Sangi Railway Hokusei Line

Hokusei Line
A train bound for Ageki
Overview
LocaleMie Prefecture
Termini
Stations13
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Operator(s)Sangi Railway
History
Opened5 April 1914
Technical
Line length20.4 km (12.7 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationOverhead, 750 V DC
Operating speed45 km/h (28 mph)

The Hokusei Line (北勢線, Hokusei sen), commonly known as the Sangi Hokusei Line, is a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railway line owned and operated by Sangi Railway (三岐鉄道, Sangi tetsudō), a Japanese private railway company. The line connects Nishi-Kuwana Station in Kuwana, Mie with Ageki Station in Inabe, Mie, in Japan. For many years, the line was owned by Kintetsu, a major private railway operator, but control was transferred to Sangi in April 2003.

The name Hokusei (北勢) means "northern Mie". It is a kanji abbreviation of "north" (北) and "Ise" (伊勢). Ise (as opposed to "Mie") is used in the name because the northern and central parts of present-day Mie Prefecture were called Ise Province during the Edo era before the modern prefecture system was established.