Kusatsu Line | |
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![]() | |
![]() 113 series on the Kusatsu Line | |
Overview | |
Native name | 草津線 |
Owner | ![]() |
Locale | Mie Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture |
Termini | |
Stations | 11 |
Service | |
Type | Heavy rail |
System | Urban Network |
Rolling stock |
|
History | |
Opened | 1889 |
Technical | |
Line length | 36.7 km (22.8 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Electrification | 1,500 V DC (overhead line) |
Operating speed | 95 km/h (59 mph) |
The Kusatsu Line (草津線, Kusatsu-sen) is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Tsuge on the Kansai Main Line with Kusatsu on the Biwako Line (Tōkaidō Main Line).
The Kansai Railway Co. opened the entire line in 1889/90, and was nationalised in 1907.
CTC signalling was commissioned in 1979, the line was electrified in 1980 and freight services ceased in 1987.
Construction of a new station, "Minami-Biwako", began in May 2006 and was planned to be completed in 2012; the station was proposed to allow passengers to transfer between the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Kusatsu lines; however, in September 2006, the Otsu district court concluded that Ritto City issuing bonds to fund the station's construction was illegal under local finance law and the project was halted; the project was officially abandoned in October 2007.
Station | km from Tsuge | Connections | Location | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tsuge | 柘植 | 0.0 | ![]() | Iga, Mie Prefecture | |
Aburahi | 油日 | 5.3 | Kōka | Shiga Prefecture | |
Kōka | 甲賀 | 7.4 | |||
Terashō | 寺庄 | 10.5 | |||
Kōnan | 甲南 | 12.5 | |||
Kibukawa | 貴生川 | 15.3 | ■ Shigaraki Kōgen Railway Shigaraki Line ■ Ohmi Railway Main Line | ||
Mikumo | 三雲 | 20.5 | Konan | ||
Kōsei | 甲西 | 24.3 | |||
Ishibe | 石部 | 27.6 | |||
Tehara | 手原 | 32.7 | Ritto | ||
Kusatsu | 草津 | 36.7 | ![]() | Kusatsu | |
Continuing service on the Biwako Line to Kyoto Station in mornings and evenings, and to Osaka Station in mornings only. |
Train stops at all stations and operates as a local train within the line.
Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 and has a geographic area of 4,017 km2 (1,551 sq mi). Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the northeast, Mie Prefecture to the southeast, and Kyoto Prefecture to the west.
The West Japan Railway Company, also referred to as JR West, is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and is also one of only three Japan Railways Group constituents of the Nikkei 225 index: the others are JR East and JR Central. It was also listed in the Nagoya and Fukuoka stock exchanges until late 2020.
The Tōkaidō Main Line is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group network, connecting Tokyo and Kōbe stations. It is 589.5 km (366.3 mi) long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallels the line.
Ōsaka Station is a major railway station in the Umeda district of Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company. It forms as one of the city's main railway terminals to the north, the other being Shin-Ōsaka.
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The Biwako Line is the nickname used by the operator of the West Japan Railway Company to refer to the portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Hokuriku Main Line. The section, along with JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line, forms a contiguous service that is the main trunk of JR West's "Urban Network" commuter rail network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area.
The Railway Construction Act was promulgated by the Diet of Japan on June 21, 1892, and designated government support for a network of thirty-three railway lines covering most of Japan, with the exception of Hokkaidō. On April 11, 1922, the Diet amended the law to add an additional network of regional and local routes. Today, these lines form the backbone of the national railway network, JR.
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The Ohmi Railway Main Line is a regional railway line in Shiga Prefecture operated by the private railway operator Ohmi Railway. It connects the cities of Maibara and Koka. Its alignment is parallel with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Takamiya and Gokasho.
Ōtsu Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company.
Kusatsu Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company.
Minami-Kusatsu Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company. It is sometimes popularly referred to simply as "Minakusa"
Ishiyama Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company. It is also a freight deport for the Japan Freight Railway Company. The station is located adjacent to the Keihan Electric Railway Keihan-ishiyama Station with which it is connected by a concourse.
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