The split of the Hokuriku and Shin'etsu Main Lines

[ToniBabelony]

I have found an interesting article about the future of the railways that surround the yet to be opened Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa.

 

http://tetsudo-news.com/article/headline/149.html

 

Basically, the now JR East and JR West owned lines will be split into four companies:

 

- Shinano Railway:  (extension of the existing network) Myoko Kogen ~ Nagano (37.3km) 

- Echigo Toki Meki Railway: Myoko Kogen - Ichiburi (97.0km)

- Ai no Kaze Toyama Railway: Ichiburi ~ Kurikara (100.1km);

- IR Ishikawa Railway: Kurikara ~ Kanazawa  between (17.8km)

 

Rolling stock design also has been revealed for the Echigo Toki Meki Railway: http://www.echigo-tokimeki.co.jp/PDF/140317_train.pdf  The train based on the KIHA 122 DMU will be used on the Hokuriku Main Line, and the E127 EMU on the Shin'etsu Main Line. This makes me wonder. Will the coastal  part of the line completely de-electrified or only temporarily? Personally, I don't think this is the case, since a similar situation occurred with the Abukuma railway in Tōhoku, where KIHA 22 DMU were used, before being replaced with 417 and 713/717 based EMU. JR Freight and the Twilight Express still need this corridor, so I think the use of KIHA 122 DMU is only temporary. Still, the DMU will be made new and not rebuilds, like the E217...

 

Furthermore, it would be interesting to see what kind of rolling stock in what other ghastly liveries the other companies will present.

[westfalen]

If previous practice is followed that's also 252.2 km over which JR Passes will no longer be valid.

[Nick_Burman]

 

I have found an interesting article about the future of the railways that surround the yet to be opened Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa.

 

http://tetsudo-news.com/article/headline/149.html

 

Basically, the now JR East and JR West owned lines will be split into four companies:

 

- Shinano Railway:  (extension of the existing network) Myoko Kogen ~ Nagano (37.3km) 

- Echigo Toki Meki Railway: Myoko Kogen - Ichiburi (97.0km)

- Ai no Kaze Toyama Railway: Ichiburi ~ Kurikara (100.1km);

- IR Ishikawa Railway: Kurikara ~ Kanazawa  between (17.8km)

 

Rolling stock design also has been revealed for the Echigo Toki Meki Railway: http://www.echigo-tokimeki.co.jp/PDF/140317_train.pdf  The train based on the KIHA 122 DMU will be used on the Hokuriku Main Line, and the E127 EMU on the Shin'etsu Main Line. This makes me wonder. Will the coastal  part of the line completely de-electrified or only temporarily? Personally, I don't think this is the case, since a similar situation occurred with the Abukuma railway in Tōhoku, where KIHA 22 DMU were used, before being replaced with 417 and 713/717 based EMU. JR Freight and the Twilight Express still need this corridor, so I think the use of KIHA 122 DMU is only temporary. Still, the DMU will be made new and not rebuilds, like the E217...

 

Furthermore, it would be interesting to see what kind of rolling stock in what other ghastly liveries the other companies will present.

 

 

The use of diesel cars under wire in 3rd sector lines is not uncommon. The Hisatsu Orange Railway in Kyushu is one example. The alleged explanation for this practice is that should the operation be a flop the diesel cars are easier to dispose of... JRF will continue using the wires because they have precious few high-horsepower diesel locos to spare.

 

Cheers NB

[miyakoji]

If previous practice is followed that's also 252.2 km over which JR Passes will no longer be valid.

Hmm, and I gave up on trying to have a vacation to Japan last autumn, and another right around now.  So how many conventional line express services are going away?  And this will happen with the opening of the Hokuriku shinkansen in spring of next year, I presume?  Looks like I'd better make a trip happen or I'll never have that ride down the Sea of Japan coast.

 

 

Toni, why don't you like those liveries?  They don't seem bad to me at all.

[bikkuri bahn]

I reckon another reason dmu's are being ordered for this stretch of track it that it has both AC and DC sections, and dual current emus are more expensive. Given the low volume of passenger traffic, dmu's will likely be adequate in terms of service levels.

[ToniBabelony]

Toni, why don't you like those liveries?  They don't seem bad to me at all.

