Ban'etsu West Line

The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Kōriyama Station in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture and Niitsu Station in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture. The name "Ban'etsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient provinces of and , which the Ban'etsu East and Ban'etsu West lines connect. means "west" in Japanese.

The line's nickname is the , also rendered in English as "Railway of Forests, Water, and Adventure".

Station list Local trains generally stop at all stations, but some trains skip stations marked "▽". The column marked "*" refers to the unnamed rapid service between Kōriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu/Kitakata using 719 series EMUs. Trains can pass one another at stations marked "◇", "∨", or "∧"; stations marked "◆" are switchback stations. Trains cannot pass at stations marked "｜".

StationJapaneseDistance (km)RapidTransfers/Other Notes LocationBetweenstationsTotal*Agano郡山 -0.0● ∨KōriyamaFukushima郡山富田3.43.4● ｜喜久田4.57.9▲ ◇安子ケ島3.911.8｜ ◇磐梯熱海3.615.4● ◇中山宿5.420.8｜｜上戸6.527.3｜｜Inawashiro, Yama DistrictInawashirokohan (closed)猪苗代湖畔2.029.3 Closed in 2007｜関都1.731.0｜ ◇川桁2.433.4▲ ◇猪苗代3.336.7● ◇翁島4.441.1▲ ◇磐梯町10.151.2● ◇Bandai, Yama District東長原6.057.2▲ ◇Aizuwakamatsu広田2.860.0▲ ◇会津若松4.664.6●● Tadami Line Aizu Railway Aizu LineAlthough the official start of the Aizu Line is , all trains run through to/from Aizu-Wakamatsu.Terminus of electrification◆▽堂島5.570.1｜｜｜▽笈川3.173.2｜｜｜Yugawa, Kawanuma District塩川1.975.1●● ◇Kitakata▽姥堂2.477.5｜｜｜▽会津豊川2.079.5｜｜｜喜多方1.781.2●● Nitchū Line (closed 1984)◇山都9.991.1 ● ◇荻野6.197.2 ● ｜尾登3.8101.0 ｜｜Nishiaizu, Yama District野沢5.2106.2 ● ◇上野尻5.1111.3 ｜｜徳沢6.7118.0 ｜ ◇豊実3.3121.3 ｜｜Aga, Higashikanbara DistrictNiigata日出谷7.1128.4 ｜｜鹿瀬5.2133.6 ● ｜津川3.4137.0 ● ◇三川7.4144.4 ● ｜五十島4.2148.6 ｜ ◇東下条3.9152.5 ｜｜咲花3.1155.6 ● ｜Gosen馬下2.8158.4 ▲ ◇猿和田3.5161.9 ｜｜五泉3.8165.7 ● ◇北五泉1.8167.5 ｜｜新関2.5170.0 ｜ ◇Akiha-ku, Niigata東新津2.8172.8 ｜｜新津2.8175.6 ●∧

Rolling stock , the following rolling stock is used on the Ban'etsu West Line.

Kōriyama—Kitakata

E721-0 series EMUs (since 4 March 2017) HB-E300 series For Aizu SATANO (since 2024) belonging to the Sendai Vehicle Center. AT700/AT750 series For Aizu Mountain Express. Primary runs on weekends, between Aizu Wakamatsu and Kitaca. Going through the Tadami Line then to the Aizu Railway Line to Kinugawa Onsen station

Aizu-Wakamatsu—Niitsu KiHa 110 series DMUs most being replaced by GV-E400 series. These sets belongs to the Niigata Vehicle Center Niitsu Branch. GV-E400 series DEMUs Belonging to Niigata Vehicle Center Niitsu Branch(since August 2019)

Past 455 series EMUs (from 1967 until March 2008) 485 series EMUs (Aizu Liner rapid services) KiHa 40/47/48 DMUs (until March 2020) 583 series EMUs (Aizu Liner) KiHa 52 DMUs (until 2009) KiHa 58 DMUs (until 2009) KiHa E120 DMUs (until March 2020) 719 series EMUs (Until 2023)

History

The private Ganetsu Railway opened the initial section from Kōriyama to Nakayamajuku on July 26, 1898, and extended the line to Aizu-Wakamatsu the following year.

Japanese National Railways (JNR) started to modernize the line in the 1960s, introducing the line's first limited express service (as a part of the Yamagata-bound Yamabata) in 1965 between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Aizu-Wakamatsu via the Tōhoku Main Line. In 1968 the train was renamed Aizu Yamabata, but from 1993 onward it was renamed Viva Aizu and ran only between Koriyama and Aizu-Wakamatsu. The train was finally discontinued as a limited express service in 2003.

In 1967, JNR electrified the section between Kōriyama and Kitakata at 20 kV AC.

In 2011 the line was closed for 15 days in March following the Tohoku earthquake, two days in April as a result of aftershocks, and for 10 weeks following torrential rain at the end of July.

A new station, called , opened on 1 April 2017 between and Kōriyama and Kikuta stations.

The railway bridge connecting Kitakata and Yamato collapsed due to heavy rain on 4 August 2022. Services were temporarily suspended between Kitakata and Nozawa. Full service was restored on 1 April 2023. In the timetable revision at December 3, 2022, Rapid Ageo services ceased operations.

Electric services between Aizu-Wakamatsu and Kitakata ceased on 12 March 2022, and the section was deelectrified by May 2024.『令和6年度鉄道要覧』電気車研究会・鉄道図書刊行会、p.30

Ban'etsu West Line

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