International Railroad Discussion > Noto Railway (Japan)

The Noto Peninsula is on the western side on the Japan sea. The Nanano line connects the peninsula to the rail network. JR West owns the entire Nanao Line between Tsubata and Anamizu, but it only operates the southern section while Noto Railway operates the rest of the line. Once there were two branches from Anamizu to Wajima and to Takojima on the east and west sides of the peninsula respectively. On a recent camping trip I found some interesting remains.

#1 Excursion train used for weddings at the Anamizu station
#2 DMUs in the shop area of Animizu station
#3 Anamizu, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan station



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/17 20:48 by Railpax71.

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#4 Noto Railway NT200 series DMU at Anamizu Station
#5 Platform has a recreation of a fishing platform used by net fishermen in the Toyama Bay
#6 A real platform

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I was very curious about this DMU in the middle of a field, seemingly not connected to anything or the station at Takojima. I first saw it on Google satellite view and dropped in to see what it is. The branch to Takojima was completed in 1963 and abandoned in 2005. They constructed 61 km of track through 49 tunnels!

#7 For a few years during summer vacation season the NT 102 operated on a short track out of Otoshima station.
#8 Pretty rough shape nearly covered by the Kudzu vines
#9 The line to the Takojima station less than 200 meters away is severed by a new road.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/17 20:21 by Railpax71.

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The line to Wajima from Anamizu was completed in 1935 and abandoned in 2001. At the Michinoeki in Wajima there is a static display.

#10 Several station signs are preserved
#11 Obstacle on the track next to the simulated platform.
#12 They even set up the crossing signal to flash when you approach it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/17 20:22 by Railpax71.

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At Kojii station on the Takojima route there is a handcar built for two that you can ride from the station for 300 meters to one of the tunnels. It was closed when I went there.

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Thanks for the great report. Very informative.

It's not common in Japan for a "Third Sector Railroad" like Noto Railway not to own its own tracks it operates on. I'm just speculating, but owner of the tracks, JR West, is under pressure from lower profit margins compared to JR East and JR Central who are "awash with money" as Japanese railfans sometimes half-jokingly claim. Anyway, that fact probably forces JR West to be more creative in money-saving practices - Noto Railway is indirectly subidizing JR West by helping tourists reach the northern end of the line, while JR West keeps ownership (and maintenance) of the tracks in exchange.

It seems the expansion of the road network on the beautiful Noto Peninsula has been impacting ridership on the Nanao Line throughout the years.

One boost in tourism and ridership should have been the completion of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2015, but that only helped grow tourism from the Kanto area (Tokyo Metro) tourists who now had high speed access to the gateway cities to Noto Peninsula, Toyama and Kanazawa. Situation for Kansai area (Osaka Metro) tourists have changed little, and traditionally, Noto Peninsula has been the playground for the Kansai folks.

Hope you had a great camping trip. Lots of nature to explore in the area.

Thank you for sharing these.

#10 the bottom of the station sign for Wajima made me laugh.
On the left side it gave the next station name. Wajima obviously was the end of the line.
The right side said, SIBERIA!

The preserved illuminated sign has no reference to　シベリア. Above the reference in the wooden sign there is grafitti in Russian.

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