Toba Line

Last updated
Toba Line
KT number-M.svg
KINTETSU TOBA 20131029A.jpg
22000 series train on Limited Express leaving Toba Station
Overview
Owner KintetsuLogo.svg Kintetsu Railway
Line number M
Locale Mie Prefecture
Termini
Stations5
Color on map     (#00b3c1)
Service
Type Commuter rail
SystemKintetsu railway
Operator(s)Kintetsu Railway
History
Opened15 December 1969;55 years ago (1969-12-15) (Initial segment)
1 March 1970;54 years ago (1970-03-01) (Full line)
Technical
Line length13.2 km (8.2 mi)
Number of tracks Double-track
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification 1,500 V DC (Overhead line)
Operating speed130 km/h (81 mph)
Signalling Automatic closing block
Train protection system Kintetsu ATS
Route map

Contents

All lines are Kintetsu unless otherwise noted


BSicon KHSTa.svg
Osaka Namba
BSicon HST.svg
Osaka Uehommachi
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon KHSTa.svg
Kyōto
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon LSTRq.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Yamato-Yagi
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon KHSTa.svg
Nagoya
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon LSTRq.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Ise-Nakagawa
BSicon STR+r.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon HUBaq.svg
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon HUBeq.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Iseshi
BSicon STRl.svg
BSicon hKRZa.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
BSicon hSTR.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon hBHF.svg
0.0
Ujiyamada
BSicon hSTR.svg
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg Toba Line
BSicon hKRZW.svg
BSicon hTUNNEL2.svg
Toraoyama Tunnel
BSicon hTUNNEL2.svg
Eitaiyama Tunnel
BSicon hSKRZ-Au.svg
BSicon hBHF.svg
1.9
Isuzugawa
BSicon hSKRZ-A.svg
BSicon hKRZW.svg
BSicon hSTR.svg
BSicon hBHF.svg
4.9
Asama
BSicon exlDST.svg
BSicon ehBHF.svg
Shigō Signal Station
Closed 1975
BSicon hTUNNEL2.svg
Shigō Tunnel
BSicon hBHF.svg
10.6
Ikenoura
BSicon hSKRZ-A.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon STR+l.svg
BSicon hKRZ.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon hSTRe@f.svg
BSicon SBRUCKE.svg
BSicon SBRUCKE.svg
BSicon HUBaq.svg
BSicon KBHFe.svg
BSicon HUBeq.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
13.2
Toba
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon KHSTe.svg
Kashikojima

The Toba Line (鳥羽線, Toba-sen) is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu Railway, connecting Ujiyamada Station in Ise, Mie with Toba Station in Toba, Mie. The line runs parallel to JR Central's Sangū Line.

The line connects with the Yamada Line at Ujiyamada Station and the Shima Line at Toba Station. The Yamada Line, Toba Line, and Shima Line form a single train line that begins at Ise-Nakagawa Station and serves the Ise-Shima tourist region.

Service outline

 LO  Local (普通; futsū)

Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Ise-Nakagawa
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg For Toba, Kashikojima
(Locals stop at every station.)


 EX  Express (急行; kyūkō)

Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Osaka Uehommachi; via Nabari and Yamato-Yagi (Kashihara)
Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Nagoya; via Tsu and Yokkaichi
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg For Toba
(Expresses typically end at Ujiyamada and Isuzugawa, occasionally run all the way to Toba.)


 RE  Rapid Express (快速急行; kaisoku-kyūkō)

Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Osaka Uehommachi; via Nabari and Yamato-Yagi (Kashihara)
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg For Toba
(Only runs mornings and evenings.)
(Rapid expresses typically end at Ujiyamada and Isuzugawa, occasionally run all the way to Toba.)


