The is a railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 line which runs from Matsumoto Station

Matsumoto Station

is a station of East Japan Railway Company and Matsumoto Electric Railway in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.It is the central station of Matsumoto, the central city of Chūshin Area.-Lines:*East Japan Railway Company **Shinonoi Line**Ōito Line...

 in Nagano Prefecture

Nagano Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...

 to Itoigawa Station

Itoigawa Station

is a JR West railway station located in the city of Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.-Lay out:1 side platform and 1 Island platform with Kirikaki platform.-History:...

 in Niigata Prefecture

Niigata Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...

, Japan.

There are two operators on the line: East Japan Railway Company

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 (JR East) operates the section south of Minami-Otari Station in Otari

Otari, Nagano

is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 4,122 and a density of 15.39 persons per km². The total area is 267.91 km².-External links:*...

, Nagano Prefecture, and West Japan Railway Company

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:...

 (JR West) operates the remaining section.

Route data

• Operators, services:
  • East Japan Railway Company
    East Japan Railway Company
    is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
    
     (Services and tracks)
    • Matsumoto — Minami-Otari: 70.1 km
  • West Japan Railway Company
    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:...
    
     (Services and tracks)
    • Minami-Otari — Itoigawa: 35.3 km
• Stations: 25
  • JR East: 34
  • JR West: 8 including Itoigawa, excluding Minami-Otari
• Double-tracked section: None
• Electrification: Matsumoto - Minami-Otari (1500 V DC)
• Railway signalling
  Railway signalling
  Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
  
  :
  • Matsumoto — Itoigawa: Automatic Train Stop, S-type

History

The section between Matsumoto and was built between 1915 and 1916 by , which was purchased by the national government in 1937 and is not the same entity as the present Shinano Railway. The rest of the line was built by the Japanese Government Railways

Japanese Government Railways

The Japanese Government Railways was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949. It is a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the Japan Railways Group.- Name :...

 and the 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...

 between 1929 and 1957. When the Japanese National Railways was privatized in 1987, the line was assigned to the present two operators.

JR East section

All stations are within Nagano Prefecture

Nagano Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...

.

Station	Japanese	Distance(km)		Rapid	Transfers	Location
		Between Stations	Total
	松本駅	-	0.0	●	JR East: Shinonoi Line Shinonoi Line The is a rail line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company, it runs from Shinonoi Station in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture to Shiojiri Station in Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture.The line is a corridor between the Shinetsu Main Line and the Chūō Main Line... Matsumoto Electric Railway Matsumoto Electric Railway is a public transport company in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is the core company of Alpico Group and is wholly owned by Aplico Holdings Co., Ltd.The company was known as until its merger with two affiliate companies on April 1, 2011.- Headquarters :... : Kamikōchi Line	Matsumoto Matsumoto, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Matsumoto is designated as a Special City.-Outline:The new city of Matsumoto is the city comprising the mergers of the old city of Matsumoto and four villages. Matsumoto officially absorbed those villages without creating a new municipal...
	北松本駅	0.7	0.7	●
	島内駅	1.9	2.6	▲
	島高松駅	1.2	3.8	▲
	梓橋駅	1.4	5.2	▲		Azumino Azumino, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on October 1, 2005, when the town of Akashina, from Higashichikuma District, and the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato, from Minamiazumi District, merged to form a new city...
	一日市場駅	1.6	6.8	●
	中萱駅	1.6	8.4	▲
	南豊科駅	2.0	10.4	▲
	豊科駅	1.0	11.4	●
	柏矢町駅	2.8	14.2	▲
	穂高駅	2.0	16.2	●
	有明駅	2.2	18.4	●
	安曇追分駅	1.5	19.9	●
	細野駅	2.9	22.8	▲		Matsukawa Matsukawa, Nagano (Kitaazumi) is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2011, the village has a population of 10,256. The total area is 47.06 km2.-External links:*... , Kitaazumi District Kitaazumi District, Nagano is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 36,547 and a density of 57.31 persons per km². The total area is 637.66 km².-Towns and villages:*Hakuba*Ikeda*Matsukawa*Otari-Mergers:...
	北細野駅	1.0	23.8	▲
	信濃松川駅	2.2	26.0	●
	安曇沓掛駅	1.6	28.6	▲		Ōmachi Omachi, Nagano is a city located in Nagano, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 31,079 and the population density of 55 persons per km². The total area is 564.99 km²....
	信濃常盤駅	2.3	30.9	●
	南大町駅	3.1	34.0	▲
	信濃大町駅	1.1	35.1	●
	北大町駅	2.1	37.2	｜
	信濃木崎駅	2.2	39.4	▲
	稲尾駅	2.2	41.6	｜
	海ノ口駅	1.3	42.9	｜
	簗場駅	3.4	46.3	●
(seasonal)	ヤナバスキー場前駅	1.6	47.9	｜
	南神城駅	4.9	52.8	｜		Hakuba Hakuba, Nagano is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano, Japan.-Town:As of 2007, the village has an estimated population of 9,246 and a density of 50.71 persons per km². The total area is 182.34 km².... , Kitaazumi District
	神城駅	2.4	55.2	●
	飯森駅	1.5	56.7	｜
	白馬駅	3.0	59.7	●
	信濃森上駅	1.9	61.6	●
	白馬大池駅	3.8	65.4	●		Otari Otari, Nagano is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 4,122 and a density of 15.39 persons per km². The total area is 267.91 km².-External links:*... , Kitaazumi District
	千国駅	3.4	68.7	｜
	南小谷駅	1.4	70.1	●	JR West: Ōito Line

JR West section

Station	Japanese	Distance(km)		Transfers	Location
		Between Stations	Total
	南小谷駅	-	70.1	JR East: Ōito Line	Otari Otari, Nagano is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 4,122 and a density of 15.39 persons per km². The total area is 267.91 km².-External links:*... , Kitaazumi District Kitaazumi District, Nagano is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 36,547 and a density of 57.31 persons per km². The total area is 637.66 km².-Towns and villages:*Hakuba*Ikeda*Matsukawa*Otari-Mergers:... , Nagano Nagano Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
	中土駅	4.0	74.1
	北小谷駅	4.4	78.5
	平岩駅	5.5	85.0		Itoigawa Itoigawa, Niigata is a city located in rustic southern Niigata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 48,653 and the density of 65.2 persons per km². The total area is 746.24 km².The city was founded on June 1, 1954... , Niigata Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
	小滝駅	6.8	91.8
	根知駅	3.6	95.4
	頸城大野駅	4.9	100.3
	姫川駅	1.9	102.2
	糸魚川駅	3.2	105.4	JR West: 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...

See also

• List of railway lines in Japan