Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line
The Asanogawa Line is a Japanese railway line which connects Kanazawa Station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture with Uchinada Station in Uchinada, Ishikawa Prefecture. It is owned and operated by Hokuriku Railroad. Due to its history as the former Asanogawa Electric Railway, the line is often referred to as the Asaden.
Service
All trains make the run from Hokutetsu-Kanazawa to Uchinada once every 30 minutes during the day, and once every 22–24 minutes during peak periods. The trip takes 17 minutes.Until December 2006, there was an express service which stopped at Kami-Moroe, Waridashi, Mitsuya, and Kagatsuma; the trip took 14 minutes.
History
- May 10, 1925: Asanogawa Electric Railway opens Nanatsuya — Shin-Susaki section, electrified at 600 VDC
- May 18, 1926: Kanazawa-Ekimae — Nanatsuya section opens
- July 14, 1929: Shin-Sumachi — Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae — Awagasaki-Kaigan section opens
- February 11, 1945: Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae — Awagasaki-Kaigan section closes
- October 1, 1945: Hokuriku Railway absorbs Asanogawa Electric Railway; line becomes Asanogawa Line
- April 21, 1946: Mitsuya Station renamed Tsuribashi Station
- 1952: Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae — Awagasaki-Kaigan section reopens
- July 5, 1956: Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station moved due to expansion of Kanazawa Station plaza
- May 14, 1960: Awagasaki-Yūen-Mae Station moves 0.1 km, renamed to Uchinada Station
- June 30, 1961: Shin-Susaki Station closes
- April 1, 1972: Freight operations end
- July 8, 1974: Uchinada — Awagasaki-Kaigan section closes
- November 26, 1974: Tsuribashi Station renamed Mitsuya Station
- December 19, 1996: Catenary voltage increased from 600 V to 1500 V DC; Driver-only operation begins
- March 28, 2001: Hokutetsu-Kanazawa — Nanatsuya section moved underground; ATS system begins operation
- December 1, 2006: Express service abolished
Former connecting lines
- Kanazawa Station: The 5 km 762 mm gauge Jinshi horse-drawn tramway opened in 1898, being converted to 1,067 mm gauge and electrified at 600 V DC in 1914. In 1920, the line was extended to Ono Port, and a further 2 km to Ono Minato in 1923. A 400m branch to Ryokuchi Park opened in 1930, passenger services on the branch ceasing in 1945 though the line remained to service a paper mill. The entire system closed in 1970.
Rolling stock
Hokuriku Railway uses ten 8000 series railcars on the Asanogawa Line. They are typically run in paired sets.Former Tokyo Metro 03 series trains entered service on the line on December 21, 2020.