 LE  Limited Express (特急; tokkyū)

Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Osaka Namba and Osaka Uehommachi; via Nabari and Yamato-Yagi (Kashihara)
Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Kyoto; via Yamato-Saidaiji (Nara)
Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Nagoya; via Tsu and Yokkaichi
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg For Toba, Kashikojima
(Seat reservations and limited express fee required.)


 NS  Non-stop Limited Express (ノンストップ特急; nonsutoppu tokkyū)

Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Osaka Namba
Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Nagoya
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg For Kashikojima
(Runs twice a day on weekends.)
(Seat reservations and limited express fee required.)

 SV  Premium Express Shimakaze (しまかぜ; Shimakaze) [1]

Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Osaka Namba
Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Kyoto
Arrow Blue Up 001.jpeg For Nagoya
Arrow Blue Down 001.jpeg For Kashikojima
(Train to and from Osaka runs once a day except on Tuesday with some exceptions.)
(Train to and from Kyoto runs once a day except on Wednesday with some exceptions.)
(Train to and from Nagoya runs once a day except on Thursday with some exceptions.)
(Seat reservations, limited express fee and "Shimakaze" special vehicle fee required.)

Stations

Legend
Trains stop here
Trains stop here sometimes
|Trains do not stop here
No.StationDistance (km)TransfersLOEXRELENSSVLocation
 M74  Ujiyamada 宇治山田0.0 M Yamada Line Ise Mie Prefecture
 M75  Isuzugawa 五十鈴川1.9||
 M76  Asama 朝熊4.9|||
 M77  Ikenoura 池の浦10.6||| Toba
 M78  Toba 鳥羽13.2      Sangū Line
M Shima Line

History

The Toba Line was constructed in the late 1960s / early 1970s to allow Kintetsu to run limited express trains from Osaka and Nagoya as far as Kashikojima in Shima. The decision to build the line was based on Kintetsu wanting to attract visitors from among the many people attending the 1970 World's Fair in Osaka to the Ise-Shima region where Kintetsu runs a variety of tourism business enterprises, and direct rail service would largely improve the bus system that was in place at that time, thereby making it more convenient to travel there.

Originally, what are now the Osaka Line and the Yamada Line were completed in the late 1920s / early 1930s by two separate companies, but both lines came under the control of Kintetsu in the 1940s. This made possible direct rail service from Osaka to Ise (at that time called Ujiyamada), primarily used by tourists and pilgrims going to Ise Grand Shrine. Also completed in the late 1920s was what is now the Shima Line which runs from Toba to Kashikojima. This line was built by a third independent railway company and went through the ownership of various companies over the years, finally falling under the umbrella of Kintetsu in 1965.

Kintetsu now owned train lines that stretched from both Osaka and Nagoya as far as Ise (Ujiyamada Station) as well as a small disconnected line running between Toba and Shima (Kashikojima Station), however there was no Kintetsu rail link between Ise and Toba, meaning Kintetsu passengers bound for Shima had to switch from train to a bus (or a train run by Kintetsu’s main competitor, JNR) in Ise, then back to another Kintetsu train in Toba to complete the journey. The first solution, implemented in the 1960s, was building a bus ramp right up to the train platform of Ujiyamada Station and running buses that were timed to match up with the arriving limited expresses from Osaka and Nagoya, allowing passengers on those trains to easily switch to the bus without leaving the station or waiting long. However, in preparation for the 1970 World's Fair, Kintetsu decided it was a good time to implement the ideal solution which was direct rail access all the way to Kashikojima; thus the Toba Line was built to provide the final link.

Construction commenced in 1968 and a single track, connecting the Yamada Line and the Shima Line, was completed in 1970 just two weeks before the World's Fair began. Trains on this single-track Toba Line waited for each other to pass at a signal station located between Asama Station and Ikenoura Station near the line's midpoint. The line was officially completed when a second track was finished in 1975, thereby allowing bi-directional travel at all times.

Timeline

References

  1. 近畿日本鉄道|観光特急しまかぜのご案内]. Kintetsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 2, 2013.