The is a railway line operated by Echizen Railway

Echizen Railway

is a railway company located in Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It owns and operates the Katsuyama Eiheiji Line between Fukui and Katsuyama and the Mikuni Awara Line between Fukui and Sakai.-History:...

 in Fukui Prefecture

Fukui Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...

. The line stretches 27.8 km from the city of Fukui

Fukui, Fukui

is the capital of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The city is located in the north-central part of the prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan.-Demographics:...

 to Katsuyama

Katsuyama, Fukui

is a city located in Fukui, Japan.As of October 1, 2005, the city has an estimated population of 26,961 and the density of 106.28 persons per km²...

 with a total of 23 stations. It was operated by Keifuku Electric Railway until 2001; Echizen Railway took over the line in 2003.

Service

Trains run twice per hour during the day; during morning peak hours between 7:00 and 9:00, three trains run per hour. There is a single Fukui-bound rapid train each morning, as well as a local "Mezamashi Train" (lit. "wake-up train") departing Katsuyama at 5:09 every Monday morning that connects with Osaka and Nagoya-bound JR West limited express trains departing from Fukui Station.

History

Kyoto Dentō, a former body of Keifuku began operating the line in 1914 between Shin-Fukui Station

Shin-Fukui Station

is an Echizen Railway Katsuyama Eiheiji Line railway station located in Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.-Station:All Katsuyama Eiheiji Line and Mikuni Awara Line trains serve Shin-Fukui Station. There are two tracks serving a single island platform...

 and Ichiarakawa Station (now Echizen-Takehara Station

Echizen-Takehara Station

is an Echizen Railway Katsuyama Eiheiji Line railway station located in Eiheiji, Yoshida District, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.-Station:All Katsuyama Eiheiji Line trains serve Echizen-Takehara Station. Two tracks serve a single platform, and the station is unstaffed...

). The line was extended in 1918 to Ōno-Sanban Station (later renamed to Keifuku-Ōno), and again to Fukui Station in 1929. In 1974 due to falling ridership, the section from Katsuyama to Keifuku-Ōno was closed. In 1998, Keifuku proposed that the section from Eiheijiguchi to Katsuyama also be closed, but after local opposition the line was kept open. On December 17, 2000, a train entering from the Eiheiji Line at Higashi-Furuichi (now Eiheijiguchi) Station could not stop due to brake problems and collided with another train on the Echizen Main Line, killing the driver and injuring 24 passengers. Only six months later on June 24, 2001, two trains going different directions collided head-on between Hota and Hossaka stations on the Echizen Main Line injuring 24. These two accidents forced Keifuku to cease operation in 2001 and eventually transfer its Fukui Prefecture lines to Echizen Railway in 2003.

Chronology

• February 11, 1914: Kyōto Dentō begins operations between Shin-Fukui — Ichiarakawa (now ) stations.
• March 11, 1914: Ichiarakawa — Katsuyama section opens. Kannonchō Station opens.
• April 10, 1914: Katsuyama — Ōnoguchi section opens.
• September 1, 1914: Shiiguchi Station renamed to Fukuiguchi Station.
• May 13, 1915: Oiwakeguchi Station opens.
• April 17, 1916: Shinbo (now ) Station opens.
• August 21, 1915: Hota Station opens.
• September 1, 1918: Ōnoguchi — Ōno-Sanban section opens. Hōki Station opens. Passenger operations at Ōnoguchi Station end.
• May 23, 1919: Shimabashi (now ) Station opens
• May 19, 1920: Kōmyōji Station opens.
• October 10, 1920: Shinzaike Station opens.
• January 1, 1927: Eiheiji Station renamed to Eiheijiguchi Station.
• By 1929: Fujishima Station renamed to Higashi-Fujishima Station.
• September 21, 1929: Fukui — Shin-Fukui section opens. Shin-Fukui — Fukuiguchi section double-tracked. Passenger operations at Shin-Fukui Station end.
• November 20, 1929: Fukui — Shin-Fukui section double-tracked.
• By 1931: Shimoarakawa Station renamed to Rokuroshiguchi Station.
• May 1, 1931: Hishima Station opens.
• August 20, 1932: Kaihotsu (now ) Station opens.
• By 1934: Shimabashi Station renamed to Echizen-Shimabashi Station; Rokuroshiguchi Station renamed to Shimoarakawa-Rokuroshiguchi Station.
• April 22, 1935: Fukuiguchi — Kaihotsu section double-tracked.
• March 2, 1942: Keifuku Electric Railway splits off from Kyōto Dentō, merges with Mikuni Awara Electric Railway. Rail line known as Echizen Main Line.
• July 1, 1943: Passenger operations at Shin-Fukui Station end.
• April 20, 1944: Hishima Station closed.
• December 1, 1944: Eiheijiguchi Station renamed Higashi-Furuichi Station.
• April 5, 1945: Hishima Station reopens.
• June 28, 1948: A large earthquake
  1948 Fukui earthquake
  The was a major earthquake in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The magnitude 7.3 quake struck at 5:13 p.m. on June 28, 1948 . The strongest shaking occurred in the city of Fukui, where it was recorded as 6 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale...
  
