Nagoya Main Line
AMeitetsu 2200 series bound forToyohashi
Overview
Native name	名鉄名古屋本線
Status	In operation
Locale	Aichi Prefecture Gifu Prefecture
Termini	Toyohashi Meitetsu Gifu
Connecting lines	See stations list
Former connections	See stations list
Stations	60
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	Meitetsu
Rolling stock	Reference:[1] Meitetsu 2000 series Meitetsu 2200 series Meitetsu 1700 series Meitetsu 1200 series Meitetsu 1800 series Meitetsu 3500 series Meitetsu 3700 series Meitetsu 3100 series Meitetsu 3300 series Meitetsu 3150 series Meitetsu 3300 series Meitetsu 4000 series Meitetsu 5700 series Meitetsu 6000 series Meitetsu 6500 series Meitetsu 6800 series Meitetsu 5000 series Meitetsu 9500 series
History
Opened	Various, see History section
Last extension	1 September 1944
Completed	18 April 1948 (named)[a]
Technical
Line length	99.8 km (62.0 mi)[2]
Number of tracks	Quadruple (Jingū-mae -Kanayama)[3] Double (Most of the line) Single (Ina - Toyohashi)[3]
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 VOverhead catenary
Route map Nagoya Main Line Subway:Nagoya Municipal Subway Lines areMeitetsu unless otherwise noted Legend Tokaido Main Line Tokaido Shinkansen Toyohashi Railroad Atsumi Line Shin-Toyohashi Toyohashi Railroad Azumada Main Line 0.0 Toyohashi Shimin-Byōin-mae Toyohashi depot JR-C:Tōkaidō Shinkansen JR-F: Toyohashi ORS Funamachi Toyokawa Shimoji Toyokawa (3.8) Hirai S.B. Nishi-Kozakai JR-C:Tōkaidō Main Line JR-C:Iida Line Kozakai Branch Lineja Kozakai 5.0 Ina 6.6 Odabuchi Toyokawa-Inari Toyokawa Line 9.6 Kō 10.7 Goyu 12.5 Meiden-Akasaka 15.0 Meiden-Nagasawa 18.7 Motojuku 20.4 Meiden Yamanaka (21.0) Maiki S.B. Maiki depot 23.1 Fujikawa 25.6 Miai 27.6 Otogawa 29.8 Higashi-Okazaki Okazaki City Lineja old Okazakikōen-mae 31.1 Okazakikōen-mae Naka-Okazaki Aikan:Aichi Loop Line Yahagi River 32.5 Yahagibashi 34.8 Utō Gamagōri Gamagōri Line Kira-Yoshida Nishio Line 38.3 Shin-Anjō 40.9 Ushida Chiryū S.B. Hekinan Nishi-Nakagane Sanage Toyota-shi freight bypass Higashi-Chiryū Mikawa-Chiryū 43.1 Chiryū Mikawa Line 44.6 Hitotsugi 46.6 Fujimatsu Toyoake depot 48.1 Toyoake 49.8 Zengo 51.4 Chūkyō-keibajō-mae 52.7 Arimatsu 53.8 Sakyōyama Narumi depot 55.1 Narumi 56.7 Moto-Hoshizaki Nagoya City Tramway: Kasamatsu Extension 58.2 Moto-Kasadera 58.9 Sakura 59.9 Yobitsugi Yamazaki River Subway:Meijō Line Myōon-dōri 61.1 Horita Horita Tokaido Main Line Tokoname,Airport, and Kōwa,Chita New lines 62.2 Jingū-mae Nagoya City Tramway: Atsuta Line Atsuta Nagoya City Tramway Chuo Main Line Kanayamabashi Nagoya City Tramway Atsuta Line 64.4 Kanayama Subway:Meikō Line Subway: Meijō Line Horikawa Nagoya City Tramway Otōbashi Nagoya City Tramway JR-F:Nagoyakō Line Tokaido Shinkansen JR-C: Sannō S.B. 66.0 Sannō canal JR-C: Tōkaidō Shinkansen Kansai Main Line Aonami Line Yanagibashi KintetsuNagoya Line Subway:Higashiyama Line Kintetsu Nagoya 68.0 Meitetsu Nagoya Nagoya(Subway/JR-C) Sakuradōri Line Subway; Higashiyama Line Oshikirimachi 69.9 Sakō JR-C Nagoya depot 70.7 Higashi-Biwajima Shōnai River (71.3) Biwajima Junction Inuyama Line Shin-Unuma 71.6 Nishi-Biwajima JR-C: Tōkaidō Main Line JR-C: Tōkaidō Shinkansen 72.2 Futatsuiri 72.8 Shinkawabashi Shinkawa depot 73.5 Sukaguchi Tsushima Line Bisai Line 74.3 Marunouchi Kiyosu Lineja Kiyosumachi 75.2 Shin-Kiyosu Tokaido Shinkansen 77.5 Ōsato 78.8 Okuda 80.9 Kōnomiya 82.9 Shima-Ujinaga Tokaido Main Line 84.7 Myōkōji Bisai Line Higashi-Ichinomiya Ichinomiya Lineja 86.4 Meitetsu Ichinomiya JR-C:Owari-Ichinomiya Bisai Line/Okoshi Lineja 88.3 Imaise /Tamanoi 89.2 Iwato 91.2 Shin-Kisogawa Kisogawa/Kisogawabashi 92.1 Kuroda Tokaido Main Line 93.9 Kisogawa-zutsumi /Kisogawa-kō Aichi Prefecture Kiso River Gifu Prefecture Higashi-Kasamatsu Shin-Hashima Hashima Line Takehana Line 95.1 Kasamatsu 96.9 Ginan Sakai River Shimokawate Chajo depot 98.3 Chajo 98.7 Kanō JR-C:Tōkaidō Main Line JR-C:Takayama Main Line Gifu Gifu-Ekimae 99.8 Meitetsu Gifu Meitetsu Kakamigahara Line Gifu City Lineja

