The is a subway line in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, Japan, part of the

Nagoya Municipal Subway The , also referred to as simply the Nagoya Subway, is a rapid transit system serving Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture in Japan. It consists of six lines that cover of route and serve 87 stations. Approximately 90% of the subway's total t ...

system. It is a loop line that runs from Kanayama, via Sakae, Ōzone, Nagoya Daigaku, and back to Kanayama, all within Nagoya. The Meijō Line's color on maps is wisteria purple and stations are labeled with the prefix "M". Officially, the line consists of the , the western part, and , the eastern part. All stations accept manaca, a rechargeable contactless

smart card A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an Embedded system, embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart ...

, and other major Japanese IC cards. The Meijō Line, upon its completion, became the second loop subway line built in Japan, after the

Toei Ōedo Line The is a rapid transit railway line of the municipal Toei Subway network in Tokyo, Japan. It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12. The line is comple ...

. The Ōedo Line, however, is not a true loop line as it is operated like a figure 6, with trains from the western Hikarigaoka terminus running anticlockwise around the loop and terminating at Tochōmae, returning around the loop to Hikarigaoka. Thus the Meijō Line is the first (and currently only) true loop subway line in the nation. The line is longer than the JR Ōsaka Loop Line (), but shorter than the JR

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres ...

(). It takes 48 minutes to complete the loop. The name Meijō is derived from the abbreviated ''

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

'' of .

Stations

:¹: Planned lines. :²: Through service to/from Meijō Line.

Meikō Line

The acts as a

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

from the Meijō line, with roughly every other anticlockwise train running toward Nagoyakō instead of Nagoya Daigaku. The Meikō Line's color on maps is a stripe of wisteria purple and white, and stations are labeled with the prefix "E". Officially, the line is part of Nagoya City Rapid Railway Line 2. The line provides

through service A through service is a concept of passenger transport that involves a vehicle travelling between lines, networks or operators on a regularly specified schedule, on which the passenger can remain on board without alighting. It may be in either of th ...

to the Meijō Line.

Stations

History

The line was originally part of the Meijō Line. When the eastern part ("Line 4") of the current loop line was completed in 2004, the entire loop was renamed the Meijō Line, with the remaining section (between Kanayama and Nagoyakō, outside the loop) being renamed to the Meikō Line. The name Meikō is derived from the abbreviated ''kanji'' of .

Rolling stock

Current

* 2000 series (since 1989)

Former

* 1000/1100/1200 series (from 1965 until 2000)

History

The first section of Line 2, between Sakae-machi (now named Sakae) and Shiyakusho (now named Nagoyajo), opened in 1965. The line was named the Meijō Line in 1969, and the extension was completed in 1971. Line 4 opened its first section between Aratama-bashi and Kanayama in 1974. The extension project was completed in 2004, making a loop line together with Line 2. Women-only cars were introduced on the line on 4 July 2016, operating in the mornings until 09:00.

References

External links

Nagoya City Transportation Bureau official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meiko Line Nagoya Municipal Subway Standard-gauge railways in Japan Railway loop lines Railway lines opened in 1965 600 V DC railway electrification Railway lines opened in 1971 1965 establishments in Japan 1971 establishments in Japan

Stations

Meikō Line

Stations

History

Rolling stock

Current

Former

History

See also

References

External links