Meitetsu Kōwa Line

The Meitetsu Kōwa Line (名鉄河和線, Meitetsu Kōwa-sen) is a Japanese railway line connecting Tōkai with Mihama within Aichi Prefecture. It is owned and operated by Meitetsu.

The line was built and originally operated by the Chita Railways, which opened the line in 1931. It was completed upon its extension to Kōwa in 1935. After the company merged into Meitetsu in 1943, several infill stations were opened, while stations with low usage were merged or closed.

The line is serviced by five different types of services. Most trains provide through service to Kanayama Station via Tokoname Line. Meitetsu Limited Express services to Nagoya Station depart from Kōwa every 30 minutes.

In the Taishō era, the only railway line connecting eastern Chita peninsula and Nagoya was the Taketoyo Line, which was inconvenient at the time due to its low number of trains.^[2][3] Following petitions from local residents,^[4] The Aichi Electric Railways gained approval in December 1912 to build a railway line from Owari Yokosuka Station to Handa.^[5] However, the approval expired at the end of 1915 without the construction even beginning due to the economic depression at the time affecting the company.^[6][7] In 1924, several influential people in the Handa and Kōwa regions planned to establish a company named Chita Electric Railways. The group of people requested technical help from the Aichi Electric Railways, and approval to construct a railway line from Ōtagawa Station to Kōwa was gained in 1926. The company renamed to Chita Railways in 1927, with Kiyonari Aikawa as the first CEO.^[8] The construction for the section between Ōtagawa and Narawa Station began from December 1929. The construction was able to continue despite the Wall Street crash of 1929 thanks to financial and technical aid from the Aichi Electric Railways.^[3] The Chita Electric Railway opened the 15.8 km Otagawa – Narawa section for passenger services, electrified at 1500 V DC,^[9] in 1931. The 10.0 km section between Narawa and Kōwaguchi Station opened in 1932.^[10] Sumiyoshichō Station, Aoyama Station, and Urashima Station opened in 1933. The 3.0 km extension to Kōwa Station opened in August 1935 due to delays in land acquirement.^[9] The company merged into Meitetsu on February 1, 1943^[10], with all trains, infrastructures and employees transferred to Meitetsu. The line was initially named Chita Line from 1943, although the name changed to the current name in 1948.^[11]

Tatsumigaoka Station was opened on July 10, 1955.^[12] In 1969, Kagiya Station between Takayokosuka and Minami Kagiya, Urashima Station between Chita Taketoyo and Fuki, and Tokishi Station between Kōwaguchi and Kōwa, which all were suspended during World War II was abolished.^[13] In 1972, Shikainami Station was merged into Futto Station and was abolished.^[14] The section from Otagawa to Kowaguchi was gradually duplicated from 1960 to 1974. Agui Station was opened on July 21, 1983.^[12] Futto Station and Mukuoka Station was closed on December 16, 2006, due to low ridership. Kagiya-nakanoike Station was built between Takayokosuka and Minami Kagiya,^[15] and opened from the start of the revised timetable implemented on 16 March 2024.^[16]

Prior to the March 2023 timetable revision, many trains provided through service to Utsumi Station via the Chita New Line, which was reduced after March 2023.^[17] Five different types of service are operated in the line.^[18] Most trains provide through service to Kanayama Station via the Tokoname Line. Meitetsu Limited Express services to Nagoya Station departs from Kōwa every 30 minutes.^[19]

The line is currently operated by Meitetsu, although it was operated by Chita Railways, and Aichi Electric Railways before Aichi Electric Railways merged to form Meitetsu.^[20]

Meitetsu Kōwa Line branches off Ōtagawa Station to head southeast, running west of Taketoyo Line from Chitahanda to Chita-Taketoyo. The line continues south of the Chita peninsula. Meitetsu Chita New Line branches off southwest into Utsumi Station from Fuki Station. Most of the line is double-tracked, although the section between Kōwaguchi and Kōwa is single-tracked.^[21]

The line serves 20 stations (19 excluding Ōtagawa) across the length of the line.^[18] Several stations on the line have been upgraded to feature ramps, lifts, and elevators due to requests from passing municipalities.^[22]