IR Ishikawa Railway

{{Infobox company

| name = IR Ishikawa Railway

| native_name = IRいしかわ鉄道

| native_name_lang = ja

| logo = IR Ishikawa Railway logo.svg

| logo_size = 150px

| image = Ir ishikawa headquarter building.png

| image_size = 250px

| image_caption = Company headquarters

| type = Third sector

| traded_as =

| genre = Rail transport

| fate =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| foundation = 28 August 2012

| founder =

| defunct =

| location_city = Kanazawa, Ishikawa

| location_country = Japan

| location =

| locations =

| area_served = Ishikawa Prefecture

| key_people =

| industry =

| products =

| production =

| services = Passenger railway

| revenue =

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| aum =

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| owner =

| num_employees =

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| homepage = {{URL|http://ishikawa-railway.jp}}

| footnotes =

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}}

The {{nihongo|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 {{STN|Nagano|x}} to {{STN|Kanazawa|x}}. 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.{{Cite web |last= |date=16 March 2024 |title=JR北陸本線の県内区間は16日から第３セクターに |trans-title=JR Hokuriku Main Line sections within Ishikawa Prefecture will move to third-sector operations from the 16th of March. |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kanazawa/20240316/3020019532.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316044053/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kanazawa/20240316/3020019532.html |archive-date=16 March 2024 |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=NHK NEWS WEB |language=ja}} The company was founded on 28 August 2012 and has its headquarters in Kanazawa, Ishikawa.{{cite web |url=http://ishikawa-railway.jp/company/index.html|script-title=ja:会社概要|trans-title=Company overview|publisher= IR Ishikawa Railway|location= Japan|language= ja|access-date= 21 March 2014}}

Shareholders

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

IR Ishikawa Railway Line

{{Infobox rail line

| box_width =

| name = IR Ishikawa Railway Line

| other_name =

| native_name = IRいしかわ鉄道線

| native_name_lang = ja

| color = 00BFFF

| logo =

| logo_width = 120px

| logo_alt =

| image = IR Ishikawa Railway 521 tsubata.JPG

| image_width = 300px

| image_alt =

| caption = A 521 series at Tsubata Station

| type = Regional rail

| system =

| status =

| locale = Ishikawa Prefecture

| start = {{STN|Daishoji|x}}

| end = {{STN|Kurikara|x}}

| stations = 19

| routes =

| daily_ridership =

| open = 1 November 1898

| close =

| owner = IR Ishikawa Railway

| operator =

| character =

| depot =

| stock = 521 series EMUs

| linelength = {{Convert|17.8|km|mi|abbr=on}}

| tracklength =

| tracks =

| gauge = {{Track gauge|1067mm}}

| minradius =

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| electrification = 20 kV AC (60 Hz)

| speed =

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| website =

| map_state = collapsed

| map = {{routemap|inline=1

|map =

\STR\STR~~Hokuriku Main Line

\\STR\STR\exKBHFaq!~HUBa~~ ~~ ~~Nakabashi/Hokutetsu Kanaiwa Line

uexHSTq!~HUBa\uexSTR+r\STR\STR\HUB~~ ~~Hokutetsu Kanazawa City Line~~file:BSicon_exTRAM.svg (Rokumaimachi)

uexHSTq!~HUBtl-2\uexSTRr!~HUBtf-3\BHF!~HUBq\BHF!~HUBq\HUBr~~0.0~~Kanazawa~~file:BSicon_exTRAM.svg (Kanazawa Station)

exKBHFa!~HUBlf-R\KBHFa!~HUBrf-L\STR\STR\~~ ~~ ~~Kanazawa

exHST\tSTRe\STR\STR\~~ ~~ ~~Horikawa

exSTRl\xABZql\KRZo\KRZo\STRq~~Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line

