Ainokaze Toyama Railway

As of 2013^[update], Toyama Prefecture is the main shareholder, owning 63% of the company's shares, 27% is owned by municipalities within Toyama Prefecture, and 10% is owned by private-sector businesses.^[1]

Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line
Overview
Native name	あいの風とやま鉄道線
Status	Operational
Owner	Ainokaze Toyama Railway
Locale	Ishikawa Prefecture Toyama Prefecture Niigata Prefecture
Termini	Kurikara Ichiburi
Stations	23
Service
Type	Regional rail
Rolling stock	413 series/521 series EMUs
History
Opened	1898
Technical
Line length	100.1 km (62.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	20 kV AC (60 Hz)
Route map Legend IR Ishikawa Railway Line 0.0 Kurikara Kurikara Tunnel ↑Ishikawa/Toyama↓ Hokuriku Shinkansen 4.6 Anrakuji (Signal Box) Until 1962 Kaetsunō Railway Kaetsu Line 6.8 Isurugi Oyabe River 14.0 Fukuoka 17.5 Nishi-Takaoka 20.3 Tenpogawa (Signal Box) Until 1965 West JR Jōhana Line 22.8 Takaoka (Takaoka Station) JR West Himi Line Shō River 26.5 Etchū-Daimon For Denki Kagaku Kogyo Hokuriku Shinkansen 30.2 Kosugi 36.8 Kureha Kureha Tunnel Former Line Takayama Main Line Toyama Chihō Railway Imizu Line 40.2 Dakariya (Signal Box) Until 1956 40.9 Toyama Until 1908 Jinzū River Toyama Port Line 41.6 Toyama Toyama Station/(Toyama Station Nord) Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line Itachigawa Chitetsu (Toyamaguchi) Toyama Rail Yard Former Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line 44.4 Toyama Freight Terminal Hasumachi Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line 48.2 Higashi-Toyama Jōganji River 53.1 Mizuhashi Shiraiwagawa Kamiichigawa 56.1 Kamiichigawa (Signal Box) Until 1966 Chitetsu Main Line Naka-Namerikawa 58.6 Namerikawa Hamakazumi Hayatsuki-Kazumi 62.1 Higashi-Namerikawa Etchu-Nakamura Hayatsukigawa 64.4 Kadokawa (Signal Box) (Until 1968) (Nishi-Uozu) ER-Uozu For Japan Carbide Industries 67.1 Uozu 69.7 Katakai (Signal Box) Until 1969 73.4 Kurobe Former TER Ishida Line Horikiri Former ER Kurobe Branchline Ishida (Signal Box) ER Main Line Dentetsu Kurobe 77.4 Ikuji Kurobe River 81.6 Nishi-Nyūzen 85.5 Nyūzen 88.1 Ogawa (Signal Box) Until 1967 90.7 Tomari Miyazaki Tunnel 95.4 Etchū-Miyazaki ↑Toyama/Niigata↓ 100.1 Ichiburi ETR Nihonkai Hisui Line

From 14 March 2015, the Ainokaze Toyama Railway took over control of local passenger operations on the 100.1 km section JR West Hokuriku Main Line between Ichiburi in neighboring Niigata Prefecture and Kurikara in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture, with a total of 23 stations.^[2]

While the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line officially stretches from Kurikara in the west to Ichiburi in the east, most services terminate at Tomari to the east, with a same-platform transfer provided to Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line services.^[2] Some through services continue over the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line to and from Itoigawa.^[2] To the west, most services continue to and from Kanazawa over the IR Ishikawa Railway Line.^[2] In addition to all-stations "Local" (普通, futsū) services, limited-stop "Rapid" services named Ainokaze Liner (あいの風ライナー) operate between Tomari and Toyama or Kanazawa during the weekday morning and evening peaks. A supplementary liner fare of 300 yen is required to board these services, and all seats are reserved.^[2]

ICOCA and other compatible IC farecards can be used on the line since 26 March 2015.^[2]

Legend
| - All Ainokaze liner trains pass
O - All Ainokaze liner trains stop

Services on the line use a fleet of 16 two-car 521 series (2nd-batch type) electric multiple unit (EMU) trains and five three-car 413 series EMUs (former sets B01 to B03, B07, and B10) acquired from JR West.^[3] The 521 series trains will receive a new livery with a blue wave design on the seaward (north) side and a green wave design on the landward (south) side.^[2] While both the Ainokaze Toyama Railway and neighbouring IR Ishikawa Railway operate similar 521 series trains, the respective operators' trains do not run coupled together.^[2]

As of 1 October 2017^[update], the 521 series and 413 series fleets are as follows.^[4]

Set AM03 was modified for use as a special-event train, named Toyama Emaki (とやま絵巻) with new seat covers and a new external livery, returning to service on 28 August 2016.^[4] This train is also used to provide additional capacity on regular services during the peak periods.^[5]

From the first half of fiscal 2018, a 413 series set will be rebuilt as a tourist train, returning to service on the line in the second half of fiscal 2018.^[5]

Five new 521-1000 series two-car sets are scheduled to be introduced over a period of six years, with the first set delivered in December 2017.^[6] These sets will replace the ageing 413 series EMUs.^[6]

The company was founded on 24 July 2012.^[1] The company name "Ainokaze Toyama Railway" was announced on 30 May 2013.^[7] Ainokaze refers to a north-easterly breeze that blows in the region in spring and summer, and is mentioned in the Man'yōshū collection of Japanese poetry.^[7]

The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 February 2014.^[8]

New stations are planned to be built between Takaoka and Nishi-Takaoka, and between Toyama and Higashi-Toyama.^[7]

• List of railway companies in Japan
• List of railway lines in Japan

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ainokaze Toyama Railway.

• Official website (in Japanese)