JR-Central Transport Service Jōhoku Line

Jōhoku Line
A KiHa 11 series diesel car on the Johoku Line in March 2021
Overview
Native name城北線
StatusOperational
OwnerJR Central
LocaleAichi Prefecture, Japan
Termini
Stations6
Websitewww.tkj-i.co.jp
Service
SystemJR Central
Operator(s)JR-Central Transport Service Company (TKJ)
Rolling stockKiHa 11 series DMU
Daily ridership1,384 (FY2009)
History
Opened1 December 1991 (1991-12-01)
Technical
Line length11.2 km (7.0 mi)
Number of tracksDouble-tracked[1]
CharacterUrban
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)[1]
ElectrificationNot electrified

The Jōhoku Line (城北線, Jōhoku-sen) is a Japanese commuter rail line between Kachigawa Station in Kasugai and Biwajima Station in Kiyosu, in Aichi Prefecture. Trains are operated by JR-Central Transport Service Company (TKJ), a wholly-owned subsidiary of JR Central. While TKJ operates the line, the rail facilities belong to its parent company, JR Central. The line is not electrified, making it the last remaining non-electrified line in the prefecture.[2]

The line was proposed by the Railway Construction Act in 1962 as a railway line connecting Seto and Inazawa. The construction was then planned by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) in the 1960s as a freight line linking Kachigawa Station and Biwajima Station. The construction started in 1976, but had to be halted due to JNR experiencing a large deficit. The line was completed by the TKJ. The line opened in two sections, in 1991 and 1993.

Because of the line's background as a line constructed by the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation, JR Central pays fees to Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) for TKJ to run trains on the line.

Services on the line are operated with four KiHa 11 trains used separately. In the daytime, trains run once an hour, while two to three services run an hour during the morning and the evening.

History

The construction of a railway connecting Seto and Inazawa was proposed in 1962, when it was listed as one of the proposed railway lines by the revised Railway Construction Act.[3]

The line was first planned by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) in the 1960s as a freight-only line linking the Chuo Main Line at Kachigawa with the Tōkaidō Main Line at Biwajima.[4] Construction began in March 1976, but was subsequently halted due to the huge deficit of JNR.[4] Construction of the line resumed later as passenger lines. The line was completed, and succeeded by Tokai Transport Service. The first section of the Jōhoku Line, between Kachigawa and Owari-Hoshinomiya, opened on 1 December 1991.[4] The section between Owari-Hoshinomiya and Biwajima opened on 18 March 1993.[4]

Operation and services

All trains stop at all stations and there are no limited stop rapid services. Services operate once per hour in the daytime, and two or three times per hour in the morning and evening. Travel time is 16 minutes toward Biwajima and 17 minutes toward Kachigawa.[5] Only a single car is used for each service.[6]

The line is currently operated by TKJ. When the line was under construction, all JNR lines were constructed by the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation (JRCPC), which let JNR operate trains on the line in return for fee payments covering the construction cost. When the payment ends, the lines are usually transferred to JNR. As a result of JNR's dissolution and JR Central taking over the line, the company cancelled construction on the line to reduce the amount of fee they had to pay. This led to the line lacking a direct connection to JR Kachigawa Station, old Shinkansen rails being used, and not being electrified. The payment to Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT), JRCPC's successor, is set to end in 2032, when the line will completely be under JR Central's ownership.[7]

Fares and ticketing

Despite being a subsidiary of JR Central, the Jōhoku Line has its own separate fare scale and does not accept the Japan Rail Pass or any other JR ticket or pass. Single-ride fares are either 230, 320, 390, or 450 yen for adults; and 120, 160, 200, or 230 yen for children,[8] and can be purchased using cash from the JR ticket machines at Kachigawa and Biwajima Stations or onboard the train. smart cards, such as TOICA, manaca, and Suica, are not accepted on the Johoku Line.[9]

Commuter passes (for one, three, or six months) and coupon tickets (11 tickets for the price of 10) can be purchased from the JR ticket machines at Kachigawa and Biwajima Stations for travel to and from those stations or at the Jōhoku Line Ticket Office near Otai Station for other stations.[10]

Infrastructure

The 11.2 km (7.0 mi) line is entirely double-tracked. While the line is not electrified, concrete bases to allow the installation of overhead catenary poles are present on the line.[11] The line is a narrow-gauge railway with a track gauge of 1,067 mm (42.0 in). The entire line is elevated with viaducts, and railroad ties made out of prestressed concrete are used.[12]

Rolling stock

The line is operated using a fleet of four KiHa 11 single-car diesel multiple units (DMU).[4] When the line first opened, services were operated using KiHa 40 series single-car DMUs leased from JR Central. These were painted in the TJK livery of cream with an orange window band.[13]

Until April 2015, the fleet consisted of four KiHa 11-200 series cars (KiHa 11-201–204) based at Kachigawa Depot.[14] Two of these (KiHa 11-203 and 204) were sold to the Hitachinaka Kaihin Railway in Ibaraki Prefecture in April 2015.[14] KiHa 11-201 was withdrawn from Johoku Line services on 23 September 2015, and sold to the Hitachinaka Kaihin Railway. It was replaced on 24 September 2015 by KiHa 11-300 series car KiHa 11-301, purchased from JR Central.[15] The remaining KiHa 11-200 series car (KiHa 11-202) was scheduled to be replaced by a KiHa 11-300 series car in 2016.[16]

