohira Shrine ....
. The line passes through Kawaramachi Station
Kawaramachi Station (Kagawa)
is a railway station in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, operated by the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad.-Lines:The station is served by the Kotoden Kotohira Line, Kotoden Nagao Line, and Kotoden Shido Line...
in the heart of Takamatsu. In all, there are 21 stations. The line has a gauge of 1435 mm
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. The downtown section from Takamatsu Chikko Station to Ritsurin Station is double-tracked. The line operates at 1500 VDC.
The 14.6 km long Nagao Line
Kotoden Nagao Line
The is a Japanese railway line in Kagawa Prefecture, which connects Kawaramachi Station in Takamatsu with Nagao Station in Sanuki. It is owned and operated by the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad...
connects Kawaramachi Station and Nagao Station
Nagao Station (Kagawa)
is a railway station in Sanuki, Kagawa, Japan, operated by the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad.-Lines:Nagao Station forms the terminus of the Kotoden Nagao Line from .-Station layout:...
in the city of Sanuki
Sanuki, Kagawa
is a city located in Kagawa, Japan.As of March 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 53,865, with 20,237 households and the density of 339.01 persons per km²...
. It links 16 stations, including its terminals, with a single 1435 mm gauge track. Equipment operates at 1500 VDC.
The shortest of the three, the Shido Line
Kotoden Shido Line
The is a Japanese railway line in Kagawa Prefecture, which connects Kawaramachi Station in Takamatsu with Kotoden-Shido Station in Sanuki. It is owned and operated by the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad...
, links Kawaramachi Station and Kotoden-Shido Station in Sanuki with 12.5 km of track. It also has 16 stations, a single 1435 mm track, and 1500 VDC electrification.