TheMeitetsu Nagoya Main Line (名鉄名古屋本線,Meitetsu Nagoya Honsen) is a Japanese railway line operated by theprivate railway operatorNagoya Railroad (Meitetsu), connectingToyohashi Station inToyohashi withMeitetsu Gifu Station inGifu. The line is also called theMeitetsu Main Line (名鉄本線,Meitetsu Honsen).^[2]

The line was formed through mergers of multiple local railway operators and segments of their railway lines. These lines were connected into two separate lines, one fromJingū-mae to Toyohashi, and the other from Meitetsu Gifu toOshikirichō [ja], each given the name "Eastern Line" and "Western Line" in 1935. TheAichi Electric Railway [ja] constructed the eastern part from 1917 to 1927. The western part was formed out of lines operated by theNagoya Electric Railway [ja], theMino Electric Railroad [ja], and the Bisai Railway. The lines ran by each operator were eventually merged into a single line by several mergers. After the formation of Meitetsu in 1935, efforts to connect the two lines were made, which was completed in 1944. The difference in voltage between the two segments were corrected by 1948, and the two segments were renamed to the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line on the same date. Since then, Meitetsu introduced new rolling stock and removed sharp curves to compete with theTōkaidō Main Line operated by theJapanese National Railways, and its successorCentral Japan Railway Company.

Due to historical reasons, the line shares its track betweenHirai Junction and Toyohashi Station with the JRIida Line. This limits the number of trains passing through the section. Local trains terminate atIna Station instead of Toyohashi, the terminus.

The Nagoya Main Line was formed through mergers of multiple local railway operators and segments of their railway lines.^[4] The line prior to being connected and treated as a single railway line was divided between eastern and western sections. These two segments were later named the Eastern Line (東部線,Tōbu-sen), and the Western Line (西部線,Seibu-sen) in 1935.^[5]

The Eastern Line was constructed by a single railway company, theAichi Electric Railway [ja]. As theTōkaidō Main Line constructed by theMinistry of Railways by 1889 took a different route from theTōkaidō in theAichi Prefecture segment, the company built the line along the Tōkaidō instead. The Eastern Line was originally named the Arimatsu Line (有松線) when it was opened betweenJingū-mae and Arimatsu-ura (now namedArimatsu) in 1917. This line renamed to Toyohashi Line (豊橋線) upon extending toToyohashi by 1927.^[5][6] The line waselectrified at 1,500 V, with advanced infrastructures at the time. To reach Toyohashi fromIna Station, the company only built a single track, paralleling the Toyokawa Railway's track.^[7] When the Aichi Electric Railway merged with the Meigi Railroad in 1935, the line was renamed to the Eastern Line.^[8]

