Shin'etsu Main Line


The Shinetsu Main Line is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East [Japan Railway Company] in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via. Since the opening and later extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, sections running in parallel have either been discontinued or transferred to third-sector railway companies.
The name of the line refers to the old names for Nagano and Niigata prefectures, Shinano, and Echigo.
The discontinued section through the Usui Pass was famous for its steep 66.7‰ gradient.

Sections

From 14 March 2015, the line consists of the following three sections.
There are three small freight branches; from Echigo-Ishiyama Station to Niigata Freight Terminal, from Kami-Nuttari Junction to Nuttari Station, and from Kami-Nuttari Junction to Higashi-Niigata-kō Station.

Services

Takasaki–Yokokawa

  • Local: 1 or 2 trains per hour
  • Excursion train: SL Gunma Yokokawa and SL YOGISHA Yokokawa

    Shinonoi–Nagano

All trains run through on the Shinonoi Line or the Shinano Railway Line.

Naoetsu–Niigata

;Limited express, Rapid
, the following services are operated.
NameRouteService frequency
Limited Express Shirayuki–Naoetsu–Niigata4 round trips
RapidNaoetsu–Niigata1 round trip
RapidNaoetsu–Nagaoka3 trips to Nagaoka
2 trips to Naoetsu
RapidNagaoka–Niigata1 round trip

;Local
;Excursion train

Stations

Takasaki–Yokokawa

All stations are in Gunma Prefecture.
StationJapaneseDistance
SLConnectionsLocation
高崎0.0●Takasaki
北高崎2.4｜ Takasaki
豊岡だるま–｜scheduled to open in 2026Takasaki
群馬八幡6.4｜ Takasaki
安中10.6● Annaka
磯部17.6● Annaka
松井田22.7｜ Annaka
西松井田23.9｜ Annaka
横川29.7●JR Bus Kanto Usui LineAnnaka

Yokokawa–Shinonoi

The section between Yokokawa and was closed and the section between Karuizawa and Shinonoi was transferred to the ownership of the third-sector railway operator Shinano Railway from 1 October 1997 with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Takasaki and Nagano.

Shinonoi–Nagano

All stations are in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture.
No.StationJapaneseDistance
Connections
篠ノ井0.0
今井2.1
川中島4.3
安茂里6.4
長野9.3

Nagano–Naoetsu

The section between Nagano and Naoetsu was transferred to the ownership of the third-sector railway operators Shinano Railway and Echigo Tokimeki Railway from 14 March 2015 with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension north of Nagano.

Naoetsu–Niigata

All stations are in Niigata Prefecture.
StationJapaneseDistance
ABCDConnectionsLocation
直江津84.3OOOOJōetsu
黒井87.0|||| Jōetsu
犀潟91.4|||O Hokuhoku LineJōetsu
土底浜93.7|||| Jōetsu
潟町95.5|||| Jōetsu
上下浜98.3|||| Jōetsu
柿崎101.9OOOO Jōetsu
米山107.8|||| Kashiwazaki
笠島111.7|||| Kashiwazaki
青海川113.9|||| Kashiwazaki
鯨波116.9|||| Kashiwazaki
柏崎120.6OOOO Echigo LineKashiwazaki
茨目123.6|||| Kashiwazaki
安田126.5|||| Kashiwazaki
北条129.1|||| Kashiwazaki
越後広田132.4|||| Kashiwazaki
長鳥135.1|||| Kashiwazaki
塚山140.1|||| Nagaoka
越後岩塚144.8|||| Nagaoka
来迎寺147.6|OOO Nagaoka
前川151.7|||| Nagaoka
宮内154.3|OOO Jōetsu LineNagaoka
Minami-Nagaoka
Freight Terminal		南長岡 Nagaoka
長岡157.3OOOO Jōetsu ShinkansenNagaoka
北長岡159.8|||| Nagaoka
押切164.2|||| Nagaoka
見附168.7OOOO Mitsuke
帯織172.8|||| Sanjō
東光寺175.4|||| Sanjō
三条178.9||OO Sanjō
東三条180.5OOOO Yahiko LineSanjō
保内184.3|||| Sanjō
加茂188.1OOOO Kamo
羽生田192.2|||| Tagami
田上195.4|||| Tagami
矢代田199.1||OO Akiha-ku, Niigata
古津202.2|||| Akiha-ku, Niigata
新津205.4OOOOAkiha-ku, Niigata
さつき野206.9|||| Akiha-ku, Niigata
荻川209.2|||| Akiha-ku, Niigata
亀田214.1|||O Kōnan-ku, Niigata
越後石山216.5|||| Higashi-ku, Niigata
新潟220.6OOOOChūō-ku, Niigata

