Hokuriku Main Line
Thunderbird limited express at Takefu Station
Overview
Status	Operating
Owner	JR West
Locale	Hokuriku region
Termini	Maibara Station Naoetsu Station
Stations	78
Service
Type	Regional rail
System	JR West
Operator(s)	JR West, JR Freight
History
Opened	March 10, 1882
Technical
Line length	356.5 km (221.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph)
Route map

The Hokuriku Main Line (北陸本線, Hokuriku-Honsen) is a 358.3 kilometer line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of Kansai, Tōkai, Kantō, and Tōhoku.

The line is an important transportation artery along the Sea of Japan coast, because the Shinkansen high-speed network has not yet been extended through the Hokuriku region. The Hokuriku Shinkansen is under construction between Nagano and Kanazawa; the remaining segment onward to Kansai is still in the planning stages. As a result, narrow gauge limited expresses such as the Thunderbird, Raicho, and Shirasagi are common sights along the line.

The Hokuriku Main Line has two tracks and is completely electrified: the sections from Maibara to Tsuruga and from Itoigawa to Naoetsu use 1,500 V DC power, while the section from Tsuruga to Itoigawa uses 20 kV AC, 60 Hz power.

JR Freight operates a small branch line for freight from Tsuruga Station to a container facility at the port of Tsuruga.

Basic data

• Operators, distances
  • West Japan Railway Company (Services and tracks)
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
    • From Maibara to Naoetsu: 353.8 km / 219.8 mi.
  • Japan Freight Railway Company (Services and tracks)
    • From Tsuruga to Tsuruga-minato: 2.7 km / 1.7 mi.
• Stations:
  • Passenger stations: 78, including those with freight services
  • Freight terminals: 4
• Double-track line: From Maibara to Naoetsu
• Electric supply: From Maibara to Naoetsu
  • From Maibara to Tsuruga: 1,500 V DC
  • From Tsuruga to Itoigawa: 20,000 V AC, 60 Hz
  • From Itoigawa to Naoetsu: 1,500 V DC
• Railway signalling:
  • From Maibara to Naoetsu: Automatic train control
  • From Tsuruga to Tsuruga-minato: Token system
• Maximum line speed: 130 km/h
• CTC center:
  • From Maibara to Ōmi-Shiotsu: Shin-Ōsaka Operation Control Center
  • From Ōmi-Shiotsu to Naoetsu: Kanazawa Operation Control Center
• CTC system:
  • From Maibara to Ōmi-Shiotsu: Safety Urban Network Traffic System (SUNTRAS)

Stations

• For the section between Maibara and Nagahama, see also the Biwako Line article.
• Rapid or Special Rapid trains from the Urban Network (Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area) do not skip any of the stations listed below.

Rolling stock

Electric

• 125 series (DC)
• 221 series (DC)
• 223-1000/2000 series (DC)
• 225-0 series (DC)
• 413 series (AC/DC)
• 415-800 series (AC/DC)
• 457 series (AC/DC)
• 471 series (AC/DC)
• 475 series (AC/DC)
• 521 series (AC/DC)
• 681 series (Thunderbird, Hakutaka, Ohayō Express, Oyasumi Express limited express)
• 683 series (Thunderbird, Hakutaka, Shirasagi, Ohayō Express, Oyasumi Express limited express)
• 485 series (JR East) (Hokuetsu limited express)

Diesel

• KiHa 40/47
• KiHa 120

Former

• 419 series EMU (until March 2011)
• 583 series (Express Kitaguni until January 2013)

Future developments

The Hokuriku Main Line runs roughly parallel to the route of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano to Kanazawa scheduled to open in March 2015. With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, control of local passenger services on the sections of the Hokuriku Main Line running through Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures will be transferred to the following three third-sector operating companies owned by the respective prefectures.^[1]

• IR Ishikawa Railway (17.8 km, Kanazawa - Kurikara)
• Ainokaze Toyama Railway (100.1 km, Kurikara - Ichiburi)
• Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company Nihonkai Hisui Line (Ichiburi - Naoetsu)

References