The Western Line was made up of segments from three different railway lines, each by different operators. The first railway operator to construct a line was theNagoya Electric Railway [ja]. The company opened the part betweenSukaguchi andBiwajimabashi [ja] in 1914.^[6][8] Later in the same year, theMino Electric Railroad [ja] opened a line betweenKasamatsu and Hiroe, located near the currentKanō Station.^[8] By the end of the year, this line, named the Kasamatsu Line (笠松線), extended to Shin Gifu (current Meitetsu Gifu).^[9] In 1921, the Nagoya Electric Railway established the Nagoya Railroad, transferred the tramway network to the city ofNagoya, and theheavy rail network to the established company, and disbanded.^[10] The Bisai Railway operated the line betweenKōnomiya andShin Ichinomiya (now Meitetsu Ichinomiya) for a year prior to being transferred to the Nagoya Railroad in 1925.^[9] The Nagoya Railroad continued to extend their line, connecting Shin Ichinomiya andOshikirichō [ja], the western terminal of Nagoya at the time by April 1928.^[11] On 20 August 1930, the company merged with the Mino Electric Railroad to form the Meigi Railway.^[6][12] Shin Ichinomiya and Kasamatsu were connected in 1935. Following this extension, Shin Gifu (current Meitetsu Gifu) and Oshikirichō were connected with a single line.^[12] Because the line was formerly three separate railways, the line goes through central areas of the passing municipalities compared to the competing Tōkaidō Main Line, and the segment has frequent curves.^[13]

Until 1935, mergers involving the Aichi Electric Railway were brought up multiple times since it was established, but none took place. Around the end of theTaishō era, competition against the two private operators Meigi Railway and the Aichi Electric Railway, which were the tram network operated by the city of Nagoya and theJapan Governmental Railways (JGR), escalated.^[14][15] Added with theGreat Depression, these two companies were not able to keep themselves functional with the population of Nagoya at the time. Eventually, the two companies, with the help of the mayor of Nagoya, merged into the currentNagoya Railroad (Meitetsu). Despite this, the two major lines of the two companies were still unconnected, and had different voltages, as the Western Line used 600 V electrification while the east used 1,500 V. Coinciding with the relocation of the JGR'sNagoya Station, Meitetsu extended the western section from Biwajimabashi toMeitetsu Nagoya, closing the former line between Biwajimabashi and Oshikirichō. The Eastern Line was originally planned to run right below the roads of Nagoya, although this did not happen due to opposition from the city. Meitetsu eventually bought the former Nagoya Station's land from the JGR and constructed the line through the land, later building theMeitetsu Department Store and a bus terminal above it. While steel supply was limited by the government due toWorld War II, The Eastern Line reached Meitetsu Nagoya on 1 September 1944.^[16][14][15] Upon the two lines being connected, the section from Kanayama to Meitetsu Gifu was named Meigi Line (名岐線), and the section from Kanayama to Toyohashi was named Toyohashi Line (豊橋線). Despite technically being a single line, service through these two named lines were not possible due to differing voltage.^[17] On 16 May 1948, the Meigi Line's voltage was raised to 1,500 V, and both lines were renamed into the Nagoya Main Line.^[18]

The Tōkaidō Main Line was electrified toMaibara Station in 1955, andelectric multiple units started operating in the paralleling segment of the line between Toyohashi andŌgaki. Meitetsu introduced newrolling stocks such as the5000 series, reduced sharp curves, and increased the number of services providingthrough service to other lines. In the timetable revision of 1959, the maximum speed of the line was increased to 105 km/h (65 mph) from 100 km/h (62 mph). The5500 series [ja] was introduced to the line at the time of the same timetable revision, which was the first train equipped with air conditioners that didn't require an additional fee.^[19] Meitetsu adopted their ownautomatic train stop (ATS) system in 1965.^[20] The tracks betweenJingū-mae and Kanayama werequadrupled in 1990. The operating speed for trains on the line was increased to 120 km/h (75 mph) in the same year.^[21] Works to elevate parts of the line byviaducts have been taking place, with the area aroundMikawa Chiryū Station expected to be elevated by 2031.^[22] The area aroundNarumi Station was elevated in 2006.^[23]

Seven types of services run on the line. The names are as follows:^[24]

• Local (普通,Futsū)
• Semi Express (準急,Junkyū)
• Express (急行,Kyūkō)
• Rapid Express (快速急行,Kaisoku Kyūkō)
• Limited Express (特急,Tokkyū)
• Rapid Limited Express (快速特急,Kaisoku Tokkyū)
• μSKY Limited Express (ミュースカイ,Myū Sukai)

Because of the sheer amount of stopping patterns, trains which stops on stations that aren't usually stopped by the service is excluded from the list. Additionally, services that change service time upon arriving at a certain station are also ignored.

