Biwako Line

Biwako Line

Legend Hokuriku Main Line for Fukui, Naoetsu Tōkaidō Main Line to Sekigahara - 7.7 Nagahama - 4.7 Tamura - 2.4 Sakata 0.0 - Tokyo JR Central/JR West boundary 445.9 0.0 Maibara Ohmi: Main Line for Hikone Ohmi: Main Line to Maibara 451.9 6.0 Hikone Hikoneguchi for Yōkaichi, Kibukawa 455.2 9.3 Minami-Hikone 458.3 12.4 Kawase 462.0 16.1 Inae 465.7 19.8 Notogawa 470.8 24.9 Azuchi Ohmi: Yōkaichi Line to Yōkaichi 474.3 28.4 Ōmi-Hachiman 478.3 32.4 Shinohara 483.9 38.0 Yasu Yasu River 487.0 41.1 Moriyama 489.1 43.2 Rittō Kusatsu Line to Kibukawa, Tsuge 491.4 45.5 Kusatsu Kusatsu River 493.9 48.0 Minami-Kusatsu 496.6 50.7 Seta Seta River Ishiyama Sakamoto Line 499.1 53.2 Ishiyama 501.9 56.0 Zeze Hama-Ōtsu 503.6 57.7 Ōtsu Ōtsu Port Keishin Line Ishiyama Sakamoto Line to Sakamoto Ōsakayama Tunnel Ōtani Kosei Line to Ōmi Shiotsu Shiga/Kyoto border 508.1 62.2 Yamashina (old) Yamashina Higashiyama Tunnel Nara Line to Kizu Inari Keihan Main Line left to Sanjō Tōfukuji Kamo River 513.6 67.7 Kyoto Sanin Main Line to Hatabu JR Kyoto Line To Osaka

The Biwako Line (琵琶湖線, Biwako sen^?) is the nickname used by the operator West Japan Railway Company (JR West), to refer to the portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line (between Maibara Station and Kyoto Station) and the Hokuriku Main Line (between Maibara Station and Nagahama Station). The section, along with JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line, forms a contiguous service that is the main trunk of JR West's "Urban Network" commuter rail network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area.

Nickname

Introduction

The line is named after Lake Biwa (琵琶湖, Biwa-ko^?), which the route runs along. Line nicknames were introduced when then newly privatized JR West intended to give supposedly familiar names over official line names, such as Tōkaidō Main Line and Fukuchiyama Line. Biwako Line did not appear in the first list, instead The JR Kyoto Line was to be called up to Maibara. A move in Shiga Prefecture opposed the name, claiming that the name of Kyoto Line in Shiga sounds like an auxiliary, requiring its own name in the prefecture. Biwako Line was thus made to refer to the section between Maibara and Kyoto.

The section of the name was extended to Nagahama, on the alteration of electric supply from AC 20000V to DC 1500V which enabled through operation to Kyoto and Osaka.

Recognition

Though the nickname is used by the operator JR West for passenger announcements, official status of Tōkaidō Main Line has not been changed or discussed. The counterpart for the line, Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) uses its official name "Tōkaidō Main Line" for the section of JR West, at the connections of Kyoto and Maibara. The nickname appears in some local newspapers and real estate advertizements. Frequent passengers understand that the Biwako, JR Kyoto, JR Kobe lines are in fact one line, however, public recognition of the name is still in question, especially among non-users along the line.

Trains

• Special Rapid Service (新快速)
  • Trains terminate at Nagahama, Maibara and Yasu. Stops at Nagahama, Tamura, Sakata, Maibara, Hikone, Notogawa, Omi-Hachiman, Yasu, Moriyama, Kusatsu, Ishiyama, Otsu, Yamashina, and Kyoto. Continues on Kyto Line to Osaka and beyond.
• Rapid Service (快速)
  • Trains terminate at at Maibara and Yasu, with limited service to Nagahama and Ogaki. They are treated as local trains and make every stop on the line.
• Local trains (普通)
  • Kyoto Line local service extends to Yasu during rush hour.

Stations

Stations are listed from east to west. The distance of Tokyo - Maibara is 445.9km, and that of Tokyo - Kyoto is 513.6km. Historically, the Tōkaidō Main Line continued from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond, through Maibara. In the Japanese timetable books, the distances from Tokyo are still shown in the table, although the Biwako Line's officially begins at Mibara.

S: stop; |: pass

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