Echigo Tokimeki Railway Myōkō Haneuma Line

The , officially abbreviated as ETR, is a Japanese third-sector railway operator. It was established in 2010 to operate passenger railway services on the sections of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line and JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Niigata Prefecture when they were separated from the respective JR Group operators in March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from to . The main shareholders of the company are Niigata Prefecture, 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) between and , and 13 stations on the 59.3 km (formerly part of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line) 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 services operating over the section between and , providing connections with the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Naoetsu, and also by one return "Rapid" service daily operated by the Hokuetsu Express, to and from and using the section of the line between Naoetsu and . The Rapid service on only holidays which uses 455 series and 413 series has been commenced operated since 4 July 2021.

Stations

All stations are in Niigata Prefecture.

Rolling stock

Local services on the Myōkō Haneuma Line use a fleet of ten ET127 series 2-car electric multiple unit (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 EMUs.

Since 4 July 2021, Rapid service which uses 413 series and 455 series 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 since 2020

Nihonkai Hisui Line

Service outline

While the western boundary of the Nihonkai Hisui Line is at Ichiburi Station, most services on the line in practice operate between Naoetsu and on tracks owned by Ainokaze Toyama Railway. At Tomari Station, both ETR trains and Ainokaze Toyama Railway trains use platform 2, allowing a same-platform transfer. The Express service, which uses 455 series and 413 series, runs only on holidays and commenced operations on 4 July 2021, with an additional 500 yen fare required to board.

Stations

All stations are in Niigata Prefecture.

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 single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains based on the JR West KiHa 122 series 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 EMU.

Since 4 July 2021, an Express service has been run, operating only on holidays. It uses 413 series and 455 series cars.

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 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 on 28 February 2014.

Resort train

A two-car ET122-1000 series diesel multiple unit 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 lines in Japan
* Shinano Railway, 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