The Iiyama Line (飯山線, Iiyama-sen) is a railway line in Japan linking Toyono Station in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture and Echigo-Kawaguchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
| Iiyama Line | |
|---|---|
 KiHa 100 series DMU Rapid Oykot at Tōkamachi Station, May 2015 | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | 飯山線 |
| Status | In operation |
| Owner | .svg){kind=logo} JR East |
| Locale | Nagano, Niigata Prefectures |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 31 |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Operator(s) | JR East |
| Rolling stock | KiHa 110 series DMU |
| History | |
| Opened | 1921 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 96.7 km (60.1 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Entire line single tracked |
| Character | Rural |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | None |
| Operating speed | 85 km/h (53 mph) |
Stations
edit| Station | Japanese | km | Connections | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyono | 豊野 | 0.0 |  Shinano Railway: Kita-Shinano Line
|
Nagano City | Nagano Prefecture |
| Shinano-Asano | 信濃浅野 | 2.2 | |||
| Tategahana | 立ヶ花 | 3.9 | |||
| Kamiimai | 上今井 | 6.9 | Nakano City | ||
| Kaesa | 替佐 | 8.8 | |||
| Hachisu | 蓮 | 14.6 | Iiyama City | ||
| Iiyama | 飯山 | 19.2 |  Hokuriku Shinkansen
| ||
| Kita-Iiyama | 北飯山 | 20.5 | |||
| Shinano-Taira | 信濃平 | 23.8 | |||
| Togari-Nozawaonsen | 戸狩野沢温泉 | 27.5 | |||
| Kamisakai | 上境 | 31.1 | |||
| Kami-Kuwanagawa | 上桑名川 | 35.4 | |||
| Kuwanagawa | 桑名川 | 37.6 | |||
| Nishi-Ōtaki | 西大滝 | 39.7 | |||
| Shinano-Shiratori | 信濃白鳥 | 41.8 | Sakae Village, Shimominochi District | ||
| Hirataki | 平滝 | 44.7 | |||
| Yokokura | 横倉 | 46.6 | |||
| Mori-Miyanohara | 森宮野原 | 49.7 | |||
| Ashidaki | 足滝 | 52.5 | Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma District |
Niigata Prefecture | |
| Echigo-Tanaka | 越後田中 | 54.9 | |||
| Tsunan | 津南 | 57.9 | |||
| Echigo-Shikawatari | 越後鹿渡 | 62.1 | |||
| Echigo-Tazawa | 越後田沢 | 64.5 | Tōkamachi City | ||
| Echigo-Mizusawa | 越後水沢 | 67.5 | |||
| Doichi | 土市 | 70.4 | |||
| Tōkamachi | 十日町 | 75.3 | ■Hokuhoku Line | ||
| Uonuma-Nakajō | 魚沼中条 | 78.4 | |||
| Gejō | 下条 | 82.8 | |||
| Echigo-Iwasawa | 越後岩沢 | 88.1 | Ojiya City | ||
| Uchigamaki | 内ヶ巻 | 93.2 | |||
| Echigo-Kawaguchi | 越後川口 | 96.7 | ■Jōetsu Line | Nagaoka City | |
Rolling stock
edit
- KiHa 110 series DMUs
History
editThe Iiyama Railway Co. opened the first section from Toyono to its namesake town in 1921, and extended the line in sections to Tokamachi in 1929, where it connected to the Japanese Government Railways line from Echigo-Kawaguchi which had opened in 1927.
The Iiyama Railway Co. was nationalised in 1944, and freight services ceased in 1987.
The line sees much snow in the winter. The line uses avalanche fences along steep slopes, snow sheds and has a melting system at level crossings to deal with the snow. A record 7.85m of snow fell at Mori-Miyanohara Station in February 1945, an event that is remembered with a pole just outside the station marking the vast amount of snow.[1]
References
edit- ^ The Long Winter of Discontent: One Railway's Battle against Snow (Web video program). Japan Railway Journal. NHK World-Japan. November 2017. Event occurs at 3:29. Retrieved December 8, 2017.