\hKRZWae\hKRZWae~~Asanogawa

\STRc2\eSTR3+c2\exSTR3!~ABZg2\STRc3

\STR+1\xSTR+1+c4\KDSTe!~exSTRc4!~STRc1\STR+4~~Kanazawa Depot

\STR\exBHF\STRc2\ABZg3~~ ~~Higashi-Kanazawa~~ ~~Until 2002

\STR\exSTR\STR+1\DST!~STRc4~~2.6~~Kanazawa Freight Terminal

\STR\exSTR\BHF!~STRc2\STR3~~2.6~~Higashi-Kanazawa

\STR\xSTR+c2\ABZ3+1g\STRc4~~ ~~ ~~file:BSicon_exTRAM.svg (Higashikanazawa Station)

STR\xABZg+1\STRc4

STR\BHF\~~5.4~~Morimoto

STR\eDST\~~8.4~~Hanazono (Signal Box)~~ ~~Until 1938

LSTR\BHF\~~11.5~~Tsubata

LSTR\ABZgl\~~JR West Nanao Line

hKRZWae\hKRZWae\~~Tsubatagawa

STRl\KRZu\STRq~~Hokuriku Shinkansen

BHF~~17.8~~Kurikara

STR~~Ainokaze Toyama Railway

}}

From 14 March 2015, the IR Ishikawa Railway took over control of local passenger operations on the {{Cvt|17.8|km}} section JR West Hokuriku Main Line between {{STN|Kanazawa|x}} and {{STN|Kurikara|x}}, with five stations (although Kanazawa Station remains under the control of JR West).{{cite magazine |last= Osano|first=Kagetoshi |script-title=ja: 北陸新幹線並行在来線各社の姿 |trans-title=Guide to companies operating conventional lines alongside the Hokuriku Shinkansen |magazine=Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine |volume = 44|issue = 371 |pages=28–33 |publisher = Kōtsū Shimbun |location = Japan |language= ja |date = March 2015}} An additional section west to Daishoji was acquired from 16 March 2024.

=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 {{STN|Tsubata|x}} and the rest of the Hokuriku Main Line operated by JR West to the west of Kanazawa. Limited-stop "Rapid" services named {{Nihongo|Ainokaze Liner|あいの風ライナー}} are operated between Kanazawa and {{STN|Tomari|x|Toyama}} by Ainokaze Toyama Railway during the weekday morning and evening peaks, but these do not serve any IR Ishikawa Railway stations other than Kanazawa. Noto Kagaribi (Kanazawa - {{STN|Wakura-Onsen|x}}) and Thunderbird ({{STN|Osaka|x}} - Wakura-Onsen) limited express services also operate over the section of the line between Kanazawa and Tsubata, with some services calling at Tsubata.

=Stations=

All stations are in Ishikawa Prefecture.

==Legend==

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

class="wikitable"

! Station

! Japanese

! Distance
(km)

! Rapid

! Liner

! Transfers

! Location

|大聖寺

| align=right|0.0

| align="center" | ●

| rowspan="14"|

|Hapi-Line Fukui Line

| rowspan="3" |Kaga

|加賀温泉

| align=right|4.1

| align="center" | ●

|18x18px Hokuriku Shinkansen

|動橋

| align=right|7.3

| align="center" | ●

|

|粟津

| align=right|12.2

| align="center" | ●

|

| rowspan="3" |Komatsu

|小松

| align=right|18.0

| align="center" | ●

|18x18px Hokuriku Shinkansen

|明峰

| align=right|20.8

| align="center" | |

|

|能美根上

| align=right|23.8

| align="center" | ●

|

|Nomi

|小舞子

| align=right|26.8

| align="center" | |

|

| rowspan="5" |Hakusan

|美川

| align=right|28.6

| align="center" | |

|

|加賀笠間

| align=right|32.6

| align="center" | |

|

Nishi-Matto

|西松任

| align=right|35.1

| align="center" | |

|

|松任

| align=right|37.0

| align="center" | ●

|

|野々市

| align=right|40.3

| align="center" | |

|

|Nonoichi

|西金沢

| align=right|42.7

| align="center" | |

|

| rowspan="5" |Kanazawa

| 金沢

| align="right" | 46.4

| align="center" | ●

| 18x18px Hokuriku Shinkansen
Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa)