   forces the temporary closure of the line until August 1948.
• August 15, 1950: Echizen-Nonaka Station opens as a temporary station; closed on August 18.
• September 10, 1950: Echizen-Nonaka Station reopens as a regular station.
• August 1, 1951: Kaihotsu Station renamed to Echizen-Kaihotsu Station. Shinbo Station renamed to Echizen-Shinbo Station.
• December 15, 1951: Shimoshii Station opens.
• October 1, 1952: After repeated halts, passenger operations at Ōnoguchi Station restart permanently.
• May 1, 1953: Yokomakura Station renamed Nakatsugawa Station.
• September 1, 1955: Ichiarakawa Station closed. Echizen-Takehara Station opens.
• October 1, 1955: Ōno-Sanban Station renamed Keifuku-Ōno Station.
• December 16, 1961: Yomogi Station opens.
• August 13, 1974: Katsuyama — Keifuku-Ōno section closed.
• August 1, 1980: Freight operations between Fukuiguchi — Katsuyama end.
• October 26, 1980: Freight operations between Shin-Fukui — Fukuiguchi end.
• April 20, 1989: Driver-only operation initiated during non-peak hours.
• March 20, 1991: Driver-only operation initiated on all trains throughout the day.
• December 17, 2000: Two trains from the Echizen Main Line and Eiheiji Line collide head-on between Shiizakai and Higashi-Furuichi stations.
• June 24, 2001: Two trains collide head-on between Hota and Hossaka stations.
• June 25, 2001: Operations halted on entire line.
• February 1, 2003: Echizen Main Line renamed Katsuyama Eiheiji Line; transferred to Echizen Railway
  Echizen Railway
  is a railway company located in Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It owns and operates the Katsuyama Eiheiji Line between Fukui and Katsuyama and the Mikuni Awara Line between Fukui and Sakai.-History:...
  
  .
• February 20, 2003: Higashi-Furuichi Station renamed Eiheijiguchi Station.
• July 20, 2003: Operation on Fukui — Eiheijiguchi section restarts.
• October 19, 2003: Operation on Eiheijiguchi — Katsuyama section restarts.
• April 1, 2005: Kobunato and Hota stations begin serving all local trains; rapid trains pass.
• April 9, 2006: Due to construction of the Hokuriku Shinkansen
  Hokuriku Shinkansen
  The is a high-speed Shinkansen rail line under construction in Japan. The first section, between and , currently called the Nagano Shinkansen, opened on 1 October 1997.-Future:...
  
  , Shin-Fukui — Fukuiguchi section single-tracked.

Rolling stock

Echizen Railway uses twenty-five cars total in its entire railway. The main type active is the MC6101 with twelve cars, followed by MC2101 with eight cars, MC6001 with two cars, and three other types with one car each.

Stations

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Rapid	Transfers	Location
※	福井駅	0.0	●	JR West West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:... : Hokuriku Main Line Hokuriku Main Line The is a 358.3 kilometer line of the West Japan Railway Company from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshū, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of... Fukui Railway Fukui Railway is a bus and railway company located in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It owns and operates the Fukubu Line between Tawaramachi Station in Fukui and Echizen-Takefu Station in Echizen.-Overview:... : Fukubu Line	Fukui Fukui, Fukui is the capital of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The city is located in the north-central part of the prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan.-Demographics:...
	新福井駅	0.5	●
※	福井口駅	1.5	●	Echizen Railway: Mikuni Awara Line Mikuni Awara Line The is a railway line operated by Echizen Railway in Fukui Prefecture. The line stretches 27.8 km from the city of Fukui to Sakai with a total of 22 stations. It was operated by Keifuku Electric Railway until 2001; Echizen Railway took over the line in 2003....
※	越前開発駅	2.4	●
※	越前新保駅	3.4	●
	追分口駅	4.4	●
	東藤島駅	5.3	●
	越前島橋駅	6.0	●
※	観音町駅	7.3	●		Eiheiji Eiheiji, Fukui is a town located in Yoshida District, Fukui, Japan. It is named after the Eihei-ji temple.As of the 2010 national census, the town population is 20,641. The total area is 94.34 km².... , Yoshida District Yoshida District, Fukui Yoshida is a district located in Fukui, Japan.As of October 1, 2005, the district has an estimated population of 20,766 and a density of 220.12 persons per km². The total area is 94.34 km².-Merger:...
※	松岡駅	8.4	●
	志比堺駅	9.3	｜
※	永平寺口駅	10.9	●
	下志比駅	11.9	｜
	光明寺駅	12.7	｜
	轟駅	14.2	｜
	越前野中駅	15.7	｜
※	山王駅	17.2	●
	越前竹原駅	19.3	●
	小舟渡駅	21.2	｜
	保田駅	23.1	｜		Katsuyama Katsuyama, Fukui is a city located in Fukui, Japan.As of October 1, 2005, the city has an estimated population of 26,961 and the density of 106.28 persons per km²...
	発坂駅	24.5	●
	比島駅	26.4	▲
※	勝山駅	27.8	●

• All stations are located in Fukui Prefecture.
• Rapid trains: ● - rapid and local trains stop, | - rapid trains pass, ▲ - rapid and some local trains pass
• Stations marked with a ※ are staffed.
• Local trains stop at every station; some local trains pass Hishima.