Shin'etsu Main Line

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Shin'etsu Main Line
A 115 series train (Ōmigawa–Kujiranami)
Overview
Native name	信越本線
Status	Operational
Locale	Gunma, Nagano, and Niigata prefectures
Service
Operator(s)	East Japan Railway Company (JR East)
History
Opened	Stages between 1885 (139 years ago) (1885) and 1904 (120 years ago) (1904)
Closed	Yokokawa–Karuizawa: 1 October 1997 Karuizawa–Shinonoi: 1 October 1997 (→Shinano Railway Line) Nagano–Naoetsu: 14 March 2015 (→ Kita-Shinano Line, ETR Myōkō Haneuma Line)
Technical
Line length	175.3 km (108.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Route map Map legend Red: Shin-etsu Main Line Blue: Shinano Railway Line, Kita-Shinano Line and Myōkō Haneuma Line

Route diagram
Legend
1. Takasaki - Yokokawa Jōetsu Shinkansen, Takasaki Line Jōshin Dentetsu Jōshin Line 0.0 Takasaki Jōetsu Line Former Tobu Takasaki Line 2.4 Kita-Takasaki Jōetsu Shinkansen Hokuriku Shinkansen 6.4 Gumma-Yawata 10.6 Annaka 17.6 Isobe 22.7 Matsuida Since 1962 Matsuida Until 1962 23.9 Nishi-Matsuida 29.7 Yokokawa Usui Horsecar 31.5 Maruyama (Signal Box) Until 1966 35.8 Kumanotaira (Signal Box) Until 1997 40.1 Yagasaki (Signal Box) Until 1966 Former Kusakaru Dentetsu 40.9 Karuizawa Hokuriku Shinkansen, Shinano Railway Line 2. Shinonoi-Nagano Hokuriku Shinkansen, Shinano Railway Line Shinonoi Line 0.0 Shinonoi 2.1 Imai 4.3 Kawanakajima 5.9 Saigawa (Signal Box) Until 1935 Saigawa 6.4 Amori Zenkōji Hakuba Dentetsu Former South Nagano Line 9.3 Nagano Nagano Electric Railway Hokuriku Shinkansen, Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line 3. Naoetsu-Niigata ETR-Myōkō Haneuma Line ETR-Nihonkai Hisui Line 0.0 Naoetsu Since 1899 0.2 Naoetsu Until 1899 1.4 Naoetsu Port Until 1959 Sekigawa 0.8 Kasuga Shinden Until 1906 2.7 Kuroi Kubiki Railway Line 7.1 Saigata Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line 9.4 Dosokohama 11.2 Katamachi 14.0 Jogehama 17.6 Kakizaki 21.2 Takehana (Signal Box) Until 1973 23.5 Yoneyama 27.4 Kasashima 29.6 Oumigawa 32.6 Kujiranami 36.3 Kashiwazaki Echigo Line 39.3 Ibarame 42.2 Yasuda 44.8 Kitajo 48.1 Echigo-Hirota 50.8 Nagatori Tsukayama Tunnel 53.9 Nishi-Tsukayama (Signal Box) Until 1967 55.8 Tsukayama Nishi-Shibuumikawa Until 1900 Higashi-Shibuumikawa Until 1900 60.5 Echigo-Iwatsuka Former Echigo Kotsu Nagaoka Line 63.3 Raikōji Shinano River 67.4 Maekawa Jōetsu Line 70.0 Miyauchi 71.4 Minami-Nagaoka Freight Terminal Jōetsu Shinkansen 73.0 Nagaoka 75.5 Kita-Nagaoka 79.9 Oshikiri 82.0 Kariyada (Signal Box) Until 1945 84.4 Mitsuke 88.5 Obiori 91.1 Tōkōji 94.6 Sanjō Yahiko Line 96.2 Higashi-Sanjō Former Yahiko Line 100.0 Honai 103.8 Kamo Kanbara Railway Line 107.9 Hanyūda 111.1 Tagami 114.8 Yashiroda 117.9 Furutsu Banetsu West Line 121.1 Niitsu Uetsu Main Line 122.6 Satsukino 124.9 Ogikawa 129.8 Kameda 132.2 0.0## Echigo-Ishiyama Hakushin Line Higashi-Niigata 2.4## Niigata Freight Terminal 134.4 0.0# Kami-Nuttari (Signal Box) 2.1# Yakejima 3.8# East Niigata Port 5.5# Ōgata Until 1941 136.2 0.0** Nuttari Until 2010 1.4** Niigata Port Until 1986 136.3 1.9# Niigata Since 1958 138.1 Niigata Until 1958 4.3# Bandai Until 1965 Jōetsu Shinkansen Echigo Line

The Shinetsu Main Line (Japanese: 信越本線, Hepburn: Shin'etsu-honsen) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting Takasaki and Niigata via Nagano. Since the opening and later extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, sections running in parallel have either been discontinued or transferred to third-sector railway companies.

The name of the line refers to the old names for Nagano and Niigata prefectures, Shinano (Japanese: 信濃), and Echigo (Japanese: 越後).

The discontinued section through the Usui Pass was famous for its steep 66.7‰ (6.67%) gradient.^[1]