| Kitakinki Tango Railway Corporation | |
| Native Name: | 北近畿タンゴ鉄道株式会社 |
| Romanized Name: | Kitakinki Tango Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Type: | Public-private KK |
| Foundation: | 1982 |
| Location: | Japan |
| Homepage: | ktr-tetsudo.jp |
was a railway operator in Japan. The company's name, which consists of "Kitakinki" meaning northern Kinki region and "Tango" meaning Tango Province, is occasionally abbreviated as KTR.
KTR was a so-called "third sector" company jointly funded by local governments and private entities. Its leading shareholder is the Kyoto Prefecture government with a 44.71% ownership.[1] It headquarters in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture.
In 2015, the company ceased to operate the trains on its own lines when Willer Trains Inc., under the brand name Kyoto Tango Railway, succeeded this function from KTR. KTR continues to own the tracks and rolling stock.[2]
KTR owns the following two regional railway lines:
In 1982, the company was incorporated as for the purpose of the construction and operation of the Miyafuku Line, the construction of which was suspended due to financial difficulties of the Japanese National Railways (JNR). The Miyafuku Line was completed in 1988. In the same year, local governments selected the company as the operator of the existing Miyazu Line, which was to be separated from West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in 1990.
Following the downturn in the business, investors including the Kyoto Prefecture government decided to introduce a new scheme of business, in which a separate company would operate trains on the tracks of KTR. Willer Group, being the only applicant for this proposal, was selected as the operator and later established Willer Trains Inc. The transfer of business took effect on April 1, 2015.[2] [3]