• ●: All trains stop
• |: Trains pass
• ▲▼: Through service, all or some trains continue off the line

Station	Local[24]	Semi-Express[24]	Express[24]	Rapid Express[24]	Limited Express[24]	Rapid Limited Express[24]	Limited ExpressμSKY[24]
Toyohashi			●		●	●
Ina	●	●	●		|	|
Odabuchi	●	|	|		|	|
Kō	●	●	▲		●	|
Goyu	●	|	|		|	|
Meiden Akasaka	●	|	|		|	|
Meiden Nagasawa	●	|	|		|	|
Motojuku	●	●	●		|	|
Meiden Yamanaka	●	|	|		|	|
Fujikawa	●	●	|		|	|
Miai	●	●	●		|	|
Otogawa	●	●	|		|	|
Higashi Okazaki	●	●	●		●	●
Okazakikōen-mae	●	|	|		|	|
Yahagibashi	●	●	|		|	|
Utō	●	|	|		|	|
Shin Anjō	●	●	▲		●	|
Ushida	●	|	|		|	|
Chiryū	●	●	●		●	●
Hitotsugi	●	|	|		|	|
Fujimatsu	●	|	|		|	|
Toyoake	●	●	|		|	|
Zengo	●	●	●		|	|
Chūkyō-keibajō-mae	●	●	|		|	|
Arimatsu	●	●	|		|	|
Sakyōyama	●	|	|		|	|
Narumi	●	●	●		|	|
Moto Hoshizaki	●	|	|		|	|
Moto Kasadera	●	|	|		|	|
Sakura	●	|	|		|	|
Yobitsugi	●	|	|		|	|
Horita	●	●	●		|	|
Jingū-mae	▲	▲	▲	▲	▲	▲	▲
Kanayama	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Sannō	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Meitetsu Nagoya	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Sakō	●	●	●	|	|	|	|
Higashi-Biwajima	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Nishi-Biwajima	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Futatsu-iri	●	●	|	|	|	|	|
Shinkawabashi	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Sukaguchi	●	●	●	●	|	|	|
Marunouchi	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Shin-Kiyosu	●	●	●	●	|	|	|
Ōsato	●	●	|	|	|	|	|
Okuda	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Kōnomiya	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Shima-Ujinaga	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Myōkōji	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Meitetsu Ichinomiya	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Imaise	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Iwato	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Shin Kisogawa	●	●	●	●	●	●	|
Kuroda	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Kisogawa-Zutsumi	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Kasamatsu	●	●	●	●	●	●	|
Ginan	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Chajo	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Kanō	●	|	|	|	|	|	|
Meitetsu Gifu	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Most of the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line isdouble-tracked, although the section betweenJingū-mae andKanayama arequadrupled. However, a segment of the track insideMeitetsu Gifu issingle-tracked.^[25][26] This severely restricts the operations of trains entering and exiting the station.^[27] The section of the line between Ina and Toyohashi shares tracks with theIida Line, so the Nagoya Main Line is single-tracked from Toyohashi to theHirai Junction, where the Iida Line branches north.^[28]

