West Ban'etsu Line
Encyclopedia
The is a rail line in Japan
operated by East Japan Railway Company
(JR East). It runs between Kōriyama Station
in Kōriyama
, Fukushima Prefecture
and Niitsu Station
in Niigata
, Niigata Prefecture
. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters
of the names of the ancient provinces
of and , which the Ban'etsu East
and Ban'etsu West lines connect. means "west" in Japanese.
The line's nickname is the .
in 1892, and the private Gan'etsu Railway opened the initial section from Kōriyama to Nakayamajuku on July 26, 1898. In 1906, when the line was extended to Kitakata, the Japanese Government Railways
under the nationalized
the Gan'etsu Railway and renamed the line the Gan'etsu Line. The remaining sections were constructed in 1914, and the line was renamed the Ban'etsu West Line in 1917.
Japan National Railways (JNR) started to modernize the line in the 1960s, introducing the line's first limited express
service (as a part of the Yamagata-bound Yamabata) in 1965 between Ueno Station
in Tokyo and Aizu-Wakamatsu via the Tōhoku Main Line. In 1968 the train was renamed Aizu Yamabata, but from 1993 onward it was renamed Viva Aizu and ran only between Koriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu. The train was finally discontinued as a limited express service in 2003, though it remains in use as a rapid service train.
In 1967, JNR electrified the section between Kōriyama and Kitakata. The non-electrified portion of the line between Kitakata and Niitsu is served by diesel multiple unit
s and steam locomotives.
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...
operated by East Japan Railway Company
East Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East). It runs between Kōriyama Station
Koriyama Station (Fukushima)
is a JR East railway station located in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:* Tōhoku Shinkansen* Tōhoku Main Line* Ban'etsu East Line* Ban'etsu West Line* Suigun Line-History:* July 16, 1887: Service is started between Kōriyama and Kuroiso...
in Kōriyama
Koriyama, Fukushima
is a city in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 336,328. The total area is 757 km²....
, Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
and Niitsu Station
Niitsu Station
is a railway station in Akiha-ku, Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .-Lines:Niitsu Station is served by the following lines.* Uetsu Main Line* West Ban'etsu Line* Shin'etsu Main Line-External links:*...
in Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters
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...
of the names of the ancient provinces
Provinces of Japan
Before the modern prefecture system was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English as provinces. Each province was divided into gun ....
of and , which the Ban'etsu East
Ban'etsu East Line
The is a rail line in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It runs between Iwaki Station in Iwaki and Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient provinces of and , which the Ban'etsu East and...
and Ban'etsu West lines connect. means "west" in Japanese.
The line's nickname is the .
Station list
- Local trains generally stop at all stations, but some trains skip stations marked "▽".
- The column marked "
* refers to the unnamed rapid service between Kōriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu/Kitakata using 719 series EMUs. - Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇", "∨", or "∧"; stations marked "◆" are switchback stations. Trains cannot pass at stations marked "｜".
| Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Rapid | Transfers | Location | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations |
Total | Aizu Liner | Agano | |||||||
| 郡山 | - | 0.0 | ● | ● | Tōhoku Shinkansen Tohoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata... , Yamagata Shinkansen Yamagata Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line.... , Tōhoku Main Line, Ban'etsu East Line Ban'etsu East Line The is a rail line in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It runs between Iwaki Station in Iwaki and Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient provinces of and , which the Ban'etsu East and... , Suigun Line Suigun Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company , which runs between Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture and Asaka-Nagamori Station in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. All trains on the line continue onto the Tōhoku Main Line to Kōriyama Station... Although the official start of the Suigun Line is , all trains run through to/from Kōriyama. |
∨ | Kōriyama Koriyama, Fukushima is a city in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 336,328. The total area is 757 km².... |
Fukushima Fukushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province.... |
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| 喜久田 | 7.9 | 7.9 | ● | ▲ | ◇ | |||||
| 安子ヶ島 | 3.9 | 11.8 | ｜ | ｜ | ◇ | |||||
| 磐梯熱海 | 3.6 | 15.4 | ● | ● | ◇ | |||||
