The is a rail line in
Fukushima Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
,
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
operated by
East Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East). It runs between
Iwaki StationIwaki Station is the name of two train stations in Japan:* Iwaki Station — in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture* Iwaki Station — in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture...
in
Iwakiis a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
and
Kōriyama Stationis a JR East railway station located in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:* Tōhoku Shinkansen* Tōhoku Main Line* Ban'etsu East Line* Ban'etsu West Line* Suigun Line-History:* July 16, 1887: Service is started between Kōriyama and Kuroiso...
in
Kōriyamais a city in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 336,328. The total area is 757 km²....
. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first
charactersKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
of the names of the ancient
provincesBefore the modern prefecture system was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English as provinces. Each province was divided into gun ....
of and , which the Ban'etsu East and Ban'etsu West lines connect. means "east" in Japanese.
The line's nickname is the , taken from the
Abukuma RiverThe , with a length of 234 km, is the second longest river in the Tōhoku region of Japan and the 6th longest river in Japan. It runs through Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture, rising from springs in the peaks of the Nasu Mountains, collecting water from tributaries leaving the Ōu Mountains...
that flows nearby.
Service
All trains are operated as local services in 2-, 3-, or 5-car sets mainly between Ononiimachi and Iwaki and between Ogawagō and Kōriyama. Service between Kōriyama and Ononiimachi is provided once every 30 minutes to two hours, but between Ononiimachi and Iwaki there is a period of five hours where no trains operate. One reason for the few continuous services between Iwaki and Kōriyama is the opening of the parallel
Ban-etsu ExpresswayThe is a national expressway in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming:The name is a kanji acronym consisting of characters found in the former names of the provinces linked by the expressway...
in 1995; as a result, most long distance passengers use highway bus services.
The last express service,
Iwaki, stopped running in 1982. During peak holiday periods such as
Golden Week,
ObonObón is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 75 inhabitants....
, and
New YearThe New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
, the rapid service
Abukuma makes a single round-trip with a 2-car train.
Station list
- All stations are located in Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
.
- Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇", "∨", or "∧". Trains cannot pass at stations marked "｜".
| Station |
Japanese |
Distance (km) |
Rapid
Abukuma |
Transfers |
|
Location |
Between
stations |
Total |
|
いわき |
- |
0.0 |
● |
Jōban LineThe is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi...
|
∨ |
Iwaki is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
|
|
赤井 |
4.8 |
4.8 |
｜ |
|
｜ |
|
小川郷 |
5.5 |
10.3 |
● |
|
◇ |
|
江田 |
8.0 |
18.3 |
｜ |
|
｜ |
|
川前 |
8.0 |
26.3 |
｜ |
|
◇ |
|
夏井 |
10.4 |
36.7 |
｜ |
|
｜ |
Ono is a town located in Tamura District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 12,190 and a density of 97.43 persons per km². The total area is 125.11 km²....
, Tamura Districtis a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003 population data but accounting for the decreases due to the formation of the city of Tamura, the district has an estimated population of 30,658 and a density of 155 persons per km²...
|
|
小野新町 |
3.4 |
40.1 |
● |
|
◇ |
|
神俣 |
6.5 |
46.6 |
● |
|
◇ |
Tamurais a city located in Fukushima, Japan. The city was founded on March 1, 2005 from the merger of the former towns of Funehiki, Ōgoe, Takine, and Tokiwa and the former village of Miyakoji, all from Tamura District....
|
|
菅谷 |
3.3 |
49.9 |
｜ |
|
｜ |
|
大越 |
4.4 |
54.3 |
● |
|
◇ |
|
磐城常葉 |
4.4 |
58.7 |
｜ |
|
◇ |
|
船引 |
3.8 |
62.5 |
● |
|
◇ |
|
要田 |
7.0 |
69.5 |
｜ |
|
◇ |
|
三春 |
4.2 |
73.7 |
● |
|
◇ |
Miharu is a town located in Tamura District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 19,454 and a population density of 267.37 persons per km². The total area is 72.76 km².-Sister city program:...
, Tamura District |
|
舞木 |
6.1 |
79.8 |
｜ |
|
◇ |
Kōriyamais a city in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 336,328. The total area is 757 km²....
|
|
郡山 |
5.8 |
85.6 |
● |
Tōhoku ShinkansenThe is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
, Yamagata ShinkansenThe is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line....
, Tōhoku Main Line, Ban'etsu West Line, Suigun LineThe is a Japanese railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company , which runs between Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture and Asaka-Nagamori Station in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. All trains on the line continue onto the Tōhoku Main Line to Kōriyama Station...
[Although the official start of the Suigun Line is , all trains run through to/from Kōriyama.] |
∧ |
Rolling stock
As of February 2009, the following rolling stock is used on the West Ban'etsu Line.
History
The line was planned by the
Railway Construction ActThe Railway Construction Act was promulgated by the Diet of Japan on June 21, 1892, and designated government support for a network of thirty-three railway lines covering most of Japan, with the exception of Hokkaidō. On April 11, 1922, the Diet amended the law to add an additional network of...
in 1892. In 1915 the
Japanese Government RailwaysThe Japanese Government Railways was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949. It is a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the Japan Railways Group.- Name :...
operated the first section between Taira and Ogawagō as the . When the line was connected to the in 1917, the line became the Ban'etsu East Line.
External links