Hokuriku Main Line

The nihongo|Hokuriku Main Line|北陸本線|Hokuriku Honsen is a 358.3-kilometre line of the West Japan Railway Company from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshū, the largest island of Japan as well as offering connection towards Kansai, Tōkai, Kantō and Tōhoku regions.

The line is an important intercity segment because the Shinkansen high-speed network has not (Hokuriku Shinkansen is under construction / planning) reached Hokuriku region except Niigata Prefecture yet: narrow gauge limited expresses such as the Thunderbird, Raicho, and Shirasagi are common sights along the line.

The line has two tracks and has been completely electrified: the lines from Maibara to Tsuruga and from Itoigawa to Naoetsu use 1,500V direct current power, while the line from Tsuruga to Itoigawa uses 20,000V/60 Hz alternating current power.

JR Freight operates a small spur line to the container facility at the port of Tsuruga, from Tsuruga Station.

Basic data

*Operators, distances
**West Japan Railway Company (Services and tracks)
**Japan Freight Railway Company (Services)
***From Maibara to Naoetsu: 353.8 km / 219.8 mi.
**Japan Freight Railway Company (Services and tracks)
***From Tsuruga to Tsurugakō: 2.7 km / 1.7 mi.
*Gauge: RailGauge|1067mm
*Stations:
**Passenger stations: 78, including those with freight services
**Freight-only stations: 4
*Double-track line: From Maibara to Naoetsu
*Electric supply: From Maibara to Naoetsu
**From Maibara to Tsuruga: 1,500 V DC
**From Tsuruga to Itoigawa: 20,000 V AC
**From Itoigawa to Naoetsu: 1,500 V DC
*Railway signalling:
**From Maibara to Naoetsu: Automatic
**From Tsuruga to Tsurugakō: Token system
*Maximum speed at service: 130 km/h
*CTC center:
**From Maibara to Ōmi-Shiotsu: Shin-Ōsaka Operation Control Center
**From Ōmi-Shiotsu to Naoetsu: Kanazawa Operation Control Center
*CTC system:
**From Maibara to Ōmi-Shiotsu: Safety Urban Network Traffic System (SUNTRAS)

tations

*For the section between Maibara and Nagahama, also see the Biwako Line article.
*Rapid or Special Rapid trains from "Urban Network" (Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area) stop at all the stations in this section.

:¹: There is a rapid service to/from Hokuriku Main Line.