The Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad Co., Ltd. is a transportation company in Kagawa Prefecture, which is on the island of Shikoku, Japan. With headquarters in Takamatsu, the company operates three passenger railway lines, as well as bus subsidiaries. It was established on November 1, 1943. In 2005, it reported sales of ¥3,694,000,000 with a capitalization of ¥250,000,000.
Outline
Kotoden was established by the wartime merger of rail lines in the Takamatsu area. Immediately after its establishment, it absorbed the bus transportation operations in the vicinity. Aerial bombing destroyed some lines during the war. After the war, the company extended its line to Takamatsu Chikkō Station, a few minutes' walk from JR Shikoku's Takamatsu Station. Its network took its present form in the early 1950s. The company introduced IruCa, a smart cardticketing system in February 2005.
History
The company traces its origins to 1909, when the Takamatsu Electric Railway was founded. This would later merge with other companies. One of those was the Kotohira Electric Railway, established in 1924. The third group of companies that became Kotoden began in 1910, and eventually through mergers became the Sanuki Electric Railroad. The 1943 merger of these three companies resulted in Kotoden. A month later, it absorbed 16 bus companies as well as the bus operations of another railroad. In 1997, the railroad was the first to introduce new track safety precautions in order to combat the rising number of suicides committed by jumping in front of a train. In the first year after new measures were implemented, the number of train suicides linked to Kotoden fell by 40%. In 2011, the line celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Lines
Kotoden operates three lines:
The Kotohira Line, at 32.9 km, is the longest, opening 1926/27 as an electrified line. Its terminals are Takamatsu Chikkō Station in the center of the city, and Kotoden-Kotohira Station in the town of Kotohira. The line passes through Kawaramachi Station in the heart of Takamatsu. In all, there are 22 stations. The line has a track gauge of. The downtown section from Takamatsu Chikko Station to Ritsurin Station is double-tracked. The line operates at 1500 VDC.
The 14.6 km long Nagao Line opened in 1912 as a 1067mm gauge line. In 1945 it was regauged to 1435mm and electrified at 600 VDC, this being increased to 1500 VDC in 1976. It connects Kawaramachi Station and Nagao Station in the city of Sanuki. It links 16 stations, including its terminals, with a single gauge track.
The shortest of the three, the Shido Line, opened 1911/17 as a 600 VDC line, this being increased to 1500 VDC in 1966. It links Kawaramachi Station and Kotoden-Shido Station in Sanuki with 12.5 km of track. It also has 16 stations and a single track.
Former connecting lines
A 16 km 1435mm gauge line from Butsushozen to Shionoe operated 1929-41.
Rolling stock
As of April, 2006, Kotoden had 85 passenger cars. Of these, 43 were in use on the Kotohira Line, 22 on the Nagao Line, and 20 on the Shido Line. It also had two more cars.
