Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line

Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line
1000 series EMU
A Meitetsu 1000 series "Panorama Super" EMU on a limited express service
Overview
Other name(s)Nagoya Line
Native name名鉄名古屋本線
OwnerMeitetsu
LocaleAichi
Gifu
Termini
Stations60
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Daily ridership221,098[1] (2008)
History
Opened1 September 1944 (1944-09-01) (as it is today)[2]
Technical
Line length99.8 km (62.01 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationOverhead catenary 1,500 V DC
Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph)
3500 series EMU on a commuter service

The Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line (名鉄名古屋本線, Meitetsu Nagoya Honsen) or Nagoya Line is a railway line operated by the private railway operator Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu), connecting Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi with Meitetsu Gifu Station in Gifu.

Since its amalgamation in 1944 (see History section) this has been the Meitetsu main line. Many branch lines of Meitetsu have through services to/from the Nagoya Line. Toyokawa, Nishio, Tokoname (which has its through services with Airport, Kōwa, Chita), and Inuyama lines all have through services bound for Meitetsu Nagoya, making the segment around that station extremely busy. Between Biwajima Junction and Kanayama, 26 trains proceed per hour, even during off-peak periods. All the stations accept manaca, a smart card.

The line largely parallels the Tōkaidō Main Line in the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area (Greater Nagoya). Local traffic on the Nagoya Line used to be much heavier than on the Tōkaidō Main Line, but since the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), transforming into the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) in this area, competition has become more significant in the Chūkyō area.

Due to historical reasons, the line shares its track between Hirai Junction and Toyohashi Station with the JR Iida Line. The agreement between two companies prohibits Meitetsu to have more than 6 trains in one direction per hour on the 3.8 km of shared tracks. Consequently, local trains are unable to reach Toyohashi, instead, terminate at Ina Station.

  1. ^ 各鉄軌道会社のご案内 (Report). Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  2. ^ 曽根, 悟 (September 2010), "名古屋鉄道 1", 週刊朝日百科, 週刊歴史でめぐる鉄道全路線 (in Japanese), no. 8, Japan: Asahi Shimbun Publications, Inc., p. 3, ISBN 978-4-02-340138-9