Ban'etsu West Line

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Ban'etsu West Line
Joyful Train SL Ban'etsu Monogatari hauled by C57 crossing the Ichinotogawa River bridge in 2009
Overview
Native name	磐越西線
Status	In operation
Owner	JR East
Locale	Fukushima, Niigata prefectures
Termini	Kōriyama Niitsu
Stations	43
Service
Type	Regional rail
Operator(s)	JR East
Rolling stock	719 series EMU, E721 series EMU, KiHa 100 series DMU, GV-E400 series DMU, AT-700 series DMU
History
Opened	1898
Technical
Line length	175.6 km (109.1 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	20 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead catenary (Kōriyama – Kitakata) None (Kitakata - Niitsu)
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Route map

The Banetsu West Line (磐越西線, Ban'etsu-sai-sen) is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, and Niitsu Station in Akiha Ward, Niigata, Niigata Prefecture. The name "Banetsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient provinces of Iwaki (磐城) and Echigo (越後), which the Banetsu East and Banetsu West lines connect. "Sai" (西) means "west" in Japanese.

The line's nickname is the Mori to Mizu to Roman no Tetsudō (森と水とロマンの鉄道, lit. "the water, forest, and nostalgia railway").^{[citation needed]}