No.	Station name		Transfers	Opened	Distance from Toyohashi (km)[29]	Location
	English	Japanese				Ward or City	Prefecture
	Toyohashi	豊橋	Tōkaidō Shinkansen Tokaido Main Line Iida Line ■Toyohashi Railroad Atsumi Line (Shin-Toyohashi) ■Toyohashi Railroad Azumada Main Line (Ekimae)	1 June 1927[2]	0.0	Toyohashi	Aichi
	Ina	伊奈			5.0	Toyokawa
	Odabuchi	小田渕		14 January 1934[2]	6.6
	Kō	国府	Meitetsu Toyokawa Line	1 April 1926[30]	9.6
	Goyu	御油			10.7
	Meiden Akasaka	名電赤坂			12.5
	Meiden Nagasawa	名電長沢			15.0
	Motojuku	本宿			18.7	Okazaki
	Meiden Yamanaka	名電山中			20.4
	Fujikawa	藤川			23.1
	Miai	美合			25.6
	Otogawa	男川			27.6
	Higashi Okazaki	東岡崎		8 August 1923[31]	29.8
	Okazakikōen-mae	岡崎公園前	Aichi Loop Line (Naka-Okazaki)	1 June 1923[32]	31.1
	Yahagibashi	矢作橋			32.5
	Utō	宇頭			34.8
	Shin Anjō	新安城	Meitetsu Nishio Line		38.3	Anjō
	Ushida	牛田			40.9	Chiryū
	Chiryū	知立	Meitetsu Mikawa Line	1 April 1959[33]	43.1
	Hitotsugi	一ツ木		1 April 1923[34]	44.6	Kariya
	Fujimatsu	富士松			46.6
	Toyoake	豊明			48.1	Toyoake
	Zengo	前後			49.8
	Chūkyō-keibajō-mae	中京競馬場前		15 July 1953[35]	51.4	Midori-ku, Nagoya
	Arimatsu	有松		8 May 1917[35]	52.7
	Sakyōyama	左京山		15 November 1942[35]	53.8
	Narumi	鳴海		8 May 1917[36]	55.1
	Moto Hoshizaki	本星崎			56.7	Minami-ku, Nagoya
	Moto Kasadera	本笠寺		19 March 1917[36]	58.2
	Sakura	桜			58.9
	Yobitsugi	呼続			59.9
	Horita	堀田		15 April 1928[36]	61.1	Mizuho-ku, Nagoya
	Jingū-mae	神宮前	Meitetsu Tokoname Line	31 August 1913[37]	62.2	Atsuta-ku, Nagoya
	Kanayama	金山	Tokaido Main Line Chūō Main Line Meijō Line Meikō Line	1 September 1944[37]	64.4	Naka-ku, Nagoya
	Sannō	山王			66.0	Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya
	Meitetsu Nagoya	名鉄名古屋	(Nagoya Station) Tokaido Shinkansen Tokaido Main Line Chūō Main Line Kansai Main Line Higashiyama Line Sakura-dōri Line Aonami Line (Kintetsu Nagoya Station) Kintetsu Nagoya Line	12 August 1941[38][39]	68.0	Nakamura-ku, Nagoya
	Sakō	栄生			69.9	Nishi-ku, Nagoya
	Higashi-Biwajima	東枇杷島	Meitetsu Inuyama Line		70.7
	Nishi-Biwajima	西枇杷島		23 January 1914[40]	71.6	Kiyosu
	Futatsu-iri	二ツ杁		1 February 1942[40]	72.2
	Shinkawabashi	新川橋		23 January 1914[40]	72.8
	Sukaguchi	須ヶ口	Meitetsu Tsushima Line		73.5
	Marunouchi	丸ノ内		22 September 1914[41]	74.3
	Shin-Kiyosu	新清洲		3 February 1928[41]	75.2
	Ōsato	大里			77.5	Inazawa
	Okuda	奥田			78.8
	Kōnomiya	国府宮		15 February 1924[41]	80.9
	Shima-Ujinaga	島氏永		24 January 1928[42]	82.9	Inazawa Ichinomiya[b]
	Myōkōji	妙興寺		15 February 1924[42]	84.7	Ichinomiya
	Meitetsu Ichinomiya	名鉄一宮	Meitetsu Bisai Line Tokaido Main Line (Owari-Ichinomiya Station)		86.4
	Imaise	今伊勢		29 April 1935[43]	88.3
	Iwato	石刀			89.2
	Shin Kisogawa	新木曽川			91.2
	Kuroda	黒田		15 September 1936[44]	92.1
	Kisogawa-Zutsumi	木曽川堤		1 March 1939[44]	93.9
	Kasamatsu	笠松	Meitetsu Takehana Line	29 April 1935[44]	95.1	Kasamatsu	Gifu
	Ginan	岐南		2 June 1914[45]	96.9	Ginan
	Chajo	茶所			98.3	Gifu
	Kanō	加納			98.7
	Meitetsu Gifu	名鉄岐阜	Meitetsu Kakamigahara Line Tokaido Main Line Takayama Main Line (Gifu Station)	18 April 1948[27]	99.8

• List of railway lines in Japan

• Sugiura, Makoto (16 January 2023).名古屋鉄道のすべて 改訂版 (鉄道まるわかり008) [Everything about Nagoya Railroad Revised edition] (in Japanese). Tabi To Tetsudo.ISBN 978-4635824569.
• Kawashima, Ryozo (2009).東海道ライン全線・全駅・全配線 第4巻 豊橋駅-名古屋エリア [Tokaido Line all route diagrams part 4 - Toyohashi-Nagoya Area] (in Japanese).Kodansha.ISBN 978-4-06-270014-6.
• Kawashima, Ryozo (2009).東海道ライン全線・全駅・全配線 第5巻 名古屋駅-米原エリア [Tokaido Line all route diagrams part 5 - Nagoya-Maibara Area] (in Japanese).Kodansha.ISBN 978-4-06-270015-3.
• Shimizu, Takeshi (24 March 2016).名古屋鉄道　各駅停車 [Nagoya Railroad All Stations] (in Japanese).ISBN 978-4-8003-0800-9.
• 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.

• Lines of Nagoya Railroad
• Rail transport in Aichi Prefecture
• Rail transport in Gifu Prefecture
• Railway lines opened in 1944
• 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan

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