Meitetsu Komaki Line

The is a railway line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Meitetsu (Nagoya Railroad), connecting Kamiiida Station in Nagoya with Inuyama Station in Inuyama. The track from Kamiiida to Ajima is mostly underground, a continuation of the Kamiiida Line operated by the Nagoya Municipal Subway.

History

The line was opened in 1931. The line was not electrified back then and used diesel multiple units for services. The Kamiiida to Komaki section electrified at 600 V DC in 1942, and the section to Inuyama electrified in 1947.

CTC signalling was commissioned on the section between Komaki and Buzan (since closed) in 1954, being the first use of this system by Meitetsu, and the voltage was increased to 1,500 V DC in 1964.

The line was double-tracked in stages between 1977 and 2003.

Nagoya Municipal Subway Kamiiida Line through services commenced on 27 March 2003. A newly built underground section between Ajima and Kamiiida stations replaced the previous above-ground section.

Stations

All stations are in Aichi Prefecture.

Former connecting lines

• Ajima Station: A line to Shin-Kachigawa operated between 1931 and 1937.
• Toyoyama Station (since closed): A line to service the Komaki airfield opened in 1944. Closing date is not known. Prior to the construction of the ChÅ«bu Centrair International Airport (serviced by the Meitetsu Airport Line), it had been proposed to upgrade the Komaki airfield to become the Nagoya International Airport, with a connecting line from Ajiyoshi station.
• Komaki Station: A line electrified at 600 V DC to Iwakura on the Inuyama line opened in 1920. The voltage on the line was increased to 1,500 V DC in 1955, and the line closed in 1964. In 1945 construction began on a loop line to Ajima (utilising the closed Shin-Kachigawa line mentioned above) to service an army arsenal and cadet school. The roadbed was about 50% complete when work was abandoned due to the end of the war.

Rolling stock

The Komaki Line uses the following train types:

• Meitetsu 300 series 4-car EMUs
• Nagoya Municipal Subway 7000 series 4-car EMUs

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.