| 中山宿 | 5.4 | 20.8 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | |||||
| 上戸 | 6.5 | 27.3 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | Inawashiro Inawashiro, Fukushima is a town located in Yama District, Fukushima, Japan. Inawashiro rests on the shores of Lake Inawashiro, one of the largest lakes in Japan. During the Edo period, it was part of the Aizu domain, and was the home of Aizu's secondary castle town... , Yama District Yama District, Fukushima is a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2008, the district has an estimated population of 31,175 and a density of 31.6 persons per km². The total area is 986.763 km².-Towns and villages:*Bandai*Inawashiro*Kitashiobara*Nishiaizu-Merger:... |
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| Inawashirokohan Inawashirokohan Station was a train station in Inawashiro, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It has not been in use since 2007.- Adjacent stations :... (closed) |
猪苗代湖畔 | 2.0 | 29.3 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ||||
| 関都 | 1.7 | 31.0 | ｜ | ｜ | ◇ | |||||
| 川桁 | 2.4 | 33.4 | ▲ | ｜ | ◇ | |||||
| 猪苗代 | 3.3 | 36.7 | ● | ● | ◇ | |||||
| 翁島 | 4.4 | 41.1 | ▲ | ｜ | ◇ | |||||
| 磐梯町 | 10.1 | 51.2 | ● | ● | ◇ | Bandai Bandai, Fukushima is a town located in Yama District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 3,931 and a density of 65.86 persons per km². The total area is 59.69 km².-External links:*... , Yama District |
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| 東長原 | 6.0 | 57.2 | ▲ | ｜ | ◇ | Aizuwakamatsu Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.As of May 2011, the city has an estimated population of 125,341. The total area is 383.03 km².-History:... |
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| 広田 | 2.8 | 60.0 | ▲ | ｜ | ◇ | |||||
| 会津若松 | 4.6 | 64.6 | ● | ● | ● | Tadami Line Tadami Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It connects Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima with Koide Station in Uonuma, Niigata.-Services:... Aizu LineAlthough the official start of the Aizu Line is , all trains run through to/from Aizu-Wakamatsu. |
◆ | |||
| ▽ | 堂島 | 5.5 | 70.1 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ||||
| ▽ | 笈川 | 3.1 | 73.2 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | Yugawa Yugawa, Fukushima is a village located in Kawanuma District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 3,615 and a population density of 220.97 persons per km². The total area is 16.36 km².... , Kawanuma District Kawanuma District, Fukushima is a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 36,117 and a density of 111.59 persons per km². The total area is 323.65 km².-Towns and villages:*Aizubange*Yanaizu*Yugawa-Mergers:... |
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| 塩川 | 1.9 | 75.1 | ● | ● | ◇ | Kitakata Kitakata, Fukushima is a city located in Fukushima, in northern Honshū, Japan. Kitakata was once written '北方', which meant 'northern place'.As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 51,955. The total area is 554.67km².The city was founded on March 31, 1954.... |
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| ▽ | 姥堂 | 2.4 | 77.5 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ||||
| ▽ | 会津豊川 | 2.0 | 79.5 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ||||
| 喜多方 | 1.7 | 81.2 | ● | ● | ◇ | |||||
| Electrified section ends | ||||||||||
| 山都 | 9.9 | 91.1 | ● | ◇ | Kitakata | Fukushima | ||||
| 荻野 | 6.1 | 97.2 | ● | ｜ | ||||||
| 尾登 | 3.8 | 101.0 | ｜ | ｜ | Nishiaizu Nishiaizu, Fukushima is a town located in Yama District, Fukushima, Japan. It is known as the "front door" to the Iide Mountains.The town was founded in 1954 through a merger of smaller villages. In 2006, Nishiaizu residents decided to decline a merger with the city of Kitakata.... , Yama District |
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| 野沢 | 5.2 | 106.2 | ● | ◇ | ||||||
| 上野尻 | 5.1 | 111.3 | ｜ | ｜ | ||||||
| 徳沢 | 6.7 | 118.0 | ｜ | ◇ | ||||||
| 豊実 | 3.3 | 121.3 | ｜ | ｜ | Aga Aga, Niigata is a town located in Higashikanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It has an area of 952.88 km² and a population of 13,865 as of April 1, 2008... , Higashikanbara District Higashikanbara District, Niigata is a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of March 31, 2006, the district has an estimated population of 15,169 and a density of 15.92 persons per km²... |
Niigata Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :... |
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| 日出谷 | 7.1 | 128.4 | ｜ | ｜ | ||||||
| 鹿瀬 | 5.2 | 133.6 | ● | ｜ | ||||||
| 津川 | 3.4 | 137.0 | ● | ◇ | ||||||
| 三川 | 7.4 | 144.4 | ● | ｜ | ||||||
| 五十島 | 4.2 | 148.6 | ｜ | ◇ | ||||||
| 東下条 | 3.9 | 152.5 | ｜ | ｜ | ||||||
| 咲花 | 3.1 | 155.6 | ● | ｜ | Gosen Gosen, Niigata is a city located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 56,965 and a density of 382.89 persons per km². The total area is 351.87 km².The city was founded on November 3, 1954... |
