Nototetsudo Filed Notice for the Abandonment of the Anamizu to Wajima Line [25 Years Ago Today]

 

Nototetsudo (headquartered in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture), which operates in the Noto region of Ishikawa, and JR West (headquartered in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), which owns the tracks and facilities, filed a notice with the Chubu Transport Bureau by the Railway Business Act regarding the abandonment of the Anamizu to Wajima section (part of the Nototetsudo Nanao Line). The abandonment of the route between Anamizu and Wajima was decided to take effect from April 1, 2001.

Q. Did Nototetsudo operate the Anamizu to Wajima section?

Not only the Anamizu to Wajima section (part of the Nototetsudo Nanao Line) but also the Anamizu to Takojima section (Nototetsudo Noto Line) used to be in operation.

 

Looking back at history, the private railway company Nanao Railway opened a rail line between Tsubata and Nanao in 1898. This Nanao Railway was nationalized in 1907 and became the National Railways Nanao Line. In 1935, the line was extended from Nanao to Wajima.

 

Meanwhile, Japan National Railways opened the Noto Line with the sections between Anamizu and Suzu in 1963, and between Suzu and Takojima in 1964, completing the railway network that connects the Noto Peninsula.

 

Later, in 1987, following the privatization of Japan National Railways, the Nanao Line from Tsubata to Nanao (and the line extending to Wakura Onsen) became the JR Nanao Line.

 

In response to the privatization, Nototetsudo was established in 1988 as a third-sector railway company. It took over the Nanao Line from Nanao to Wajima (formerly part of the JNR Nanao Line), renaming it the Nototetsudo Nanao Line, and also took over the Noto Line from Anamizu to Takojima (formerly part of the JNR Noto Line), renaming it the Nototetsudo Noto Line.

 

Between Nanao and Wakura Onsen, the operations of JR Nanao Line and Nototetsudo overlapped.

 

However, Nototetsudo discontinued operations on the Anamizu to Wajima section (part of the Nototetsudo Nanao Line) in 2001, and discontinued operations on the Anamizu to Takojima section (part of the Nototetsudo Noto Line) in 2005.

 

Currently, Nototetsudo operates only in the section between Nanao and Anamizu (33.1 km).

Reference
History - Noto Railway
https://irbank.net/E04142/history#google_vignette
Encyclopedia Nipponica (Shogakukan)