| Caption: | A 6000 series EMU on the Meitetsu Mikawa Line |
| Color: | 7fc342 |
| Color2: | 6600cc |
| Daily Ridership: | 73,556 (FY2003)[1] |
| Electrification: | 1,500V DC, overhead catenary |
| Image Alt: | An image of a Meitetsu 6000 series EMU on the Meitetsu Mikawa Line. |
| Linelength: | 39.82NaN2 |
| Locale: | Aichi Prefecture |
| Map State: | collapsed |
| Meitetsu Mikawa Line | |
| Native Name: | 名鉄三河線 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Owner: | Meitetsu |
| Speed: | 80km/h |
| Stations: | 23 |
| Type: | Commuter rail |
The is a 39.8km (24.7miles) railway line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) connecting Sanage Station in Toyota and Hekinan Station in Hekinan. It originally extended beyond Hekinan to Kira Yoshida, and beyond Sanage to Nishi Nakagane, with a proposed extension to Asuke substantially constructed but subsequently abandoned (see History section below).
All trains on this line operate as Local trains and stop at every station. Some smaller stations have only a single platform and no passing loop.
The Mikawa Railway opened the Ōhama-minato (now Hekinan) to Kariya-shin (now Kariya) section in 1914, and extended the line to Chiryū (old, now Mikawa Chiryū) the following year, to Koromo (now Toyotashi) in 1920 and Sanage in 1924.
In 1926, the Sanage to Hekinan section was electrified at 1,500 V DC, and in the same year the (now closed) Hekinan to Matsukijima section opened as an electrified section, as were all subsequent extensions.
The (now closed) Sanage to Nishi Nakagane section opened between 1927 and 1928, and the Matsukijima - Mikawa Yoshida section also opened in the latter year.
The company merged with Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) in June 1941, and the Mikawa Yoshida - Kira Yoshida section opened in 1943, connecting to the Gamagōri Line and the Nishio Line.
Construction of an ~8km (05miles) extension from Nishi Nakagane to Asuke had commenced in the 1930s, with the roadbed completed when the Pacific War commenced. Shortage of materials resulted in the rail line never being laid, and the proposed extension was formally abandoned in 1958, with the roadbed being converted to a public road, which is readily identifiable on aerial photographs.
Freight services ceased in 1984, and as a result of declining patronage, the electrification on the Sanage - Nishi Nakagane section was decommissioned in 1985, and on the Hekinan to Kira Yoshida section in 1990, DMUs then providing the passenger service. Patronage continued to decline, and both sections were closed in 2004.
The Chiryū to Shigehara section was double-tracked in 1976, the Kariya to Kariyashi section in 1980, and the Umetsubo to Toyotashi section in 1986. The doubling of the Toyotashi to Chiryū section is proposed, and some works have been undertaken, but funding issues with the local governments has stalled further work at present. The land has been acquired to double the Shigehara to Kariya section, but Meitetsu does not consider the patronage levels on this section justify duplication at this stage.
| No,=. | Name | Japanese | Distance (km) | Connections | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese: 猿投 | 0.0 | Toyota | Aichi | |||
| Japanese: 平戸橋 | 1.1 | |||||
| Japanese: 越戸 | 2.2 | |||||
| Japanese: 梅坪 | 4.2 | Meitetsu: Toyota Line (some through connections) | ||||
| Japanese: 豊田市 | 5.6 | Aichi Loop Line (via) | ||||
| Uwa Goromo | Japanese: 上挙母 | 7.4 | Aichi Loop Line (via) | |||
| Japanese: 土橋 | 10.2 | |||||
| Japanese: 竹村 | 12.8 | |||||
| Japanese: 若林 | 15.1 | |||||
| Japanese: 三河八橋 | 17.5 | |||||
| Japanese: 三河知立 | 20.6 | Chiryū | ||||
| Japanese: 知立 | 21.3 | Meitetsu: Nagoya Main Line | ||||
| Japanese: 重原 | 23.5 | |||||
| Japanese: 刈谷 | 25.2 | JR Central: Tokaido Main Line | Kariya | |||
| Japanese: 刈谷市 | 26.8 | |||||
| Japanese: 小垣江 | 29.4 | |||||
| Japanese: 吉浜 | 31.4 | Takahama | ||||
| Japanese: 三河高浜 | 33.3 | |||||
| Japanese: 高浜港 | 34.3 | |||||
| Japanese: 北新川 | 36.1 | Hekinan | ||||
| Japanese: 新川町 | 37.1 | |||||
| Japanese: 碧南中央 | 38.2 | |||||
| Japanese: 碧南 | 39.8 | |||||
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.