Origins of Niigata Railway: In 1886, Japan Rail (Japan National Railway), was in a period of rapid expansion with the country's modernization efforts during the "Meiji Restoration". It marked the beginning of "Niigata Railway History" to transport materials for National Defense.
Niigata Steam Trains: Meiji-period Locomotives were Steam Powered, Mixed Trains (passenger & freight car), imported from England (Dubs of Glasgow) with the specs of: C-type tanks (Nasmyth Wilson), 35 tons. The Railway Bureau gave them the numbers "1850" and "1100".
Naoetsu Line: The Naoetsu Line, the second railway in the prefecture was intended to connect Naoetsu to Niigata, but it cost too much money to build the Yoneyama Pass, Tsukanoyama Tunnel, and the Shinano River bridge along the way, and it seems that the management was not in a good financial position. On November 20, 1897, the Nuttari-Ichinokido section was opened, and Niitsu Station was opened. In 1898, the section between Kasuga-Shinden in Naoetsu and Nuttari was completed.
Naoetsu Station → Takada Station → Arai Station → Sekiyama Station (1886. 関山駅, Sekiyama-eki). It would later be what is the Myōkō Haneuma Line (妙高はねうまライン) in Myōkō.
Mitsugu Okamura 岡村貢 "Father of the Joetsu Line"
Joetsu Railway Company 上越鉄道株式会社 (1882): Echigo Tokimeki Railway Co was originally the Joetsu Railway Company. Throughout much of his life Mitsugu Okamura repeatedly lobbied the government to build a railway, but they would not listen to him, so he decided to do it privately with a group of friends who were investors including "Nagumo Kinohachi" and they had founded the Joetsu Railway Company in 1882. This was before the rest of the country had such ambitious plans for a railway lines with Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu had no railway lines at this time. With being enclosed from the mountains and the promise of growth for the community was too much to wait for, they couldn't wait for the government to act, so the group would devote their lives with their own money to build the railway until Joetsu Railway Company.
Joetsu Line
The Shimizu Tunnel to Gunma: The idea of the Joetsu line was a direct railway route connecting Tokyo to the Sea of Japan coast in Niigata, bypassing the longer route via the Shin'etsu Main Line, which went through Nagano and over the challenging Usui Pass. It had its own challenges with going through the Mikuni Mountain Range (三国山脈) with the Shimizu Tunnel (1922-1929. 6-miles). In 1918 Miyauchi-Higashi Ojiya section opened, Mitsugu wouldn't get to see the fruition of his project. He passed away in 1920 at the age of 87, and in 1929 the "Shimizu Tunnel" was completed. In 1931, September 1, the Joetsu Line was completed, the route successfully connected Gunma-to-Niigata. This would be important as this would lay the tracks for the Joetsu Shinkansen in 1982 that revolutionized the Tokyo-Niigata Route reducing the travel time to 2 hours. This led to the transfer from JR to privatization of third-sector railways like the Echigo Tokimeki Railway and Shinano Railway. Its construction was notoriously difficult due to the geology and massive amounts of spring water that would lead to later the construction of the Shin-Shimizu Tunnel (1967) for double-tracks, and the Daishimizu Tunnel (1978) for the Joetsu Shinkansen.
Mitsugu Okamura 岡村貢 (1836-1922), born Uonuma County (Minami Uanuma), Echigo Province, Shiozawa. He was born to a family with influence a 200 hectares of landholdings, receiving 3000 bales of rice tax, and a raised to look for opportunity through investment into the community. While known for being in politics and a steam train and railway advocate, he also was known for the construction of schools, hospitals, and banks. The need was from the "Mikuni Kaido Road" that runs from Minami-Uonuma to Gunma where at the time it was common to freeze-to-death or buried in snow during the winter. Safe Travels would bring the promise of better Economic growth that would come from these roads. Statue: In 2010, A bronze statue of Mitsugu Okamura was erected in front of Ishiuchi Station on the Joetsu Line.
Railway Construction Act and Niigata: In 1891, the "Railway Construction Act" was enacted and the "Hokuetsu Railway" was established in Niigata Prefecture through investments from "Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931) - Father of Japanese Capitalism". Eiichi was one of the leading figures of Japanese industry and finance that allowed for the groundwork for the modern railway infrastructure that continues to shape Japan as well as Niigata's economic and social landscape today. It really was a crucial turning point in Japan's modernization and specifically in Niigata Prefecture's integration into the overall Japan National Economy with being part of a National Blueprint for Japan Railways. Th law was decisive because it set a planned pattern for Japan's Railway line network an outline of a comprehensive national railway network that streamlined construction with structure and public accountability in a long-range plan.
The Hokuetsu Railway (1891): The Hokuetsu Railway 北越鉄道 initially was along the coast due to the cost and later on form part of the future JR Shin'etsu Main Line. Niigata no longer was waiting on government lines, but actively participating in its own modernization and seen as Niigata's Train to Modernity. Prior to the railway, transportation in Niigata relied heavily on traditional methods like boats on the Shinano River, which were subject to seasonal variations and took considerable time (e.g., 6 hours by train from Niigata to Nagaoka vs. 11 hours by steamboat in 1900).
