The is the unofficial name for a railway

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

Yuzawa, Niigata is a town located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,926, and a population density of 22.2 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . The town is famous for its hot springs. Geography Yuzawa is lo ...

, Japan, operated by

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). The

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...

line is a short (1.8 km)

that extends from

Echigo-Yuzawa Station is a railway station operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), located in the resort town of Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The station is located from . Lines Echigo-Yuzawa Station is serviced by the following lines: * JR East ...

on the

Jōetsu Shinkansen The is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Joetsu or the hi ...

Gala-Yuzawa Station is a seasonal railway station on the Gala-Yuzawa Line in the town of Yuzawa, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines The station is served by the Gala-Yuzawa Line from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and forms the only ...

, but is officially classified as a branch of the (narrow gauge)

Jōetsu Line The is a major railway line in Japan, owned by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture with Miyauchi Station in Niigata Prefecture, linking the northwestern Kanto region and the Sea of Japan c ...

. The line has no intermediate stations. Gala-Yuzawa Station serves the nearby

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

Gala Yuzawa (ski lifts operate directly from the station), so the station is only used during the winter period. During the skiing season, '' Tanigawa'' services from Tokyo are extended to run to Gala-Yuzawa. All trains on the line are classified as "

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 ...

", so a limited express surcharge is required. The branchline was originally built for maintenance purposes, but was upgraded for passenger service from 20 December 1990 when JR East developed the ski resort. Outside the winter season, the line is used for switching trains terminating at and departing from Echigo-Yuzawa Station.

References

{{coord, 36, 57, 02, N, 138, 47, 58, E, region:JP_type:railwaystation_source:kolossus-zhwiki, display=title Jōetsu Shinkansen Lines of East Japan Railway Company Rail transport in Niigata Prefecture Standard gauge railways in Japan Railway lines opened in 1990 1990 establishments in Japan

See also

References