Taketoyo Line



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

The line has been electrified as of 1 March 2015. The line has the oldest used station building in Kamezaki Station, and also had the oldest overpass bridge before being demolished in 2021.

Basic data

 * Total distance: 19.3 km
 * Gauge: 1,067mm (3 ft 6 in) Narrow-gauge railway
 * Stations: 10 (9 when excluding Ōbu Station)
 * Single-tracked
 * Electrification: 1,500 V DC
 * Maximum speed: 85 km/h

History
The entire line opened in 1886 as Handa line after a 7-month-long construction, (later renamed to Taketoyo Line), to bring construction materials for the Osaka-Tokyo railway line crossing central Japan, being planned to be deconstructed when the line was complete. However, the proposed route was later changed due to the difficulty of the construction, and the line became a branch line when the Obu to Hamamatsu section of the Tokaido Main Line opened two years later, annexing the 33.2km section between Obu and Atsuta Station. Before the opening of the line, one of the local workers proposed that the line also carries passengers, as the train heading back to Taketoyo was empty. This proposal was quickly accepted, with trains running 2 times a day. A 1 km freight-only line extended to Taketoyo Minato between 1930 and 1965. Upon the opening of Meitetsu Kōwa Line, the ridership on the line decreased as the trains on Kōwa line ran more frequently and were quicker to reach Nagoya. On September 25, 1953, a typhoon hit the line and washed out the section between Taketoyo station and Higashi-Narawa station, killing a JNR worker. The line introduced Station numbering and line coloring in March 2018. Construction works to elevate the line around Handa Station began in 2020 and is expected to be finished in 2026.

Modernization and electrification
Due to the line being single-tracked and being one of the only unelectrified railway lines in Aichi prefecture despite being the closest line to Chubu Centrair International Airport, local residents, along with several municipalities have requested the modernization of Taketoyo line.

In response to this movement, work started in March 2010 to electrify the line. On 1 March 2015, the line was electrified, and through services to and from Nagoya commenced. Additionally, automatic ticket gates and ticket vending machines were installed in all stations except Owari-Morioka and Ishihama from October 2013. Following this installment JR ticket kiosks on Ogawa, Higashiura, Kamezaki, and Taketoyo were closed, and the stations became unstaffed.

Extension proposal
Before the construction of Chubu Centrair International Airport, the Taketoyo line was one of the three lines that were proposed to be connected with the airport. The proposed route would branch off from Okkawa Station and head west, and connect to the airport. This route was estimated to take around 53 minutes if a rapid service was created between Nagoya Station and the airport, which is far slower than the opposing Meitetsu Tokoname Line extension proposal which was less costly and faster. As of now, no work is being done to construct this route, after 20 years since the airport has opened to the public.

Services
All train services on Taketoyo Line stops at every station, with trains running every 15~30 minutes on weekdays and 40~50 minutes on weekends. Through services by semi-rapid trains to Nagoya and Gifu are available during rush hours. Most services are one-person operated.

Freight service
Although no stations in the line handles freights, 5 freight trains by Kinuura Rinkai Railway pass through the line to connect to Hekinan Line and Handa Line. Two High-speed Freight Trains run from Ōbu to Higashi-Narawa to Handafutō Station, and Two freight trains heads to Ōbu from Hekinanshi Station, with a freight train traveling from Ōbu to Hekinanshi.

Rolling stock
Currently, the line uses electric multiple unit (EMU) trains after the electrification works. 313 series trains are used on the line in 2-car formations operated by a single crew. 315 series trains were introduced on the line on 15 March 2024, replacing 211 series trains that were in use since the electrification. 315 series trains are usually operated during rush hours in 4-car formations on through services to Nagoya.

EMU

 * 211 series
 * 311 series

DMU

 * KiHa 43000
 * KiHa 35, 30
 * KiHa 58, 28
 * KiHa 40, 47, 48
 * KiHa 75
 * KiHa 25

Abolished sections
Taketoyo - Taketoyo-Minato (1.0 km from Taketoyo)

Closed stations
Owari-Ikuji Station (6.0 km from Ōbu)

Fujie Station (7.2 km from Ōbu)