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| 馬下 | 2.8 | 158.4 | ▲ | ◇ | ||||||
| 猿和田 | 3.5 | 161.9 | ｜ | ｜ | ||||||
| 五泉 | 3.8 | 165.7 | ● | ◇ | ||||||
| 北五泉 | 1.8 | 167.5 | ｜ | ｜ | ||||||
| 新関 | 2.5 | 170.0 | ｜ | ◇ | Akiha-ku, Niigata Akiha-ku, Niigata is one of the eight wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The ward was created on April 1, 2007 when Niigata became a government-designated city. It is composed of the former city of Niitsu and the former town of Kosudo.-External links:* *... |
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| 東新津 | 2.8 | 172.8 | ｜ | ｜ | ||||||
| 新津 | 2.8 | 175.6 | ● | Uetsu Main Line Uetsu Main Line The is a railway in the Tōhoku and Chūbu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata and Akita Station in Akita... , Shin'etsu Main Line Shin'etsu Main Line The is a set of lines operated by the East Japan Railway Company in Japan. The bulk of the line runs from Shinonoi Station in Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Station in Niigata Prefecture, with several connections to other lines including Hokuriku Main Line at Naoetsu Station in Niigata Prefecture... Most Ban'etsu West Line trains travel through to/from . |
∧ | |||||
Rolling stock
Current
As of February 2009, the following rolling stock is used on the Ban'etsu West Line.- 719 series719 seriesThe is an electric multiple unit type introduced in 1989 by East Japan Railway Company on services in the Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima area.-Design:The type is based on the 211 series EMU design, and all units are formed as 2-car sets.-Variants:...
EMUs (since June 2007) - 485 series485 seriesThe is a limited express electric multiple unit type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways , and currently operated by East Japan Railway Company , and formerly also operated by West Japan Railway Company and Kyushu Railway Company in Japan.-481 series:Introduced in 1964, the 481...
EMUs (Aizu Liner services) - KiHa 47KiHa 40 seriesThe is a diesel multiple unit type introduced by Japanese National Railways in 1977 and operated by all of the Japan Railways Group companies on suburban and rural services in Japan.-Overview:...
DMUs - KiHa 52 DMUs
- KiHa 58 DMUs
- KiHa 110 seriesKiHa 100 seriesThe is a series of diesel multiple unit trains operated since 1990 by East Japan Railway Company on non-electrified local lines in Japan.A total of 247 vehicles were built between 1989 and 1999 by Fuji Heavy Industries and Niigata Transys....
DMUs - KiHa E120KiHa E120The is a single-car diesel multiple unit train type operated by East Japan Railway Company in the Niigata, Fukushima, and Yamagata region of Japan since November 2008.-Operations:...
DMUs (since November 2008)
History
The Ban'etsu West Line was planned under the Railway Construction ActRailway Construction Act
The Railway Construction Act was promulgated by the Diet of Japan on June 21, 1892, and designated government support for a network of thirty-three railway lines covering most of Japan, with the exception of Hokkaidō. On April 11, 1922, the Diet amended the law to add an additional network of...
in 1892, and the private Gan'etsu Railway opened the initial section from Kōriyama to Nakayamajuku on July 26, 1898. In 1906, when the line was extended to Kitakata, the Japanese Government Railways
Japanese Government Railways
The Japanese Government Railways was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949. It is a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the Japan Railways Group.- Name :...
under the nationalized
Railway Nationalization Act
The brought many of Japan's private railway lines under national control. The Diet of Japan promulgated the Act on March 31, 1906. The Act was repealed by Article 110 of the Japan National Railway Reform Act of 1988, which formed the modern Japan Railways Group....
the Gan'etsu Railway and renamed the line the Gan'etsu Line. The remaining sections were constructed in 1914, and the line was renamed the Ban'etsu West Line in 1917.
Japan National Railways (JNR) started to modernize the line in the 1960s, introducing the line's first limited express
Limited express
A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes.- Japan :...
service (as a part of the Yamagata-bound Yamabata) in 1965 between Ueno Station
Ueno Station
is a major railway station inTokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park -- which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and other famous cultural facilities...
in Tokyo and Aizu-Wakamatsu via the Tōhoku Main Line. In 1968 the train was renamed Aizu Yamabata, but from 1993 onward it was renamed Viva Aizu and ran only between Koriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu. The train was finally discontinued as a limited express service in 2003, though it remains in use as a rapid service train.
In 1967, JNR electrified the section between Kōriyama and Kitakata. The non-electrified portion of the line between Kitakata and Niitsu is served by diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s and steam locomotives.