The Hokuetsu Railway dramatically sped up the transmission of goods, information, and people, fundamentally changing economic networks in the region. This was particularly crucial for Nagaoka, as the railway facilitated the transport of oil.
Japanese Government Control
Hokuetsu Railway x National Railway x Japan Railway: In 1905, August 1st, a direct passenger train was operated under a tripartite agreement between Hokuetsu Railway (Niigata-Naoetsu), National Railway (Naoetsu-Takasaki), and Japan Railway (Takasaki-Ueno). Then another party with Uonuma Railway (Shinraigoji and Ojiya) in 1911. At the end of the Meiji period, The Railway Nationalization Act brought major private railways under state control throughout the country were nationalized "Main Lines". This was mainly for national defense reasons, economic growth, and preventing foreign control of important points of infrastructure ownership. It was to connect major regions together that were previously made up of smaller entities and to become one: The Tohoku Main Line, Kansai Main Line, Sanyo Main Line, and Kagoshima Main Line. The Hokuetsu Railway was nationalized and became part of the Shinetsu Line (信越本線).
Shinetsu Line (信越本線): The Shin'etsu Line's name itself ("Shin'etsu" comes from Shinano - old name for Nagano, and Etsuchigo - old name for Niigata) signifies its role in connecting these two historically important regions and, by extension, linking Niigata to the wider Kanto region (Tokyo) and the Sea of Japan coast. As a government-owned asset, the Shin'etsu Line (including the former Hokuetsu Railway sections) could receive much needed assistance that private-regional companies couldn't undertake alone. Substantial national investment and legislation was needed for improvements, double-tracking, electrification, and better rolling stock. Niigata's rice, petroleum, and other products was used to feul major markets like Tokyo, and conversely, the ability to bring in goods and people from the capital.
Joetsu Shinetsu: 1962 (Showa 37), June 10th, Shinetsu Main Line from Nagaoka and Niigata was completed. The connection of the Shinetsu Line and the Joetsu Line created the first express train on the Joetsu Line, the "Toki" (1962), that had a journey time between Niigata-Ueno (4 hours, 40 minutes).
World War II
In Niigata Prefecture, mixed trains (1850, 1100, Steam Powered Meiji-period Mixed Locomotives) continued to run even after the war with the: Echigo Line, Yahiko Line, and the Yonesaka Line.
Joetsu Shinkansen
The Shinkansen that Changed Niigata (1970-): With its deep snows, rich rice paddies, and strategic location on the Sea of Japan, a railway was a natural candidate for high-speed rail development. The Shinkansen lines that traverse the prefecture – the Joetsu and later the Hokuriku – brought about a profound transformation to the area. The Joetsu Shinkansen during the post-war economic boom "The National Shinkansen Railway Development Act" (1970) paved the way for a nationwide Shinkansen network, including the Joetsu Shinkansen (1971). Another tunnel would have to be created through the Mikuni Mountain Range with the gentle curves necessary for high speeds, so the Dai-Shimizu Tunnel (大清水トンネル) would be a project that would eventually open in 1978.
Opening of the Joetsu Shinkansen (1982): The Joetsu Shinkansen commenced service on November 15, 1982, connecting Omiya (1982. Saitama) with Niigata Station (1982. Niigata) and later extended to Ueno (1985. Tokyo) and Tokyo Station (1991. Tokyo). The original "Toki Express" Joetsu line service had a 4.5 hour travel time and the Joetsu Shinkansen had a 2.5 hour travel time. This boosted tourism to ski resorts like those around Echigo-Yuzawa and facilitated business travel. The trains have evolved from the 200 Series Train, Double-Decker MAX Toki (2021), then the E7-Series (2014). Despite the slower speeds compared to some other Shinkansen lines due to the mountainous terrain and older infrastructure the Joetsu Shinkansen remains vital for Niigata's connectivity.
The Nagano Shinkansen (1997-2014): The Nagano Shinkansen (1997) would open for the Winter Olympics October 1, 1997, connecting Takasaki (Gunma) to Nagano (Nagano). The extension from Nagano westward through Niigata Prefecture were particularly complex due to the challenging terrain that took extensive tunneling and bridge building near the Japan Alps. 2015, March 14th, 18 years later, the extension would be open from Nagano to Kanazawa connecting Niigata's western cities Joetsu and Itoigawa and then directly to Tokyo. The name Nagano Shinkansen was used until the Kanazawa extension was completed, to avoid confusion and focus on the current operated terminals at the time.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen (2015-): The Nagano Shinkansen was renamed the Hokuriku Shinkansen March 14, 2015. It now connected the Hokuriku region (Toyama and Kanazawa). The travel time from Tokyo to Jōetsumyōkō was significantly reduced, opening up new tourism opportunities in the Myoko-Kogen area and easing access to the Japan Sea Coast.
Comments
Post a Comment