Ōito Line
The Ōito Line is a railway line in Japan which connects Matsumoto Station in Nagano Prefecture with Itoigawa Station in Niigata Prefecture. There are two operators on the line: East Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company. Minami-Otari is the boundary for the two companies. The section of the line operated by JR East, between Minami-Otari and Matsumoto, is electrified and trains are fairly regular along this section. The JR West section from Minami-Otari to Itoigawa, however, is not electrified and sees less use. Trains operate less frequently along this section.
Route data
- Operators, services:
- *East Japan Railway Company
- **Matsumoto — Minami-Otari: 70.1 km
- *West Japan Railway Company
- **Minami-Otari — Itoigawa: 35.3 km
- Stations:
- *JR East: 33
- *JR West: 8 including Itoigawa, excluding Minami-Otari
- Double-tracked section: None
- Electrification: Matsumoto — Minami-Otari
- Railway signalling:
- *Matsumoto — Itoigawa: Automatic Train Stop, S-type
Services
JR East section
;Limited express, Rapid, the following services are operated.
| Name | Through from/to | Start | End | Service frequency |
| Limited Express Azusa | Matsumoto | Hakuba | 1 return trip | |
| Rapid | Matsumoto | 1 up trip | ||
| Rapid | - | Shinano-Ōmachi | 1 up trip |
;Local
JR West section
;LocalNo limited-stop services such as rapids operate on the JR West section. All trains are local services, which stop at every station.
Rolling stock
JR East section
- E127-100 series EMU
- 211 series EMU
- E353 series EMU - ''Azusa''
JR West section
- KiHa 120 series DMU
Stations
JR East section
All stations are within Nagano Prefecture.Closed Stations
Yanabaskijōmae Station closed on 16 March 2019
JR West section
History
The section between Matsumoto and was built between 1915 and 1916 by the Shinano Railway, which electrified the line in 1926. The company was nationalised in 1937 and was not the same entity as the present Shinano Railway.The rest of the line was built by the Japanese Government Railways and the Japanese National Railways between 1929 and 1957. The Shinano-Ōmachi to Minami Otari section was electrified between 1959 and 1967. CTC signalling was commissioned in 1983, and freight services ceased in 1987.
Following privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line was divided and assigned to JR East and JR West.
Station numbering was introduced on the line by JR East from 12 December 2016, with stations numbered in sequence from 9 to 42.