Ban'etsu West Line
The Ban'etsu West Line is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company. It connects Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture and Niitsu Station in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient provinces of Iwaki Province and Echigo Province, which the Ban'etsu East and Ban'etsu West lines connect. "Sai" means "west" in Japanese.
The line's nickname is the Mori to Mizu to Roman no Tetsudō, also rendered in English as "Railway of Forests, Water, and Adventure".
Station list
- Local trains generally stop at all stations, but some trains skip stations marked "▽".
- The column marked "
* " refers to the unnamed rapid service between Kōriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu/Kitakata using 719 series EMUs. - Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇", "∨", or "∧"; stations marked "◆" are switchback stations. Trains cannot pass at stations marked "｜".
Rolling stock
, the following rolling stock is used on the Ban'etsu West Line.Kōriyama—Kitakata
- E721-0 series EMUs
- HB-E300 series For Aizu SATANO belonging to the Sendai Vehicle Center.
- AT700/AT750 series For Aizu Mountain Express. Primary runs on weekends, between Aizu Wakamatsu and Kitaca. Going through the Tadami Line then to the Aizu Railway Line to Kinugawa Onsen station
Aizu-Wakamatsu—Niitsu
- KiHa 110 series DMUs most being replaced by GV-E400 series. These sets belongs to the Niigata Vehicle Center Niitsu Branch.
- GV-E400 series DEMUs Belonging to Niigata Vehicle Center Niitsu Branch
Past
- 455 series EMUs
- 485 series EMUs
- KiHa 40/47/48 DMUs
- 583 series EMUs
- KiHa 52 DMUs
- KiHa 58 DMUs
- KiHa E120 DMUs
- 719 series EMUs
History
The private Ganetsu Railway opened the initial section from Kōriyama to Nakayamajuku on July 26, 1898, and extended the line to Aizu-Wakamatsu the following year.Japanese National Railways started to modernize the line in the 1960s, introducing the line's first limited express service in 1965 between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Aizu-Wakamatsu via the Tōhoku Main Line. In 1968 the train was renamed Aizu Yamabata, but from 1993 onward it was renamed Viva Aizu and ran only between Koriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu. The train was finally discontinued as a limited express service in 2003.
In 1967, JNR electrified the section between Kōriyama and Kitakata at 20 kV AC.
In 2011 the line was closed for 15 days in March following the Tohoku earthquake, two days in April as a result of aftershocks, and for 10 weeks following torrential rain at the end of July.
A new station, called, opened on 1 April 2017 between and Kōriyama and Kikuta stations.
The railway bridge connecting Kitakata and Yamato collapsed due to heavy rain on 4 August 2022. Services were temporarily suspended between Kitakata and Nozawa. Full service was restored on 1 April 2023. In the timetable revision at December 3rd 2022, Rapid Ageo services ceased operations.
Electric services between Aizu-Wakamatsu and Kitakata ceased on 12 March 2022, and the section was deelectrified by May 2024.