Tosa Kuroshio Railway
The Tosa Kuroshio Railway is a third-sector railway company in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. The name comes from the former Tosa Province and the Kuroshio Current. The company was founded in 1986, and operates three lines: a former Japanese National Railways line and two planned JNR lines on which construction had commenced but then been suspended due to JNR construction funds being diverted to shinkansen projects in the 1980s . After its formation, the company recommenced construction and subsequently opened the lines and now operates them.
Ownership
As of January 2013, shares in the company are owned by Kōchi Prefecture, the city of Sukumo, the city of Aki, the city of Shimanto, and Shikoku Bank.Lines
Tosa Kuroshio Railway operates the following three lines.- Nakamura Line
- * —
- [Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo, Kōchi|Sukumo Line|Sukumo Line]
- * —
- Asa Line
- *The official nickname is Gomen-Nahari Line.
- * —
Station numbering
Each company station has a unique alphanumeric label that complements the Shikoku Railway Company system, designed to assist passengers unfamiliar with the lines, especially at transfer stations. For example, JR Gomen Station's label is "D40", while "GN40" is the label of Tosa Gomen Station.Rolling stock
As of April 2014, the company owned a fleet of 23 diesel multiple unit cars as shown below.- 2000 series
- TKT-8000 series single-car units
- 9640 series single-car units