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Railway line in Japan

The Joetsu Line (上越線) is a major railway line in Japan, owned by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture with Miyauchi Station in Niigata Prefecture, linking the northwestern Kanto region and the Sea of Japan coast of the Chūbu region. The name refers to the old provinces of Kōzuke (上野) and Echigo (越後), which the line connects.

Before the opening of the Jōetsu Shinkansen in 1982, the Joetsu Line had frequent service by express trains connecting Tokyo and Niigata. With the opening of the Jōetsu Shinkansen, however, the line became dominated by local and freight trains. The branch of the Jōetsu Shinkansen between Echigo Yuzawa Station and Gala Yuzawa Station (the Gala Yuzawa Line) technically belongs to the Joetsu Line.

StationJapaneseDistance (km)TransfersLocationBetweenStationsTotal高崎 0.0TakasakiGunma高崎問屋町2.82.8 井野1.24.0 新前橋3.37.3Ryōmō LineMaebashi群馬総社4.812.1 八木原5.617.7 Shibukawa渋川3.421.1Agatsuma Line敷島6.427.5 津久田3.030.5 岩本5.836.3 Numata沼田5.041.3 後閑5.246.5 Minakami, Tone District上牧7.153.6 水上5.459.0 湯檜曽3.762.7 土合6.669.3 土樽10.880.1 Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma DistrictNiigata越後中里7.387.4 岩原スキー場前3.791.1 越後湯沢3.194.2石打6.4100.6 Minamiuonuma大沢4.0104.6 上越国際スキー場前1.0105.6 塩沢2.3107.9 六日町3.9111.8Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line五日町◇6.6118.4 浦佐5.5123.9Jōetsu Shinkansen八色3.1127.0 小出5.2132.2Tadami LineUonuma越後堀之内2.5134.7 北堀之内3.4138.1 越後川口4.7142.8Iiyama LineNagaoka小千谷6.6149.4 Ojiya越後滝谷7.2156.6 Nagaoka宮内6.0162.6Shinetsu Main Line (for )Through to on the Shin'etsu Main Line長岡1.6165.6NagaokaNiigata

The Nippon Railway opened the Takasaki to Maebashi (now Shinmaebashi) section in 1884. The company was nationalised in 1906. The first railway between Niigata and the east coast of Honshu was the Ban'etsu West Line, completed in 1914. In 1920, it was decided to build the Jōetsu Line as a more direct route between Tokyo and Niigata. The Miyauchi to Echigo Yuzawa section opened in stages between 1920 and 1925, and the Shinmaebashi to Minakami section of the line opened in stages between 1921 and 1928. In 1931, with the completion of the Shimizu tunnel, the Echigo Yuzawa Minakami section of the line opened, including electrification at 1,500 V DC between Echigo Yuzawa and Ishiuchi. When completed, the line shortened the Ueno to Niigata route by , and included two spiral sections in the tunnels. In 1947, the Takasaki to Minakami and Ishiuchi to Miyauchi sections were electrified, making this one of the first non urban JNR lines to be completely electrified. The Takasaki to Shinmaebashi section was double tracked in 1957, and the rest of the line was double tracked between 1961 and 1967, the final section involving the construction of the Arashimizu tunnel. Passengers catching Miyauchi bound trains at and stations do so from platforms situated within the Arashimizu tunnel.

The 2004 Chūetsu earthquake seriously damaged the Jōetsu Line, closing the Minakami to Miyauchi section for about two months. Single line operation at speeds limited to 30–45 km/h then resumed, being raised to 45–65 km/h four months after the earthquake, and the second track reopened, also with speed restrictions, 5 months after the quake. Full service was restored 9 months after the line had first closed. In late July 2011, torrential rainfall damage resulted in the closure of the Echigo Yuzawa Muikamachi section for two weeks.