Meitetsu Kōwa Line

The Meitetsu Kōwa Line (名鉄河和線, Meitetsu Kōwa-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Tōkai with Mihama within Aichi Prefecture. It is owned and operated by Meitetsu.

Meitetsu Kōwa Line
A 5700 series EMU at Handaguchi Station
Overview
Native name	名鉄河和線
Owner	Meitetsu
Locale	Chita Peninsula
Termini	Ōtagawa Kōwa
Stations	20
Service
Type	Commuter rail
Technical
Line length	28.8 km (17.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius	280 m
Electrification	1,500 V DC, overhead catenary
Operating speed	100 km/h (60 mph)
Route map Legend Meitetsu Tokoname Line to Jingū-mae 0.0 Ōtagawa (太田川) Meitetsu Tokoname Line to Central Japan International Airport 1.3 Takayokosuka (高横須賀) Kagiya-nakanoike (加木屋中ノ池) 4.1 Minami Kagiya (南加木屋) 5.9 Yawata-shinden (八幡新田) 7.1 Tatsumigaoka (巽ヶ丘) 7.9 Shirasawa (白沢) Expressway 87 Agui River National Highway 46 9.5 Sakabe (坂部) National Route 464 10.6 Agui (阿久比) Aichi Prefectural Route 55 12.2 Uedai (植大) Yakachi River 13.2 Handaguchi (半田口) 14.0 Sumiyoshichō (住吉町) National Route 247 14.8 Chita Handa (知多半田) 15.8 Narawa (成岩) National Highway 247 Kobe River 16.8 Aoyama (青山) 19.0 Age (上ゲ) 19.8 Chita Taketoyo (知多武豊) JR Taketoyo Line to Ōbu Taketoyo Taketoyo Minato 22.3 Fuki (富貴) Meitetsu Chita New Line to Utsumi Futsuto River 25.8 Kōwaguchi (河和口) Tokishi (時志駅) 28.8 Kōwa (河和)

History

Before Meitetsu ownership

In the Taisho era, the only railway line connecting eastern Chita peninsula and Nagoya was the Taketoyo Line, which was inconvenient at the time due to its low number of trains.^[1][2] Following petitions from local residents,^[3] Aichi Electric Railways gained approval in December 1912 to build a railway line from Owari Yokosuka Station, which was under construction at the time to Handa.^[4] However, the approval expired at the end of 1915 without the construction even beginning due to the economic depression at the time affecting the company.^[5][6] In 1924, several influential people in the Handa and Kowa regions planned to establish a company named Chita Electric Railways. The group of people requested technical help from the Aichi Electric Railways, and approval to construct a railway line from Ōtagawa Station to Kowa was gained in 1926. The company renamed to Chita railways in 1927, with Kiyonari Aikawa as the first CEO.^[7] The construction for the section between Ōtagawa and Narawa Station began from December 1929. The construction was able to continue despite the Wall Street Crash of 1929 thanks to financial and technical aid from the Aichi Electric Railways,^[2] and the Chita Electric Railway Co. opened the 15.8km Otagawa - Narawa section for passenger services, electrified at 1500 V DC,^[8] in 1931. The 10.0km section between Narawa and Kōwaguchi Station opened in 1932.^[9] Sumiyoshichō Station, Aoyama Station, and Urashima Station [ja] opened in 1933. The 3.0km extension to Kōwa Station opened in August 1935 due to delays in land acquirement.^[8] The company merged into Meitetsu on February 1, 1943^[9] with the ratio of 10:7.5, with all trains, infrastructures and employees transferred to Meitetsu. The line renamed to the current name, Kōwa line in 1948.^[10]

Under Meitetsu ownership

Tatsumigaoka Station was opened in July 10, 1955.^[11] In 1969, Kagiya Station [ja] between Takayokosuka and Minami Kagiya, Urashima Station [ja] between Chita Taketoyo and Fuki, and Tokishi Station [ja] between Kōwaguchi and Kōwa, which all were suspended during World War ll was abolished.^[12] In 1972, Shikainami Station [ja] was merged into Futto Station [ja] and was abolished.^[13] The section from Otagawa to Kowaguchi was gradually duplicated from 1960 to 1974. Agui Station was opened on July 21, 1983.^[11] Futto Station and Mukuoka Station [ja] was closed in December 16, 2006 due to low ridership. Kagiya-nakanoike Station was built between Takayokosuka and Minami Kagiya,^[14] and opened from the start of the revised timetable implemented on 16 March 2024.^[15]

Network and operations

Services

Prior to the March 2023 revision of timetables, many trains provided through service to Utsumi Station via the Chita New Line, which was drastically reduced after March 2023.^[16] Most trains provide through service to Kanayama Station via Tokoname Line. Meitetsu Limited Express [ja] services to Nagoya Station departs from Kōwa every 30 minutes.^[17]

Operators

The line is currently operated by Meitetsu, although it was operated by Chita Railways [ja] and Aichi Electric Railways [ja] before Aichi Electric Railways merged to form Meitetsu, as Meitetsu operated the line after the mergers.^[18]

Route

Meitetsu Kōwa Line branches off Ōtagawa Station to head southeast, running west of Taketoyo Line from Chitahanda to Chita-Taketoyo. The line continues south of the Chita peninsula. Meitetsu Chita New Line branches off southwest into Utsumi Station from Fuki Station. Most of the line is double-tracked, although the section between Kōwaguchi and Kōwa is single-tracked.^[19]

Stations

The line serves 19 stations (18 excluding Ōtagawa) across the length of the line. The three stations, Ōtagawa, Takayokosuka, and Aoyama are elevated while all other stations are built at grade.

