| Ōito Line | |
| Native Name: | 大糸線 |
| Native Name Lang: | en |
| Color: | 9370DB |
| Color2: | 0073bc |
| Type: | Heavy rail |
| Status: | In operation |
| Locale: | Nagano, Niigata Prefectures |
| Stations: | 41 |
| Open: | 1915 |
| Owner: | JR East, JR West |
| Operator: | JR East, JR West |
| Character: | Rural and scenic |
| Stock: | E127 series EMU, 211 series EMU, E353 series EMU, KiHa 120 series DMU |
| Linelength: | 105.4km (65.5miles) |
| Tracks: | Entire line single tracked |
| Electrification: | 1,500 V DC (Matsumoto - Minami-Otari) None (Minami-Otari - Itoigawa) |
| Speed: | 95 km/h (59 mph) |
| Map: | |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The is a railway line in Japan which connects Matsumoto Station in Nagano Prefecture with Itoigawa Station in Niigata Prefecture. There are two operators on the line: East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Minami-Otari is the boundary for the two companies. The section of the line operated by JR East, between Minami-Otari and Matsumoto, is electrified and trains are fairly regular along this section. The JR West section from Minami-Otari to Itoigawa, however, is not electrified and sees less use. Trains operate less frequently along this section.
| Name | Through from/to | Start | End | Service frequency (daily) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Express Azusa | / | Matsumoto | Minami-Otari | 1 return trip |
| Shinjuku | Hakuba | seasonal[1] | ||
| Rapid | Matsumoto | 1 up trip | ||
| - | Shinano-Ōmachi | Minami-Otari | 1 up trip |
No limited-stop services such as rapids operate on the JR West section. All trains are local services, which stop at every station.
All stations are within Nagano Prefecture.
A: Limited Express Azusa
R: Rapid
Trains stop at stations marked "O", skip at stations marked "|".
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance(km) | A | R | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | |||||||
| 松本 | - | 0.0 | O | O | Matsumoto | |||
| 北松本 | 0.7 | 0.7 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||島内|style="text-align:right;"|1.9|style="text-align:right;"|2.6|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 島高松 | 1.2 | 3.8 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||梓橋|style="text-align:right;"|1.4|style="text-align:right;"|5.2|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |rowspan="9"|Azumino|-| ||一日市場|style="text-align:right;"|1.6|style="text-align:right;"|6.8|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 中萱 | 1.6 | 8.4 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||南豊科|style="text-align:right;"|2.0|style="text-align:right;"|10.4|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||豊科|style="text-align:right;"|1.0|style="text-align:right;"|11.4|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|O|style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||柏矢町|style="text-align:right;"|2.8|style="text-align:right;"|14.2|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||穂高|style="text-align:right;"|2.0|style="text-align:right;"|16.2|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|O|style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||有明|style="text-align:right;"|2.2|style="text-align:right;"|18.4|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||安曇追分|style="text-align:right;"|1.5|style="text-align:right;"|19.9|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 細野 | 2.9 | 22.8 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| |rowspan="3"|Matsukawa, Kitaazumi District|-| ||北細野|style="text-align:right;"|1.0|style="text-align:right;"|23.8|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | ↑ | ||||
| 信濃松川 | 2.2 | 26.0 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||安曇沓掛|style="text-align:right;"|1.6|style="text-align:right;"|28.6|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| | rowspan="10" |Ōmachi|-| ||信濃常盤|style="text-align:right;"|2.3|style="text-align:right;"|30.9|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 南大町 | 3.1 | 34.0 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| |-| rowspan="2" | | rowspan="2" || rowspan="2" |信濃大町| rowspan="2" style="text-align:right;" |1.1| rowspan="2" style="text-align:right;" |35.1| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; background:#fce;" |O|style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-|O|Rapid terminus / transfer|-|||北大町| style="text-align:right;" |2.1| style="text-align:right;" |37.2| style="text-align:center; background:#fce;" || | ↑ | ||||
| 信濃木崎 | 2.2 | 39.4 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||稲尾|style="text-align:right;"|2.2|style="text-align:right;"|41.6|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | ↑ | ||||
| 海ノ口 | 1.3 | 42.9 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| |-| ||簗場|style="text-align:right;"|3.4|style="text-align:right;"|46.3|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 南神城 | 4.9 | 52.8 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| |rowspan="5"|Hakuba, Kitaazumi District|-| ||神城|style="text-align:right;"|2.4|style="text-align:right;"|55.2|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 飯森 | 1.5 | 56.7 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| |-| ||白馬|style="text-align:right;"|3.0|style="text-align:right;"|59.7|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|O|style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|O| |-| ||信濃森上|style="text-align:right;"|1.9|style="text-align:right;"|61.6|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | O | ||||
| 白馬大池 | 3.8 | 65.4 | ||style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|↑| |rowspan="3"|Otari, Kitaazumi District|-| ||千国|style="text-align:right;"|3.4|style="text-align:right;"|68.7|style="text-align:center; background:#fce;"|| | ↑ | ||||
| 南小谷 | 1.4 | 70.1 | O | O | ||||
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance(km) | Transfers | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | Total | |||||
| 南小谷 | - | 70.1 | Otari, Nagano | |||
| 中土 | 4.0 | 74.1 | ||||
| 北小谷 | 4.4 | 78.5 | ||||
| 平岩 | 5.5 | 85.0 | Itoigawa, Niigata | |||
| 小滝 | 6.8 | 91.8 | ||||
| 根知 | 3.6 | 95.4 | ||||
| 頸城大野 | 4.9 | 100.3 | ||||
| 姫川 | 1.9 | 102.2 | ||||
| 糸魚川 | 3.2 | 105.4 | ||||
The section between Matsumoto and was built between 1915 and 1916 by the, which electrified the line in 1926. The company was nationalised in 1937 and was not the same entity as the present Shinano Railway.
The rest of the line was built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) and the Japanese National Railways (JNR) between 1929 and 1957. The Shinano-Ōmachi to Minami Otari section was electrified between 1959 and 1967. CTC signalling was commissioned in 1983, and freight services ceased in 1987.
Following privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line was divided and assigned to JR East and JR West.
Station numbering was introduced on the line by JR East from 12 December 2016, with stations numbered in sequence from 9 (Minami-Otari) to 42 (Matsumoto).[2]