Echigo Tokimeki Railway
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The (ETR) is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2010 to operate passenger railway services on the sections of the
JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Shinetsu Main Line The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . S ...
and
JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
Hokuriku Main Line The Hokuriku Main Line ( ja, 北陸本線, ) is a 176.6 kilometer railway line owned by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting the Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga, with the Naoetsu Station in Joetsu, Niigata. The section betwee ...
within
Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
when they were separated from the respective
JR Group The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as the or simply JR, consists of seven for-profit stock companies that took over most of the assets and operations of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. Mo ...
operators in March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the
Hokuriku Shinkansen The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Pr ...
extension from to . The main shareholders of the company are
Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
, the city of Joetsu, the city of Itoigawa, and the city of Myoko.


Lines

Since 14 March 2015, Echigo Tokimeki Railway operates local passenger operations on two lines: 10 stations on the 37.7 km (formerly part of the JR East
Shinetsu Main Line The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . S ...
) between and , and 13 stations on the 59.3 km (formerly part of the JR West
Hokuriku Main Line The Hokuriku Main Line ( ja, 北陸本線, ) is a 176.6 kilometer railway line owned by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting the Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga, with the Naoetsu Station in Joetsu, Niigata. The section betwee ...
) between Naoetsu and .


Myōkō Haneuma Line


Service outline

In addition to all-stations services operated by ETR, the line is used by JR East '' Shirayuki''
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 The term "limited express" is a common ...
services operating over the section between and , providing connections with the
Hokuriku Shinkansen The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Pr ...
at Naoetsu, and also by one return "Rapid" service daily operated by the
Hokuetsu Express The is a Japanese railway line in Niigata Prefecture that runs from Muikamachi in Minamiuonuma City to Saigata in Jōetsu City. It is the sole railway line operated by . Construction of the line first began in 1968 by the Japanese National ...
, to and from and using the section of the line between Naoetsu and . The Rapid service on only holidays which uses
455 series The is a Japanese dual-voltage (1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC 50 Hz) electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on express services in 1965 and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), W ...
and 413 series has been commenced operated since 4 July 2021.About Rapid and Express service
/ref>


Stations


Rolling stock

Local services on the Myōkō Haneuma Line use a fleet of ten
ET127 series The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated on local services by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan since 1995, and also by the third-sector railway operator Echigo Tokimeki Railway since March 2015 as the ET127 ser ...
2-car
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
(EMU) trains transferred from JR East. These have reinforced front-end skirts, and feature a new livery. They operate as two- or four-car formation during the off-peak periods, and as six-car formations during peak periods. '' Shirayuki'' limited express services operated by JR East use four-car
E653-1100 series The is an AC/ DC dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan on limited express services since 1997. Originally used on Joban Line ''Fresh Hitachi'' limited express services ...
EMUs. Since 4 July 2021, Rapid service which uses 413 series and
455 series The is a Japanese dual-voltage (1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC 50 Hz) electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on express services in 1965 and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), W ...
has been commenced operating on Myoko Haneuma Line on only holidays. File:ETR E127-V7 20210619 Takada-Station.jpg, An ET127 series EMU, June 2021 File:Series-E653 1100.jpg, A ''Shirayuki'' E653-1100 series EMU File:Series455-701 Tateyama.jpg, 455 series and 413 series EMU which had been used by JR West on
Nanao Line The is a railway line in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Noto Railway. It runs between Tsubata Station in Tsubata and Anamizu Station in Anamizu. JR West operates the section between Tsuba ...
since 2020


Nihonkai Hisui Line


Service outline

While the western boundary of the Nihonkai Hisui Line is at
Ichiburi Station is a railway station in Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan, operated by the third-sector railway operating companies Ainokaze Toyama Railway and Echigo Tokimeki Railway (ETR). Lines Ichiburi Station forms the boundary station for the Ainokaze Toyama R ...
, most services on the line operate between Naoetsu and on the
Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line The is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Toyama Prefecture when it was separated from the JR West network in Mar ...
. At Tomari Station, both ETR trains and Ainokaze Toyama Railway trains use platform 2, allowing a same-platform transfer. The Express service on only holidays which uses
455 series The is a Japanese dual-voltage (1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC 50 Hz) electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on express services in 1965 and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), W ...
and 413 series has been commenced operated since 4 July 2021, and boarding on this service costs 500 yen.


Stations


Rolling stock

The eastern section of the line is electrified at 1,500 V DC and the western section of the line is electrified at 20 kV AC (60 Hz) overhead, with a dead section separating the two different power supplies between Itoigawa and Kajiyashiki stations, but in order to eliminate the need to procure new dual-voltage rolling stock, local services on the Nihonkai Hisui Line use a fleet of eight new
ET122 The ET122 is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type operated by the third-sector railway operator Echigo Tokimeki Railway (ETR) on the Nihonkai Hisui Line between and in Niigata Prefecture since operations on the line were transferred from ...
single-car
diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
(DMU) trains based on the JR West
KiHa 122 series The and are diesel multiple unit (DMU) train types operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) on the Kishin Line between and . A total of 19 cars have been delivered, formed as seven single-car KiHa 122 series units and six two-car KiHa ...
design. This fleet includes two special-event cars. Services normally operate as single-car trains during the off-peak periods, increased to two cars during the peaks. Until March 2017, a seasonal limited-stop "Rapid" service operating between and Itoigawa ran once a day in each direction using a 6-car JR East
485 series The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) is a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and subsequently operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), ...
EMU. Since 4 July 2021, Express service which uses 413 series and
455 series The is a Japanese dual-voltage (1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC 50 Hz) electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on express services in 1965 and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), W ...
has been commenced operating on Hisui Line on only holidays. File:Echigo tokimeki railway ET122kei.JPG, An ET122 DMU car, June 2015 File:Echigo Tokimeki Railway ET122-8 20150510 01.jpg, An ET122 DMU special-event car, May 2015 File:485系3000番台.jpg, A JR East 485 series EMU File:ETR 413 test run 20210619 Takada-Station.jpg, 413 series and 455 series EMU which had been used by JR West on
Nanao Line The is a railway line in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Noto Railway. It runs between Tsubata Station in Tsubata and Anamizu Station in Anamizu. JR West operates the section between Tsuba ...
since 2020


History

The company was founded on 22 November 2010. The new names for the two lines to be operated by the company were announced in June 2012, and the company name was changed to Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company from 1 July 2012. The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法 ...
on 28 February 2014.


Resort train

A two-car ET122-1000 series
diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
resort train entered service from 23 April 2016, operating over both of the ETR lines. The two-car diesel train is branded .


See also

*
List of railway companies in Japan List of railway companies in Japan lists Japanese railway operators. Those in ''italics'' are the third-sector operators; being half-public, half-private. Japan Railways Group The Japan Railways Group consists of the seven companies that were fo ...
*
List of railway lines in Japan List of railway lines in Japan lists existing railway lines in Japan alphabetically. The vast majority of Japanese railways are classified under two Japanese laws, one for and another for . The difference between the two is a legal, and not alwa ...
*
Shinano Railway The is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 1996 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line within Nagano Prefecture when it is separated from the JR East network in Octobe ...
, a third-sector railway company in neighbouring Nagano Prefecture


References


External links

* {{Niigata transit Railway companies of Japan Companies based in Niigata Prefecture Railway companies established in 2010 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Japanese third-sector railway lines Japanese companies established in 2010