Future connections with Kachigawa Station

The line was originally planned to directly connect with the JR Chuo Line's Kachigawa Station in 2009, although this was not done. The operating company TKJ and the related JR Central refuse to upgrade the infrastructure of the line, citing lack of profitability.[17] Currently, the line's Kachigawa Station is about 500 meters away from the Chuo line,[18] and has an empty space between the two island platforms for the line's future direct connection with the Johoku Line.[19]

Stations

Station Image Japanese Distance from Kachigawa
(km)[20] 		Transfers Notes Location
Kachigawa 勝川 - Chūō Main Line Kachigawa Station is 500 m (1,600 ft) away from the Chuo Line's Kachigawa Station.[11] Kasugai
Ajiyoshi 味美 1.8
Hira 比良 4.5 Nishi-ku, Nagoya
Otai 小田井 6.7 Nagoya Subway Tsurumai Line

(Kami-Otai T01) IY Meitetsu Inuyama Line (Kami-Otai )

Owari-Hoshinomiya 尾張星の宮 9.3 Kiyosu
Biwajima 枇杷島 11.2 Tōkaidō Main Line

Passenger statistics

Reference:[21]

Station Passengers (2022)
Kachigawa 490
Owari-Hoshinomiya 463
Otai 387
Ajiyoshi 239
Hira 218
Biwajima No data

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Shimano 2023, p. 145.
  2. ^ Kawashima 2009, p. 33.
  3. ^ "鉄道敷設法の一部を改正する法律・御署名原本・昭和三十七年・第五巻・法律第一三一号" [A law amending a part of the Railway Construction Act・Original copy signed by the emperor・Showa 37・5th ・Law No. 131]. Digital archives (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 115. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  5. ^ "Timetable | TKJ Tokai Transportation Business - Johoku Line". Tokai Transport Service. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. ^ "＜東京新聞 鉄道クラブ＞もったいない線：東京新聞デジタル" [Wasted railway lines : Tokyo Shimbun Digital]. 東京新聞デジタル (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  7. ^ "名古屋の「城北線」に乗る 1時間に1本、大都市の鉄道なのに「ローカル線」の理由 - (3)" [The "Johoku Line" in Nagoya - One service per hour, reasons why a railway in a metropolis is a "local line" - (3)]. 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). 29 April 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  8. ^ "運賃表 | TKJ JR東海交通事業 - 城北線" [Fare table]. TKJ (in Japanese). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  9. ^ "よくあるお問い合わせ" [Frequently Asked Questions | TKJ Central Japan Transport Service - Johoku Line]. TKJ (in Japanese). 19 September 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  10. ^ "ご利用案内 | TKJ JR東海交通事業 - 城北線" [Usage Guide | TKJ Central Japan Transport Corporation - Johoku Line]. TKJ (in Japanese). 19 September 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  11. ^ a b Kawashima, Ryozo (5 December 2022). 名古屋圏鉄道事情大研究 (in Japanese). Soshisha. pp. 70–74. ISBN 978-4-7942-2603-7.
  12. ^ "城北線 | TKJ 東海交通事業". www.tkj-i.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  13. ^ JR全車輛ハンドブック'93 [JR Rolling Stock Handbook 1993] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 1993. p. 331.
  14. ^ a b 私鉄車両編成表 2015 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2015] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 23 July 2015. p. 94. ISBN 978-4-330-58415-7.
  15. ^ 城北線でキハ11-301デビュー [KiHa 11-301 debuts on Johoku Line]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 44, no. 380. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. December 2015. p. 78.
  16. ^ 営業車両の購入について [Purchase of new passenger rolling stock] (in Japanese). Japan: Tokai Transport Service Company. September 2015. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  17. ^ "利便性向上すれば、利用者増見込める鉄道なのに...開業30年「路線維持するのがやっと」" [A line that would see an increase in users if it were more convenient... 30 years since opening, a railway line that barely manages to keep itself running]. 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  18. ^ "勝川駅 | 駅情報 | TKJ JR東海交通事業 - 城北線". TKJ JR東海交通事業 - 城北線 | JR東海の駅の営業や、名古屋近郊を走る城北線を運営するJR東海交通事業の公式サイトです。城北線の運賃、時刻、オリジナルグッズの情報などを掲載しています。 (in Japanese). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  19. ^ "愛知県尾張建設事務所 鉄道高架事業の概要 - 愛知県". www.pref.aichi.jp. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  20. ^ Kawashima 2009, p. 47.
  21. ^ "城北線の駅別乗降客数ランキング" [Ranking of Johoku Line ridership per station]. statresearch.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 February 2025.

Bibliography

  • Kawashima, Ryozo (20 July 2009). 東海道ライン 全線・全駅・全配線 第5巻 名古屋駅-米原エリア [Tokaido Line all lines, all stations, all rails Nagoya - Maibara area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. ISBN 978-4-06-270015-3.
  • Shimano, Koji (16 October 2023). 都市鉄道完全ガイド 中京編 2023－2024年版 (in Japanese). Futaba. ISBN 978-4-575-45952-4.
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