Kanazawa Freight Terminal

|金沢貨物ターミナル

| align=right|49.0

| rowspan="5"|

| align="center" | |

|

| 東金沢

| align="right" | 49.0

| align="center" | |

| 森本

| align="right" | 51.8

| align="center" | |

| 津幡

| align="right" | 57.9

| align="center" | |

| Nanao Line

| rowspan="2" | Tsubata

| 倶利伽羅

| align="right" | 64.2

| align="center" | |

| 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.{{cite magazine|last = Terada |first = Hirokazu|script-title=ja: 北陸新幹線長野ー金沢間開業並行在来線4社5路線を訪ねて（１）|trans-title=Visiting the 5 parallel conventional lines of 4 companies following the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Nagano and Kanazawa |magazine=Japan Railfan Magazine |volume = 55|issue = 650 |pages=42–47 |publisher = Koyusha Co., Ltd. |location = Japan |language = ja |date = June 2015}} Trains are normally operated as two- or four-car formations.

{{As of|2015|4|1}}, the 521 series fleet is as follows.{{cite book |script-title=ja: JR電車編成表 2015夏 |trans-title=JR EMU Formations - Summer 2015 |publisher = Kotsu Shimbunsha |date = 20 May 2015 |location = Japan |language = ja |page = 142 |isbn = 978-4-330-56915-4}}

Set no.	Former set no.	Manufacturer	Delivery date	Livery accent colour
class="wikitable"
colspan="5"\|521-0 series
IR01	10	Kinki Sharyo	22 December 2009	{{colorbull\|YellowGreen}} Light green
IR02	14	Kinki Sharyo	2 March 2010	{{colorbull\|Purple}} Purple
IR03	30	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	15 February 2011	{{colorbull\|DarkBlue}} Indigo
IR04	55	Kinki Sharyo	6 February 2015	{{colorbull\|DarkGoldenrod}} Ochre
IR05	56	Kinki Sharyo	6 February 2015	{{colorbull\|Maroon}} Maroon
colspan="5"\|521-100 series
IR06	-	Kinki Sharyo	3 December 2020	-
IR07	-	Kinki Sharyo	3 December 2020	-
IR08	-	Kinki Sharyo	3 December 2020	-

File:IR Ishikawa Railway 521 tsubata station.JPG|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.{{cite book |script-title=ja: 停車場変遷大辞典国鉄・JR編 |trans-title=Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR|publisher = JTB | editor1-last = Ishino| editor1-first = Tetsu| year = 1998 |location = Japan |language = ja | volume = II|page = 137|isbn = 978-4-533-02980-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nex4AAAACAAJ|title=停車場変遷大事典: 国鉄・jr編}} With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of JR West.

The new third-sector operating company was founded on 28 August 2012 and was renamed IR Ishikawa Railway from 1 August 2013.{{cite web |url= http://www.47news.jp/localnews/ishikawa/2013/08/post_20130802071856.html|script-title=ja:ＩＲいしかわ鉄道始動並行在来線三セク会社看板掲げ準備本格化|trans-title=IR Ishikawa Railway: Preparation starts in earnest for third-sector company|date= 2 August 2013|website= 47 News|publisher= Press Net Japan Co., Ltd.|location= Japan|language= ja|access-date= 21 March 2014}} The company was formally granted a railway operating license by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 February 2014.{{cite web |url= http://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/tetsudo03_hh_000054.html|script-title=ja:しなの鉄道（株）、えちごトキめき鉄道（株）、あいの風とやま鉄道（株）及びＩＲいしかわ鉄道（株）申請の第一種鉄道事業許可について |trans-title=Details of railway business approval for Shinano Railway, Echigo Tokimeki Railway Company, Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and IR Ishikawa Railway|date= 26 February 2014|website= News release |publisher= Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism|location= Japan|language= ja|access-date= 21 March 2014}}

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. The line has been running between Daishoji and Kurikara effective the same date.