Iida Line
JR Central 313 Series train crossing the Nakatagiri River
Overview
Owner	JR Central
Locale	Aichi,Shizuoka,Nagano prefectures
Termini	Toyohashi Tatsuno (through toOkaya)
Stations	94
Service
Type	Heavy rail
History
Opened	15 July 1897; 128 years ago (1897-07-15)
Last extension	20 August 1937; 88 years ago (1937-08-20)
Technical
Line length	195.7 km (121.6 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC (overhead catenary)
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph) (maximum) 40–50 km/h (25–31 mph) (curves) 25–35 km/h (16–22 mph) (diverging junctions)
Train protection system	ATS-PT
Maximum incline	4.0%
Route map

TheIida Line (飯田線,Iida-sen) is a Japanese railway line connectingToyohashi Station inToyohashi, Aichi withTatsuno Station inTatsuno, Nagano, operated byCentral Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The line links eastern Aichi Prefecture and southern Nagano Prefecture through northwestern Shizuoka Prefecture. It goes through steep mountains as well as cities such asIida andIna. The line was originally of four different private railway lines, the first of which opened in 1897.

The line has an unusually high number of so-calledHikyō stations, orhikyo-eki, which have since lost their nearby communities due to depopulation.^[1] There are 94 total stations along the route.^[1] A number of these stations have become Hikyō stations over the years. The line has been described as the "holy land for those who love touring hikyo-eki".^[1] The phrase was coined in 1999 by Takanobu Ushiyama and friends, forrailroad stations that are isolated and little used.^[1]

For a distance of 187 km (116 mi) betweenToyokawa and Tatsuno the Iida Line does not intersect with any other railway line.

As of January 2026^[update], the following train services operate on the Iida Line:

The limited expressInaji (伊那路) operates two round trips per day betweenToyohashi andIida. The rapidMisuzu (みすず) runs one round trip per day between Iida,Tatsuno andNagano (operating athrough service on theChūō Main Line (Tatsuno Branch),Chūō Main Line,Shinonoi Line &Shin'etsu Main Line).^[2][3]

Local service frequency changes multiple times along the line. From Toyohashi a 15-minute frequency operates as far as Toyokawa, approximately half-hourly as far asShinshiro and hourly as far asHon-Nagashino. Between Hon-Nagashino andTenryūkyō (a mountainous area with few passengers) services operate every 1-3 hours. North of Tenryūkyō services generally operate approximately hourly, with some sections having 30-minute frequencies in peak times. At Tatsuno, almost all trains continue to/from Okaya on theChūō Main Line (Tatsuno Branch).^[2][3]

Traveling the entire length of the 195.7 km (121.6 mi) line by local train takes over six hours and generally requires changing trains one or more times. There are only two northbound and three southbound trains per day that operate the entire length of the line between Toyohashi and Tatsuno, with all of them continuing to/from Okaya (one of the southbound trains commences atKami-Suwa).^[2][3]

As of 2025, the Iida Line hosts the longest local train service in Japan - the 14:38 train from Toyohashi arrives at Okaya at 21:37 with a running time of 6 hours 59 minutes (419 minutes) for the 96-station journey.^[2][3]

L: Local (普通,Futsū)

R: Rapid (快速,Kaisoku)

I: Limited ExpressInaji (特急伊那路,Tokkyū Inaji)

All trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass stations marked "-", "↓", or "↑". Arrows indicate the direction of rapid trains. Some trains stop at stops marked "▲".

L: Local (普通,Futsū)

R: Rapid (快速,Kaisoku)

M: RapidMisuzu (快速みすず,Kaisoku Misuzu)

All trains stop at stations marked "●" and pass stations marked "-", "↓", or "↑". Arrows also indicate the directions the rapid trains run.

• 211 series 3-car EMUs (from 15 March 2015, on JR East inter-running services)^[4]
• 213-5000 series 2-car EMUs
• 313-3000 series EMUs
• 373 series 3-car EMUs (onInaji limited express and some all-stations "Local" services)^[5]

• 
  A Nagano-based JR East 211 series
• 
  A JR Central 2-car 213-5000 series EMU, April 2021
• 
  313-3000 series EMU, April 2021
• 
  A JR Central 373 series EMU on anInaji limited express, February 2012

• 115 series EMUs (until 14 March 2014, on JR East inter-running services)^[4]
• 119 series EMUs (1983 – 31 March 2012)^[6]

• 
  A Nagano-based JR East 115 series, March 2006
• 
  A JR Central 2-car 119 series EMU, March 2008

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The Toyokawa Railway opened the section from Toyohashi to Toyokawa in 1897, extending the line to Omi in 1900. At the northern end, the Ina Electric Railway opened the Tatsuno to Ina-Matsushima section (electrified at 1,200 V DC) in 1909, extending the line to Tenryukyo in sections between 1911 and 1927. The Horaitera Railway opened the Omi to Mikawa-Kawai section in 1923, and electrified it at 1,500 V DC in 1925 in conjunction with the electrification of the Toyohashi to Omi section the same year. The Toyohashi to Toyokawa section was double-tracked the following year. The Sanshin Railway opened the Tenryukyo to Kadoshima section as an electrified (1,500 V DC) line in 1932, the Mikawa-Kawai to Toei section (and all subsequent stages) as an electrified line in 1933, and connected the two sections (completing the line) in 1936. All four companies were nationalised in 1943.

In 1955, the overhead line voltage of the Tatsuno to Tenryukyo section was increased to 1,500 V DC.

CTC signalling was commissioned on the line between 1983 and 1984, and freight services ceased in 1996.

• Hon-Nagashino Station: A 23 km line to Mikawa-Taguchi, electrified at 1,500 V DC, opened between 1930 and 1932. Two 762mm gauge forest railways connected to this line: the Damine forest railway, which connected at the station of the same name, consisted of a 19 km 'main line' (including a tunnel) and a 7 km branch, operated between 1932 and 1960; the Taguchi forest railway connected at the terminus station, consisted of a 10 km 'main line' and a 6 km branch, operated between 1934 and 1963. Both forest railways were notable for initially employing people and "large dogs" to haul the empty wagons upgrade, which then rolled downhill when loaded. The Mikawa-Taguchi line closed following flood damage in 1968.

• Chubu-Tenryu Station: Construction started on a 35 km line to Tenryu-Futamata on theHamanako Line in 1967. Proposed to involve 20 bridges and 14 tunnels, about 13 km of roadbed, and about 50% of the overall work had been completed when construction was abandoned in 1980.

• List of railway lines in Japan

• Makino, Kazuto (5 August 2017).愛知県の鉄道　昭和~平成の全路線 [Railway in Aichi Prefecture; All lines from Showa~Heisei era] (in Japanese). AlphaBeta Books.ISBN 978-4-86598-828-4.
• Soiri, Masashi (25 September 2025).全国鉄道路線大全 2025-2026 (in Japanese). Ikaros Publications.ISBN 978-4-8022-1637-1.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toIida Line.

• JR Central official website(in Japanese)
• JR Central official website

• Iida Line
• 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan
• Railway lines opened in 1897

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• Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2026
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