Kishigawa Line

The Kishigawa Line (貴志川線, Kishigawa-sen) is a railway line in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It is the sole line of the Wakayama Electric Railway Co., Ltd. The 14.3 km route extends from Wakayama Station in the city of Wakayama to Kishi Station in neighboring Kinokawa. Including the terminals, the Kishigawa Line has 14 stations. Its gauge is 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). The line is single-track and is electrified at 1,500 V DC. Prior to April 1, 2006, the line was part of the Nankai Electric Railway system.

Kishigawa Line
"Ichigo EC" trainset designed by Eiji Mitooka
Overview
OwnerWakayama Electric Railway
LocaleWakayama
Stations14
Technical
Line length14.3 km (8.9 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed60 km/h (37 mph)
Route map

History

The Sando Light Railway Co. opened the Wakayama - Sando section between 1916 and 1917, and extended the line to Kishi in 1933.

The line was electrified at 600 V DC between 1941 and 1943, and was acquired by the Nankai Electric Railway Co. in 1961.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1993, and the Wakayama Electric Railway Co. acquired the line in 2006, increasing the line voltage to 1500 V DC in 2012.

Rolling stock and service

The Kishigawa Line uses 6 sets (12 cars) of 2270 series electric multiple units (EMUs), originally built for Nankai and transferred to the new operator, together with the tracks and other assets of the Kishigawa Line. Some of the cars have been repainted with the design by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka, who designed the type 9200 "MOMO" tram of Okayama Electric Tramway and various trains of JR Kyushu, including the 800 Series Shinkansen, while others are still in the Nankai livery.

In the mornings and evenings, the service operates three to four times each hour; at off-peak times, two per hour is the norm. The trains are driver-only operated, and do not have conductors.

Stations
Station Japanese Distance (km) Distance between stations (km) Location
Wakayama 和歌山 0.0 - Wakayama, Wakayama
Tanakaguchi 田中口 0.6 0.6
Nichizengū 日前宮 1.4 0.8
Kōzaki 神前 2.9 1.5
Kamayama 竈山 3.7 0.8
Kōtsū-Center-mae 交通センター前 4.8 1.1
Okazaki-mae 岡崎前 5.4 0.6
Kire 吉礼 6.4 1.0
Idakiso 伊太祈曽 8.0 1.6
Sandō 山東 9.1 1.1
Oikeyūen 大池遊園 11.3 2.2 Kinokawa, Wakayama
Nishiyamaguchi 西山口 12.1 0.8
Kanroji-mae 甘露寺前 13.1 1.0
Kishi 貴志 14.3 1.2

Features

In addition to the new design of the rolling stock, the operator is eager to attract passengers through unique measures such as the following:

  • Before trains arrive at Kishi Station or after trains leave there, The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever" is played.
  • Kishi Station appointed a cat named Tama as its stationmaster, complete with miniature stationmaster hat.[1][2]

See also

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

  1. "Tama the station cat brings passengers to Kishikawa railway line." Times Online. May 27, 2008.
  2. Lah, Kyung. "Cat in hat makes $10 million for town." CNN. October 29, 2008.
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