Biwako Line

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Biwako Line
Biwako Line
Overview
Native name	琵琶湖線
Owner	JR West
Locale	Kyoto Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture
Termini	Maibara Kyoto (Tōkaidō Line) Nagahama (Hokuriku Line)
Stations	23
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	Urban Network
Operator(s)	JR West JR Freight
History
Opened	May 1, 1882 (as part of Tōkaidō Main Line) March 13, 1988 (renamed as Biwako Line)
Technical
Line length	75.4 km (46.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead line
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph)
Route map Legend Hokuriku Main Line for Fukui, Naoetsu Tōkaidō Main Line to Sekigahara 7.7 Nagahama 4.7 Tamura 2.4 Sakata 0.0 Tokyo JR Central/JR West boundary 445.9 0.0 Maibara 451.9 6.0 Hikone Ohmi Railway Main Line for Yōkaichi, Kibukawa 455.2 9.3 Minami-Hikone 458.3 12.4 Kawase 462.0 16.1 Inae 465.7 19.8 Notogawa 470.8 24.9 Azuchi Ohmi Railway Yōkaichi Line for Yōkaichi 474.3 28.4 Ōmi-Hachiman 478.3 32.4 Shinohara 483.9 38.0 Yasu Yasu River 487.0 41.1 Moriyama 489.1 43.2 Rittō Kusatsu Line to Kibukawa, Tsuge 491.4 45.5 Kusatsu Kusatsu River 493.9 48.0 Minami-Kusatsu 496.6 50.7 Seta Seta River Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line 499.1 53.2 Ishiyama 501.9 56.0 Zeze Hama-Ōtsu 503.6 57.7 Ōtsu Ōtsu Port Keishin Line Ishiyama Sakamoto Line to Sakamoto Ōsakayama Tunnel Ōtani Kosei Line to Ōmi Shiotsu Shiga/Kyoto border 508.1 62.2 Yamashina (old) Yamashina Higashiyama Tunnel Nara Line to Kizu Inari Keihan Main Line left to Sanjō Tōfukuji Kamo River 513.6 67.7 Kyoto Sanin Main Line to Hatabu JR Kyoto Line To Osaka

The Biwako Line (琵琶湖線, Biwako-sen) is the nickname used by the operator of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) to refer to the portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line (between Maibara Station and Kyoto Station) and the Hokuriku Main Line (between Maibara Station and Nagahama Station). The section, along with JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line, forms a contiguous service that is the main trunk of JR West's "Urban Network" commuter rail network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area.^[1]