 

As always with these things, it's a personal preference. I'm not a big fan of these modern flat stainless steel bodies and as with most of these kind of new private companies, the liveries aren't always the best ones. They are either very chaotic, or boring.

 

A good example is the Ibara Railway IRT355 type, which has a light corrugated body, but very boring and chaotic colour scheme, despite the simplicity:

 

I mean, FOUR colours that aren't even in balance with each other? The effort is cute, but I understand why these kind of small companies with these kind of trains get no love from the general public.

 

Same with the Tsukuba Express TX-1000 and TX-2000 series. While the TX-2000 model of MA sold quite well, the TX-1000 model is collecting dust on shops shelves. Hell, I'd really like a TX-2000 model, but not the TX-1000. The red and white stripe below the window line makes all the difference:

 

You see? The TX-1000 just looks unfinished. The TX-2000 looks like damn Ultraman.

 

HA!

 

One of the few examples that are ultra chaotic in livery, but still look good, because it's a balanced design, is the Mooka 14 type DMU:

 

This is a train I'd like a few models from please. Tomytec? :3

Edited March 24, 2014 by Toni Babelony

[Mudkip Orange]

Myokokogen, Ichiburi, and Kurikara don't really make sense as end points. These are all mid line stations.

 

Kurikara, for instance, is the next station over from Tsubata, so you wonder why they can't just make Tsubata the boundary between railways.

 

Likewise with Ichibata, move the terminus 15 km east to Itoigawa and suddenly you have something that makes sense. But then maybe that's not the point.

[miyakoji]

On the map on the tetsudo-news.com page, it shows prefectural borders that are on one side or another of the boundary stations.  Is it a matter of where the subsidies comes from?

On that map the Nanao, Himi, and Johana lines are shown in dotted blue, and the Iiyama Line in dotted green.  Will these continue to be JR West/East lines though they meet the mainline in the sections operated by the new companies?

[ToniBabelony]

The split of the lines into different companies, doesn't mean they won't have through running service. For example, the line from Aizu Wakamatsu (JR East) to Shimoimaichi (Tōbu) sees three different companies running through on each other's tracks (Tōbu, Yagan Railway and Aizu Railway) with electrified services up to Aizu Tajima from Asakusa. I wouldn't be surprised if services on these new companies on the Hokuriku and Shin'etsu would have through running services as well.

[miyakoji]

Upon really thinking about it, I would imagine some through running, but based on that map, I mostly envisioned rolling stock owned by each individual company, and operated within their own sections of track.  My reading of Mudkip's post is that he's thinking the same thing.

 

Regarding the JR West branch lines, perhaps I should have asked: are these going to continue to operate at all?   I suppose they are as I haven't heard anything about them being closed.  But, if the mainline didn't make enough money for JR West to want to keep it, I can't imagine the company wanting those at all.

[kvp]

Afaik the Nanao line is already partially operated by Noto railway, so they will probably take over the whole line if they want to keep any services running. The other possibility is for the new operators to take over the new lines. So far it seems to me the JR companies are abandoning the lines so most people would have to use the shinkansen lines, but since an important part of the mainline traffic comes from branchline traffic this move will kill off both the branchlines and any usable service on the old mainlines, while at the same time the shinkansen won't see any passangers from these areas, because if you have to drive to get to the nearest shinkansen station, then you might as well drive the whole way and it will still cost less.

[Mudkip Orange]

 but since an important part of the mainline traffic comes from branchline traffic this move will kill off both the branchlines and any usable service on the old mainlines, while at the same time the shinkansen won't see any passangers from these areas, because if you have to drive to get to the nearest shinkansen station, then you might as well drive the whole way and it will still cost less.

 

It's as if these people learned nothing from Beeching.

[westfalen]

The lines are all going to need government subsidies to keep running anyway no matter whose logo is on the trains, surely it would make sense to keep them all under the one administration, namely JR. Make it a condition of giving JR the money to build new Shinkansen lines that they continue to operate the parallel 3'6" lines and keep up the level of local services, where you used to have a comparitively comfortable JR train you will now be packed into a one or two car railcar.

 

This is why a part of me always cringes when I hear of a new Shinkansen being proposed.