The is a Japanese railway line connecting Taketoyo with

Minamichita is a town in Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 17,393 in 7338 households, and a population density of 453 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Minamichita is located in the e ...

within

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

. It is owned and operated by the private railway operator

Nagoya Railroad , publicly trading as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the ''Panorama Car'' and the ''Panorama Car Super'', both of whic ...

(Meitetsu). The line features seven tunnels and a maximum grade of 3.4% (approximately 1 in 29). It is the fourth railway line to be constructed in the

Chita Peninsula The Chita Peninsula (知多半島 ''Chita Hantō'') is a peninsula to the south of Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan. It runs approximately north-south. To the west is Ise Bay, while to the east it encloses Mikawa Bay. It faces the Atsu ...

, and the only railway line owned by Meitetsu to be named as a "New Line".

History

There has been several attempts to build a railway line into southern

Chita peninsula The Chita Peninsula (知多半島 ''Chita Hantō'') is a peninsula to the south of Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan. It runs approximately north-south. To the west is Ise Bay, while to the east it encloses Mikawa Bay. It faces the Atsu ...

before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, such as

Japan Governmental Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese Government Rail ...

' attempt to extend the

Taketoyo Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōbu Station in Ōbu, Aichi, Ōbu with Taketoyo Station in Taketoyo, Aichi, Taketoyo, both located in Aichi Prefecture. It is owned and run by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). Open ...

to Morozaki, Aichi Electric Railways' (Current

Meitetsu , publicly trading as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the '' Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of w ...

) attempt to build a line to Utsumi, and the local investors' plan to build a

light railway A light railway is a Rail transport, railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail": it uses lighter-weight track, and may have more Grade (slope), steep gradients and Minimum railway curve radius, tight curves to ...

from Taketoyo in 1913. However, due to the low

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

in the area, and the lack of industry, none of the plans came to fruition. Meitetsu, in a part of an effort to develop the southern Chita peninsula, planned building a line to Utsumi. Three potential routes were suggested: extending the

Meitetsu Tokoname Line The is a railway line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Meitetsu (Nagoya Railroad), connecting Jingū-mae Station in Nagoya and Tokoname Station in Tokoname, Aichi, Tokoname. Stations L: S: E: R: ...

down south, extending the

Meitetsu Kōwa Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Tōkai, Aichi, Tōkai with Mihama, Aichi, Mihama within Aichi Prefecture. It is owned and operated by Meitetsu. History Before Meitetsu ownership In the Taisho era, the only railway line connecting east ...

southwest from

Kōwa Station is a train station in the town of Mihama, Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, operated by Meitetsu. Lines Kōwa Station is a terminus the Meitetsu Kōwa Line, and is located 28.8 kilometers from the opposing terminus of the line at . Sta ...

, and the route branching off Kōwa Line southwest. The Tokoname route was rejected due to the length of the line needed to extend to Utsumi, and the Fuki route was preferred by the line as it was easier to develop the central part of the peninsula. For the route running west of the peninsula, the hillside route was taken to allow housing developments. In 1969, Meitetsu gained permits to construct the first section of the line from Fuki Station to Bessouike signaling station. Meitetsu gained permit to build the rest of the line from Bessouike to Utsumi in 1971, and started extending the line. The line was extended to Kaminoma Station in 1974. The

Mihama-ryokuen Station The is a Japanese railway line connecting Taketoyo, Aichi, Taketoyo with Minamichita, Aichi, Minamichita within Aichi Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the private railway operator Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu). The line features seven tunnel ...

opened on April 24, 1987 as a

infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...

for developments.

Services

As of 2025, trains service the line every 30 minutes from 5am to 10pm, although the frequency of services are increased during rush hours. Local services runs inside the line during daytime, while through rapid/

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 ...

services are run to stations in other lines such as

Meitetsu Nagoya Station is the principal railway station, station of the Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) system in Nagoya, Japan. Most trains of Meitetsu's major lines operate through this station. The station is also a gateway to the Chubu Centrair International Ai ...

on rush hours.

Stations

All services stop on every station, and all stations are located within

Ridership

Ridership on the line has been steadily decreasing.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Nagoya_transit Rail transport in Aichi Prefecture Chita New Line Railway lines opened in 1980 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan