The Hokuriku Main Line (北陸本線, Hokuriku-Honsen?) is a 358.3 kilometer line of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of Kansai, Tōkai, Kantō, and Tōhoku.
The line is an important transportation artery along the Sea of Japan coast, because the Shinkansen high-speed network has not yet been extended through the Hokuriku region. The Hokuriku Shinkansen is currently under construction between Nagano and Kanazawa; the remaining segment to Kansai is still in the planning stages. As a result, narrow gauge limited expresses such as the Thunderbird, Raicho, and Shirasagi are common sights along the line.
The Hokuriku Main Line has two tracks and is completely electrified: the sections from Maibara to Tsuruga and from Itoigawa to Naoetsu use 1,500 V DC power, while the section from Tsuruga to Itoigawa uses 20,000 V AC, 60 Hz power.
JR Freight operates a small branch line for freight from Tsuruga Station to a container facility at the port of Tsuruga.
Read more about Hokuriku Main Line: Basic Data, Stations
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