Rolling stock

Present

Takasaki–Yokokawa

Takasaki–Yokokawa

The Japanese Government Railways opened the Takasaki to Yokokawa section in 1885, the Naoetsu to Sekiyama section the following year, and the Sekiyama–Nagano–Karuizawa section in 1888. In order to surmount the 552 metre altitude difference between Yokokawa and Karuizawa, it then constructed an rack system|Abt] rack section through the Usui Pass, which opened in 1893, and was double-tracked for from Karuizawa to the top of the rack section. A horse-drawn tramway operated between Yokokawa and Karuizawa until the rack section opened.
The Hokuetsu Railway opened the Naoetsu to Nagaoka section in 1897, extending the line to Niigata in 1904. That company was nationalised in 1907. In 1909, the Imperial Japanese Railway authorities invited bids for the electrification of the route. A German company was selected to provide the engines and General Electric supplied the turbines at the power station. In 1912, the rack section was electrified using third rail at 600 V DC, this being the first use of this method in Japan. The electrification allowed for the use of faster and longer trains which reduced journey times and also pollution from the steam engines.

Double-tracking

The Karuizawa to Nagano section was double-tracked between 1917 and 1920, with the Nagaoka to Miyauchi section double-tracked in 1931, and the Niitsu–Kamo section in 1944. Double-tracking of the remainder of the Niigata to Naoetsu line was undertaken in sections between 1958 and 1973.
Double-tracking of the remainder of the Takasaki to Kaminagano line was undertaken in sections between 1963 and 1973, commencing with the replacement of the rack mechanism with an adhesion only electrified operation on the 1 in 15 grade. The rack equipment was initially kept as a contingency, and removed two months after the adhesion-only operation commenced and had proved its reliability.
The Kurohime to Myoko-Kogen section was double-tracked in conjunction with a realignment in 1980. The Mure to Kurohime section was also realigned and prepared for double-tracking, but the second track was not laid.

Electrification

The Miyauchi to Nagaoka section was electrified in 1947 at 1,500 V DC in conjunction with the electrification of the Joetsu Line, with the Nagaoka to Niigata section electrified in 1962, the same year the Takasaki to Yokokawa section was commissioned to facilitate the extension to Nagano the following year via the new adhesion line through the Usui Pass mentioned above. The Nagano to Naoetsu section was electrified in 1966, and extended to Miyauchi in 1969.

Separation into sections

In 1997, following the opening of the Nagano Shinkansen, the Yokokawa to Karuizawa section was closed, and the Karuizawa to Shinonoi section transferred to the third-sector Shinano Railway.
On 14 March 2015, following the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to, the to section was also spun off to the following two third-sector operating companies owned primarily by the respective prefectures and municipalities.
Station numbering was introduced on the Shinonoi–Nagano section from February 2025, with Shinonoi station being assigned SE09. Numbers increase towards Nagano.

Former connecting lines

  • Nagano Station: The Zenkoji Hakuba Railway Co. opened a line to Susohana Guchi in 1936. A proposal for the line to be extended to Hakuba on the Oito Line did not eventuate, and the line closed in 1944.
  • Kuroi Station: The Kubiki Railway Co. opened a gauge line to Uragawara between 1914 and 1916, with the line closing in 1971.
  • Raikoji Station: The Nagaoka Railway Co. opened a line to Teradomari between 1915 and 1921. This company introduced Japan's first diesel railcar in 1928, and in 1951 electrified of the line at 750 V DC in 70 days, completing the balance the following year. Significant typhoon damage occurred in 1966, and in 1972, passenger services ceased between Raikoji and Nishinagaoka, with the entire line becoming freight-only three years later. The line closed in 1995.
  • Nagaoka Station: The Tochio Railway opened a 27 km gauge line to Tochio and Yūkyūzan between 1915 and 1924. The line was electrified at 600 V DC in 1948, with this being raised to 750 V DC in 1956. CTC signalling was commissioned in 1961, freight services ceased in 1967, and the line closed between 1973 and 1975.
  • Higashi Sanjo Station: The Echigo Railway Co. opened the 8 km line to Echigo Nagasawa in 1927, and was nationalised two months later. Freight services ceased in 1960, and the line closed in 1985.
  • Kamo Station: The Kanbara Railway Co. operated a line to Gosen on the Ban'etsu West Line from 1923 until 2002.