IR Ishikawa Railway

The IR Ishikawa Railway (IRいしかわ鉄道株式会社, IR Ishikawa Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese third-sector railway company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Ishikawa Prefecture. The main line was separated from the JR West network on 14 March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano to Kanazawa. It acquired another section from the JR West Hokuriku Main Line from Kanazawa to Daishoji on 16 March 2024 as the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended from Kanazawa to Tsuruga.^[1] The company was founded on 28 August 2012 and has its headquarters in Kanazawa, Ishikawa.^[2]

IR Ishikawa Railway

Company headquarters
Native name	IRいしかわ鉄道
Company type	Third sector
Genre	Rail transport
Founded	28 August 2012
Headquarters	Kanazawa, Ishikawa , Japan
Area served	Ishikawa Prefecture
Services	Passenger railway
Website	ishikawa-railway.jp

Shareholders

Shares in the company are owned by Ishikawa Prefecture, the cities of Kanazawa and Komatsu, the town of Tsubata, and private-sector businesses.^[2]

IR Ishikawa Railway Line

IR Ishikawa Railway Line
A 521 series at Tsubata Station
Overview
Native name	IRいしかわ鉄道線
Owner	IR Ishikawa Railway
Locale	Ishikawa Prefecture
Termini	Daishoji Kurikara
Stations	19
Service
Type	Regional rail
Rolling stock	521 series EMUs
History
Opened	1 November 1898
Technical
Line length	17.8 km (11.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	20 kV AC (60 Hz)
Route map Legend Hokuriku Main Line Nakabashi/Hokutetsu Kanaiwa Line Hokutetsu Kanazawa City Line (Rokumaimachi) 0.0 Kanazawa (Kanazawa Station) Kanazawa Horikawa Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line Asanogawa Kanazawa Depot Higashi-Kanazawa Until 2002 2.6 Kanazawa Freight Terminal 2.6 Higashi-Kanazawa (Higashikanazawa Station) 5.4 Morimoto 8.4 Hanazono (Signal Box) Until 1938 11.5 Tsubata JR West Nanao Line Tsubatagawa Hokuriku Shinkansen 17.8 Kurikara Ainokaze Toyama Railway

From 14 March 2015, the IR Ishikawa Railway took over control of local passenger operations on the 17.8 km (11.1 mi) section JR West Hokuriku Main Line between Kanazawa and Kurikara, with five stations (although Kanazawa Station remains under the control of JR West).^[3] An additional section west to Daishoji was acquired from 16 March 2024.^[1]

Service outline

All services inter-run either to and from the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line (and Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line) to the east or over the JR West Nanao Line branching off at Tsubata and the rest of the Hokuriku Main Line operated by JR West to the west of Kanazawa.^[3] Limited-stop "Rapid" services named Ainokaze Liner (あいの風ライナー) are operated between Kanazawa and Tomari by Ainokaze Toyama Railway during the weekday morning and evening peaks, but these do not serve any IR Ishikawa Railway stations other than Kanazawa.^[3] Noto Kagaribi (Kanazawa - Wakura-Onsen) and Thunderbird (Osaka - Wakura-Onsen) limited express services also operate over the section of the line between Kanazawa and Tsubata, with some services calling at Tsubata.^[3]

Stations

All stations are in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Legend

● - All Rapid or Ainokaze liner trains stop
| - All Rapid or Ainokaze liner trains pass

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)	Rapid	Liner	Transfers	Location
Daishōji	大聖寺	0.0	●		Hapi-Line Fukui Line	Kaga
Kagaonsen	加賀温泉	4.1	●		Hokuriku Shinkansen
Iburihashi	動橋	7.3	●
Awazu	粟津	12.2	●			Komatsu
Komatsu	小松	18.0	●		Hokuriku Shinkansen
Meihō	明峰	20.8	|
Nomi-Neagari	能美根上	23.8	●			Nomi
Komaiko	小舞子	26.8	|			Hakusan
Mikawa	美川	28.6	|
Kaga-Kasama	加賀笠間	32.6	|
Nishi-Matto	西松任	35.1	|
Mattō	松任	37.0	●
Nonoichi	野々市	40.3	|			Nonoichi
Nishi-Kanazawa	西金沢	42.7	|			Kanazawa
Kanazawa	金沢	46.4	●	●	Hokuriku Shinkansen Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa)
Kanazawa Freight Terminal	金沢貨物ターミナル	49.0		|
Higashi-Kanazawa	東金沢	49.0		|
Morimoto	森本	51.8		|
Tsubata	津幡	57.9		|	Nanao Line	Tsubata
Kurikara	倶利伽羅	64.2		|	Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line

Rolling stock

The company operates a fleet of five two-car 521 series EMU trains; three second-batch sets (10, 14, and 30) were transferred from JR West, and two third-batch sets (55 and 56) were newly built. The two new sets were initially delivered in February 2015 in standard JR West livery but were repainted into the IR Ishikawa Railway livery before entering service.^[4] Trains are normally operated as two- or four-car formations.^[4]

As of 1 April 2015^[update], the 521 series fleet is as follows.^[5]

Set no.	Former set no.	Manufacturer	Delivery date	Livery accent colour
521-0 series
IR01	10	Kinki Sharyo	22 December 2009	■ Light green
IR02	14	Kinki Sharyo	2 March 2010	■ Purple
IR03	30	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	15 February 2011	■ Indigo
IR04	55	Kinki Sharyo	6 February 2015	■ Ochre
IR05	56	Kinki Sharyo	6 February 2015	■ Maroon
521-100 series
IR06	-	Kinki Sharyo	3 December 2020	-
IR07	-	Kinki Sharyo	3 December 2020	-
IR08	-	Kinki Sharyo	3 December 2020	-

• 
  IR Ishikawa 521-0 series EMU set IR03, June 2015

History

The line eastward from Kanazawa was opened on 1 November 1898 on the Hokuriku Main Line.^[6] With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of JR West.^[6]

The new third-sector operating company was founded on 28 August 2012^[2] and was renamed IR Ishikawa Railway from 1 August 2013.^[7] The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 February 2014.^[8]

Effective the timetable revision that took place on 16 March 2024, the section of the Hokuriku Main Line from Kanazawa Station to Daishoji Station was transferred from JR West to the IR Ishikawa Railway.^[1] The line has been running between Daishoji and Kurikara effective the same date.

See also

• List of railway companies in Japan
• List of railway lines in Japan