Meitetsu Mikawa Line

Meitetsu Mikawa Line
A 6000 series EMU on the Meitetsu Mikawa Line
Overview
Native name	名鉄めいてつ三河線みかわせん
Owner	Meitetsu
Locale	Aichi Prefecture
Termini	Sanage Hekinan
Stations	23
Service
Type	Commuter rail
Daily ridership	73,556 (FY2003)
History
Opened	1914 (1914)
Technical
Line length	39.8 km (24.73 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map Nishi Nakagane 0.0 Sanage (猿投さなげ) 1.1 Hiratobashi (平戸橋ひらどばし) Meitetsu Toyota Line to Akaike (赤池あかいけ) 2.2 Koshido (越戸おつと) Aichi Loop Line to Okazaki (岡崎おかざき) Aikan-Umetsubo (愛あい環たまき梅坪うめつぼ駅えき) 4.2 Umetsubo (梅坪うめつぼ) Shin-Toyota (新豊田しんとよた駅えき) 5.6 Toyotashi (豊田とよだ市し) Aichi Loop Line to Kōzōji (高蔵寺こうぞうじ) 7.4 Uwa Goromo (上挙母うわごろも) 10.2 Tsuchihashi (土橋どばし) 10.2 Tsuchihashi (土橋どばし) 12.8 Takemura (竹村たけむら) 15.1 Wakabayashi (若林わかばやし) 17.5 Mikawa Yatsuhashi (三河そうご八はち橋きょう) 20.6 Mikawa Chiryū (三河みかわ知立ちりゅう) Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line to Meitetsu Nagoya (名鉄めいてつ名古屋なごや) Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line to Toyohashi (豊橋とよはし) 21.3 Chiryū (知立ちりゅう) 23.5 Shigehara (重原しげはら) Tōkaidō Main Line 25.2 Kariya (刈谷かりや) Tōkaidō Main Line 26.8 Kariyashi (刈谷かりや市し) 29.4 Ogakie (小垣江おがきえ) 31.4 Yoshihama (吉浜よしはま) 33.3 Mikawa Takahama (三河みかわ高浜たかはま) 34.3 Takahama Minato (高浜たかはま港こう) 36.1 Kitashinkawa (北新ほくしん川がわ) 37.1 Shinkawamachi (新川しんかわ町まち) 38.2 Hekinan Chūō (碧南へきなん中央ちゅうおう) 39.8 Hekinan (碧南へきなん) Kira Yoshida

The Meitetsu Mikawa Line (名鉄めいてつ三河線みかわせん, Meitetsu Mikawa-sen) is a 39.8 km (24.7 mi) railway line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) connecting Sanage Station in Toyota and Hekinan Station in Hekinan. It originally extended beyond Hekinan to Kira Yoshida, and beyond Sanage to Nishi Nakagane, with a proposed extension to Asuke substantially constructed but subsequently abandoned (see History section below).

All trains on this line operate as Local trains and stop at every station. Some smaller stations have only a single platform and no passing loop.

History

The Mikawa Railway opened the Ōhama-minato (now Hekinan) to Kariya-shin (now Kariya) section in 1914, and extended the line to Chiryū (old, now Mikawa Chiryū) the following year, to Koromo (now Toyotashi) in 1920 and Sanage in 1924.

In 1926, the Sanage to Hekinan section was electrified at 1,500 V DC, and in the same year the (now closed) Hekinan to Matsukijima section opened as an electrified section, as were all subsequent extensions.

The (now closed) Sanage to Nishi Nakagane section opened between 1927 and 1928, and the Matsukijima - Mikawa Yoshida section also opened in the latter year.

The company merged with Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) in June 1941, and the Mikawa Yoshida - Kira Yoshida section opened in 1943, connecting to the Gamagōri Line and the Nishio Line.

Construction of an ~8 km (5 mi) extension from Nishi Nakagane to Asuke had commenced in the 1930s, with the roadbed completed when the Pacific War commenced. Shortage of materials resulted in the rail line never being laid, and the proposed extension was formally abandoned in 1958, with the roadbed being converted to a public road, which is readily identifiable on aerial photographs.

Freight services ceased in 1984, and as a result of declining patronage, the electrification on the Sanage - Nishi Nakagane section was decommissioned in 1985, and on the Hekinan to Kira Yoshida section in 1990, DMUs then providing the passenger service. Patronage continued to decline, and both sections were closed in 2004.

Double-tracking

The Chiryū to Shigehara section was double-tracked in 1976, the Kariya to Kariyashi section in 1980, and the Umetsubo to Toyotashi section in 1986. The doubling of the Toyotashi to Chiryū section is proposed, and some works have been undertaken, but funding issues with the local governments has stalled further work at present. The land has been acquired to double the Shigehara to Kariya section, but Meitetsu does not consider the patronage levels on this section justify duplication at this stage.

Former connecting lines

• Uwa Goromo Station: The Okazaki Electric Railway opened a 7 km (4.3 mi) line, electrified at 600 V DC, from Okazaki-Ida to Modachi in 1924. The line was proposed to continue to Matsudaira, but the company encountered financial difficulties and merged with the Mikawa Railway in 1927, which opened the Uwa Goromo to Mikawa Iwawaki section two years later, and converted the line to 1,500 V DC. In 1939, the Mikawa Iwawaki to Modachi section closed (Modachi Branch Line), and in 1941, the company merged with Meitetsu. The Okazaki-Ida to Daijuji section closed in 1962, and as a result of flood damage caused by torrential rain, the balance of the line closed in 1972. At Okazaki-Ida, there was a connection to a 6 km (3.7 mi) tram line that connected to the Tokaido Main Line at Okazaki station, the tramway also closing in 1962.

Stations

No,=.	Name	Japanese	Distance (km)	Connections	Location
	Sanage	猿投さなげ	0.0		Toyota	Aichi
	Hiratobashi	平戸橋ひらどばし	1.1
	Koshido	越戸おつと	2.2
	Umetsubo	梅坪うめつぼ	4.2	Meitetsu:  TT  Toyota Line (some through connections)
	Toyotashi	豊田とよだ市し	5.6	Aichi Loop Line (via Shin-Toyota)
	Uwa Goromo	上挙母うわごろも	7.4	Aichi Loop Line (via Shin-Uwagoromo)
	Tsuchihashi	土橋どばし	10.2
	Takemura	竹村たけむら	12.8
	Wakabayashi	若林わかばやし	15.1
	Mikawa Yatsuhashi	三河みかわ八はち橋きょう	17.5
	Mikawa Chiryū	三河みかわ知立ちりゅう	20.6		Chiryū
	Chiryū	知立ちりゅう	21.3	Meitetsu:  NH  Nagoya Main Line
	Shigehara	重原しげはら	23.5
	Kariya	刈谷かりや	25.2	JR Central: Tokaido Main Line	Kariya
	Kariyashi	刈谷かりや市し	26.8
	Ogakie	小垣江おがきえ	29.4
	Yoshihama	吉浜よしはま	31.4		Takahama
	Mikawa Takahama	三河みかわ高浜たかはま	33.3
	Takahama Minato	高浜たかはま港こう	34.3
	Kitashinkawa	北きた新川しんかわ	36.1		Hekinan
	Shinkawamachi	新川しんかわ町まち	37.1
	Hekinan Chūō	碧南へきなん中央ちゅうおう	38.2
	Hekinan	碧南へきなん	39.8

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.