The is a railway line in Japan operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

(JR East). It connects Kōriyama Station in

Kōriyama is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 321,938 people in 141760 households, and a population density of 425 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Kōriyama is designated as a core city and ...

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

, and Niitsu Station in Akiha Ward, Niigata,

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

. The name "Banetsu" is taken from the first characters of the names of the ancient

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of and , which the Banetsu East and Banetsu West lines connect. means "west" in Japanese. The line's nickname is the .

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 "｜".

Rolling stock

, the following rolling stock is used on the Banetsu 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) JRNiigataUsage_Latest.svg, Operations in Niigata area C57-180 Banetsu Monogatari 20061022.JPG, SL " Banetsu Monogatari"

Past

* 455 series EMUs (from 1967 until March 2008) *

485 series The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), West Jap ...

EMUs ('' Aizu Liner'' rapid services) * KiHa 40/47/48 DMUs (until March 2020) *

583 series The were limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train types introduced in 1967 by Japanese National Railways and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) on the through services expr ...

EMUs ( ‘’ Aizu Liner’’) * KiHa 52 DMUs (until 2009) * KiHa 58 DMUs (until 2009) * KiHa E120 DMUs (until March 2020) * 719 series EMUs (Until 2023) JNR455(JR East) Banetsu West Line Akabe at Koriyama 2006 1224size.jpg, A Banetsu West Line 455 series EMU in December 2006 485-G55・G58 Aizu-LINER.JPG, 485 series '' Aizu Liner'' rapid service at Koriyama Station in March 2012 Tokusawa_1.JPG, KiHa 40/47/48 series at Tokusawa Station in June 2013 Gosen_Station_-E120.jpg, KiHa E120 and 110 at Gosen Station in December 2009 File:719 train at Aizuwakamatsu Station.jpg, A Banetsu West Line 719 series EMU in January 2008 File:719-700 Fruitea 20150425.jpg, The 719–700 series ''FruiTea'' trainset in April 2015

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 The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR) started to modernize the line in the 1960s, introducing the line's first

limited express A limited express is a type of express train or express bus service that stops at fewer locations compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese ...

service (as a part of the Yamagata-bound ''Yamabata'') in 1965 between

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other ...

in Tokyo and Aizu-Wakamatsu via the

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...

. 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 3rd 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

References

External links

FruiTea Fukushima - JR East
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ban'etsu West Line 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Lines of East Japan Railway Company Rail transport in Fukushima Prefecture Rail transport in Niigata Prefecture Railway lines opened in 1898