Nanpō Freight Line
Encyclopedia
The is a railway line in Nagoya Japan
. Intended to increase capacity by connecting Nagoya Freight Terminal Station with Kasadera Station and Ōbu Station, work on it was suspended before completion. It was constructed not by the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation
, but by Japanese National Railways
(JNR) itself.
and serve these stations.
The original plan was to build a separate freight line bypassing the Tōkaidō Main Line from Inazawa Station's freight marshaling yard to Sasajima Station (which is actually a quadruple-tracked section of the Tōkaidō) and an extension to West Nagoyakō Station. The extension would be the West Nagoyakō Line, and along its path would be constructed the Nagoya Freight Terminal Station. Diverging from that point and crossing the Nagoya Minato Line, then running parallel to the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, crossing the Meitetsu Tokoname Line
, before rejoining the Tōkaidō Main Line just before Kasadera Station and continue to Ōbu Station in a quadruple track arrangement.
Work began in March 1967, and by 1975 the line was 90% complete. About 34.5 billion yen had been spent, but work on the line was suspended, and in 1979, as a part of reforms within JNR, the project was terminated. During the line's construction, JNR had lost a significant amount of freight business to trucks, and there was local opposition to the noise and vibration that the line would produce. With the opening of Nagoya Freight Terminal Station in 1980, eastbound freight first had to be moved to Inazawa switching yard to then proceed east on the Tōkaidō Main Line.
In 1992, as part of a study by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism about reducing congestion on the Tōkaidō Main Line, it was proposed that West Nagoyakō Line be converted to a passenger line, but due to minimal congestion at the time on the Tōkaidō, the proposal was dismissed.
Ultimately, the West Nagoyakō Line opened for passenger service in 2004 as the Aonami Line
. During renovations, the point at which the Nanpō Freight Line diverged was demolished as it interfered with the work.
Since 2002, about 30 billion yen has been spent removing portions of the structure. Although the land has been put up for sale, only about 4 billion has been recovered due to low land prices.
Some of the line's upright supports
and surface still stand on the grounds of the Chubu Steel Plate Company. From the Aonami Line, one can see that this section is used as an elevated parking lot. As of 2008, sections of the track which do not have offices or parking lots below are being removed. Sections of bridge near Ōdaka Station
which are part of the same structure that supports the Tōkaidō Main Line are being reinforced to resist earthquakes. This work is being carried out by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Intended to increase capacity by connecting Nagoya Freight Terminal Station with Kasadera Station and Ōbu Station, work on it was suspended before completion. It was constructed not by the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation
Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation
was a public corporation responsible for the construction of railway lines in Japan.The JRCC was established in 1964 as the successor to JNR's railway line construction division. Kakuei Tanaka, then an influential member of the House of Representatives, was said to have been involved in its creation...
, but by Japanese National Railways
Japanese National Railways
, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...
(JNR) itself.
Line Data
- Length: 26km (from Nagoya Freight Terminal Station to Ōbu Station)
- Electrification: complete, 1500VDC
- Dual track: full line
- Triple track: from Nagoya Freight Terminal Station to crosspoint with Nagoya Minato Line
History
Between 1965 and 1975, JNR was transporting a large portion of the nation's freight. In the Nagoya area, slow freight trains were interfering with passenger service, and as a result, a plan was sought to provide a separated line to carry freight traffic. As Sasajima Station, the city's main freight terminal just south Nagoya Station, became too small, freight was to move south to a new site. The Nanpō Freight Line was built to bypass the Tōkaidō Main LineTokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
and serve these stations.
The original plan was to build a separate freight line bypassing the Tōkaidō Main Line from Inazawa Station's freight marshaling yard to Sasajima Station (which is actually a quadruple-tracked section of the Tōkaidō) and an extension to West Nagoyakō Station. The extension would be the West Nagoyakō Line, and along its path would be constructed the Nagoya Freight Terminal Station. Diverging from that point and crossing the Nagoya Minato Line, then running parallel to the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, crossing the Meitetsu Tokoname Line
Meitetsu Tokoname Line
The is a railway line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan operated by Nagoya Railroad between Jingū-mae Station in Nagoya and Tokoname Station in Tokoname.- Stations :● L: ● S: ● E: ● R: ● L: ● MU:...
, before rejoining the Tōkaidō Main Line just before Kasadera Station and continue to Ōbu Station in a quadruple track arrangement.
Work began in March 1967, and by 1975 the line was 90% complete. About 34.5 billion yen had been spent, but work on the line was suspended, and in 1979, as a part of reforms within JNR, the project was terminated. During the line's construction, JNR had lost a significant amount of freight business to trucks, and there was local opposition to the noise and vibration that the line would produce. With the opening of Nagoya Freight Terminal Station in 1980, eastbound freight first had to be moved to Inazawa switching yard to then proceed east on the Tōkaidō Main Line.
In 1992, as part of a study by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism about reducing congestion on the Tōkaidō Main Line, it was proposed that West Nagoyakō Line be converted to a passenger line, but due to minimal congestion at the time on the Tōkaidō, the proposal was dismissed.
Ultimately, the West Nagoyakō Line opened for passenger service in 2004 as the Aonami Line
Aonami Line
Aonami Line is a railway line in the city of Nagoya connecting Nagoya Station and Kinjō-Futō Station. "Aonami Line" is the official nickname of the operated by the...
. During renovations, the point at which the Nanpō Freight Line diverged was demolished as it interfered with the work.
Since 2002, about 30 billion yen has been spent removing portions of the structure. Although the land has been put up for sale, only about 4 billion has been recovered due to low land prices.
Some of the line's upright supports
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
and surface still stand on the grounds of the Chubu Steel Plate Company. From the Aonami Line, one can see that this section is used as an elevated parking lot. As of 2008, sections of the track which do not have offices or parking lots below are being removed. Sections of bridge near Ōdaka Station
Odaka Station
is a JR East railway station located in Odaka, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
which are part of the same structure that supports the Tōkaidō Main Line are being reinforced to resist earthquakes. This work is being carried out by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency
Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency
The , or JRTT, is an Independent Administrative Institution created by an act of the Diet of Japan effective October 1, 2003. JRTT was founded by integrating the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation and the Corporation for Advanced Transport and Technology .JRTT was a major shareholder...
.