No.	Name	Japanese	Between (km)	Distance (km)	Local	Semi Express	Express	Rapid Express	Limited Express	Connections	Location
	Ōtagawa	太田川	-	0.0	●	●	●	●	●	Meitetsu Tokoname Line	Tōkai
	Takayokosuka	高横須賀	1.3 [12]	1.3	●	｜	｜	｜	｜
	Kagiya-Nakanoike	加木屋中ノ池	1.4[20]	2.7[20]	●	｜	｜	｜	｜
	Minami Kagiya	南加木屋	1.4[12]	4.1	●	●	●	●	▲
	Yawata-shinden	八幡新田	1.8[12]	5.9	●	｜	｜	｜	｜
	Tatsumigaoka	巽ヶ丘	1.2[11]	7.1	●	●	●	●	▲		Chita
	Shirasawa	白沢	0.8[11]	7.9	●	｜	｜	｜	｜		Agui, Chita District
	Sakabe	坂部	1.6[11]	9.5	●	｜	｜	｜	｜
	Agui	阿久比	1.1[11]	10.6	●	●	●	●	●
	Uedai	植大	1.6[21]	12.2	●	｜	｜	｜	｜
	Handaguchi	半田口	1.0[21]	13.2	●	｜	｜	｜	｜		Handa
	Sumiyoshichō	住吉町	0.8[22]	14.0	●	●	●	●	▲
	Chita Handa	知多半田	0.8[22]	14.8	●	●	●	●	●	Taketoyo Line (Handa)
	Narawa	成岩	1.0[22]	15.8	●	●	●	●	｜
	Aoyama	青山	1.0[22]	16.8	●	●	●	●	●	Taketoyo Line (Higashi-Narawa)
	Age	上ゲ	2.2[22]	19.0	●	｜	｜	｜	｜		Taketoyo, Chita District
	Chita Taketoyo	知多武豊	0.8[22]	19.8	●	●	●	●	●	Taketoyo Line (Taketoyo)
	Fuki	富貴	2.5[23]	22.3	●	●	●	●	●	Meitetsu Chita New Line
	Kōwaguchi	河和口	3.5[23]	25.8	●	●	●	●	●		Mihama, Chita District
	Kōwa	河和	3.0[23]	28.8	●	●	●	●	●

• The line passes through Higashiura between Yawata-shinden station and Tatsumigaoka station, but no stations exists in the town.

Infrastructure

Rolling stocks

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Accessibility

Several stations on the line have been upgraded to feature ramps, lifts, and elevators due to requests from passing municipalities.^[24]

Others

References

1. Tokuda 2013, pp. 153.
2. Aoki 1986, pp. 73.
3. Meitetsu 1961, pp. 153.
4. Meitetsu 1961, pp. 149–150.
5. "国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション". dl.ndl.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
6. Meitetsu 1961, pp. 155–156.
7. Meitetsu 1961, pp. 302.
8. Meitetsu 1961, pp. 303.
9. Aoki 1986, pp. 81.
10. Meitetsu 1961, pp. 304.
11. Shimizu 2016, pp. 139.
12. Shimizu 2016, pp. 138.
13. Meitetsu 1994, pp. 873.
14. "名鉄河和線「加木屋中ノ池」高横須賀～南加木屋間の新駅、駅名決定" ["Kagiya Nakanoike" will be the new station between Taka Yokosuka and Minami Kagiya on the Meitetsu Kowa Line]. MyNavi Corporation (in Japanese). 22 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
15. "名鉄河和線に加木屋中ノ池駅が開業" [Kagiya-nakanoike Station opened on the Meitetsu Kowa Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
16. "名鉄3/18ダイヤ改正 - 知多新線・河和線で9～20時台の直通運転廃止". マイナビニュース (in Japanese). 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
17. "名鉄河和線(太田川〜河和)の時刻表 - 駅探". ekitan.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-26.
18. Shimizu 2016, pp. 136–137.
19. Shimizu 2016, pp. 136.
20. "河和線新駅の駅名を「加木屋中ノ池」に決定しました" (PDF) (in Japanese).
21. Shimizu 2016, pp. 140.
22. Shimizu 2016, pp. 141.
23. Shimizu 2016, pp. 142.
24. "名古屋鉄道". 名古屋鉄道 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-30.

Bibliography

• Tokuda, Kōichi (May 2013). 名鉄電車 昭和ノスタルジー [Meitetsu trains Showa nostalgia] (in Japanese). JTB Publishing.
• Aoki, Eichi (December 1986). 名古屋鉄道のあゆみ -その路線網の形成と地域開発- [History of Nagoya Railroad -The company's railway lines and regional developments-] (in Japanese). DENKISYA KENKYUKAI.
• 名古屋鉄道社史 [History of Nagoya Railroad] (in Japanese). Nagoya Railroad. May 1961.
• Shimizu, Takeshi (March 24, 2016). 名古屋鉄道　各駅停車 [Nagoya Railroad every stop] (in Japanese). Yosensha.
• 名古屋鉄道百年史 [Hundred years of Nagoya Railroad] (in Japanese). Nagoya Railroad. 1994.