Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad

The nihongo|Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad Co., Ltd.|高松琴平電気鉄道株式会社|Takamatsu-Kotohira Denki Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha (or Kotoden) 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 yen with a capitalization of 250,000,000 yen.

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 Takamatsu Station. Its network took its present form in the early 1950s.

In the 1970s, the company built a new station building at Kawaramachi, the nexus of its lines. It opened a department store in the building. During the following decade, it allied with Sogo. However, the bursting of the Japanese asset price bubble and the downfall of Sogo led Kotoden to restructuring under the courts in accordance with the bankruptcy laws. It emerged from this restructuring in March 2006.

The company introduced IruCa, a smart card ticketing 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.

Lines

Kotoden operates three lines. The Kotohira Line, at 32.9 km, is the longest. 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 21 stations. The line has a gauge of 1435 mm. 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 connects Kawaramachi Station and Nagao Station in the city of Sanuki. It links 16 stations, including its terminals, with a single 1435 mm gauge track. Equipment operates at 1500 VDC.

The shortest of the three, the Shido Line, links Kawaramachi Station and Shido Station in Sanuki with 12.5 km of track. It also has 16 stations, a single 1435 mm track, and 1500 VDC electrification.

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.

External links

*ja icon [http://www.kotoden.co.jp/ Official site]