The is a railway line in

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

, Japan, operated by the

East Japan Railway Company 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 ar ...

(JR East). It connects Shinonoi Station in Nagano with Shiojiri Station in Shiojiri. The line is a corridor between the Shinetsu Main Line and the

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

. All the limited express trains on the Shinonoi Line come from the Chūō Main Line: '' Azusa'' from

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

and '' Shinano'' from

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

Stations

All stations are located in

. :●: All trains stop, ▲: Some trains stop, ｜: non-stop, Rapid ''Misuzu'' stops at all stations

Passing loops and switchbacks

Hirase loop

A passing loop is located in

Azumino is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households. and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is . Etymology of Azumino Azumino is a combination of two ...

, known as . It has two tracks. * Coordinates:

Haneo switchback

A switchback is located in

, known as * Coordinates:

Kuwanohara switchback

A switchback is located in

, known as * Coordinates: File:Koukan5.svg, Hirase loop (A: to Matsumoto, B: to Tazawa) File:Railway Switchback 1.svg, Haneo switchback (A: to Kamuriki (uphill), B: to Obasute) File:Railway Switchback 1.svg, Kuwanohara switchback (A: to Obasute (uphill), B: to Inariyama)

Rolling stock

Limited express

* E353 series EMU (''Azusa'', ''Kaiji'') *

383 series The is a tilting DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) on the Chūō Main Line, Shinonoi Line and Shinetsu Main Line. The 383 series service the '' Shinano'' limited express service ...

EMU (''Wide View Shinano'')

Local

* E127 series EMU * 211 series EMU * 313 series EMU

Former rolling stock

* 115 series EMU * 123 series EMU * 381 series EMU (''Shinano'') * E257 series EMU (''Azusa'', ''Kaiji'') * E351 series EMU (''Super Azusa'')

History

The Shinonoi to Nishijo section opened in 1900, and was extended via Matsumoto to Shiojiri in 1902. The Shiojiri to Matsumoto section was double-tracked between 1961 and 1965, with the Tazawa to Akashina section double-tracked in 1966. The Akashina to Nishijo section was also double-tracked, but the original line was decommissioned in 1988. The Shiojiri to Matsumoto section was electrified in 1964/5, and extended to Shinonoi in 1973, CTC signalling being commissioned on the entire line the previous year.

Former connecting lines

* Matsumoto Station: The Chikuma Electric Railway opened a 5 km line, electrified at 600 V DC, to Asama Onsen in 1924. In 1958 the voltage was raised to 750 V DC, but the line closed in 1964.

References

{{East Japan Railway Company Lines Railway lines in Nagano Prefecture Lines of East Japan Railway Company 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Railways with Zig Zags