Kishigawa Line
"Ichigo EC" trainset designed by Eiji Mitooka
Overview
Owner	Wakayama Electric Railway
Locale	Wakayama
Stations	14
Technical
Line length	14.3 km (8.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DCoverhead catenary
Operating speed	60 km/h (37 mph)
Route map

TheKishigawa Line (貴志川線,Kishigawa-sen) is a railway line inWakayama Prefecture, Japan. It is the sole line of the Wakayama Electric Railway Co., Ltd. The 14.3 km route extends fromWakayama Station in the city ofWakayama toKishi Station in neighboringKinokawa. Including the terminals, the Kishigawa Line has 14 stations. Itsgauge is1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). The line is single-track and is electrified at1,500 V DC. Prior to April 1, 2006, the line was part of theNankai Electric Railway system.

The Sando Light Railway Co. opened the Wakayama - Sando section between 1916 and 1917, and extended the line to Kishi in 1933.

The line was electrified at 600 V DC between 1941 and 1943, and was acquired by the Nankai Electric Railway Co. in 1961.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1993, and the Wakayama Electric Railway Co. acquired the line in 2006, increasing the line voltage to 1500 V DC in 2012.

The Kishigawa Line uses 6 sets (12 cars) of 2270 serieselectric multiple units (EMUs), originally built for Nankai and transferred to the new operator, together with the tracks and other assets of the Kishigawa Line. Some of the cars have been repainted with the design by industrial designerEiji Mitooka, who designed the type 9200 "MOMO" tram ofOkayama Electric Tramway and various trains ofJR Kyushu, including the800 Series Shinkansen, while others are still in the Nankai livery.

In the mornings and evenings, the service operates three to four times each hour; at off-peak times, two per hour is the norm. The trains are driver-only operated, and do not have conductors.

In addition to the new design of the rolling stock, the operator is eager to attract passengers through unique measures such as the following:

• Before trains arrive at Kishi Station or after trains leave there,The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever" is played.
• Kishi Station appointed a cat namedTama as its stationmaster, complete with miniature stationmaster hat.^[1][2]

• List of railway lines in Japan

Wikimedia Commons has media related toWakayama Electric Railway.

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia

• Wakayama Electric Railway Co., Ltd.(in English)

• Railway lines in Japan
• Rail transport in Wakayama Prefecture
• 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan
• Stations of Wakayama Electric Railway

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