Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad

Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad Co., Ltd. (高松琴平電気鉄道株式会社), officially Kotoden (ことでん) for short, is a transportation company in Kagawa Prefecture, 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 1 November 1943. In 2021, it reported sales of ¥2,881,000,000 with a capitalization of ¥250,000,000.

History

The company traces its origins to 1909, when Takamatsu Electric Tramway (高松電気軌道) was founded.[1] This company opened the Nagao line on 30 April 1912 between Dehare (出晴) (close to the present Kawaramachi Station) and Nagao Station. The line was originally and electrified at 600V DC, but it was regauged to in June 1945, and the overhead line voltage was raised to 1500V DC in December 1976.

In 1910, Tosan Electric Railway Company (東讃電気軌道) was established, and opened the Shido line on 18 November 1911 between Imabashi and Shido Station (now Kotoden-Shido). The line was electrified at 600V DC, and increased to 1500V DC in August 1966.

In 1924, Kotohira Electric Railway (琴平電鉄) was established, opened a line on 21 December 1926 between Ritsurin-Kōen and Takinomiya.

In 1943, the modern-day company, Kotoden, was established by the wartime merger of these three rail lines in the Takamatsu area. Immediately after its establishment, it absorbed the bus transportation operations in the vicinity.

Train services and rolling stock planning

Kotoden operates a pattern timetable on all three lines.[3]

Kotohira Line

The variation in peak vs. off-peak demand/frequencies is also used in a smart way to get the trains in and out of their respective depots, so that very little empty runs are needed. Four trainsets start and end in Kotohira, two in Takinomiya and another four at the main depot, located at Busshozan station. Basically, all services are operated with two cars, but during the peak hours, most trains are operated with four cars. The lengthening/shortening of the trains is done in Busshozan.

A regular half-hourly service operates all day between Kotohira and Takamatsu-Chikkō (6.00 - 22.00 from Takamatsu-Chikkō and 5.42 - 21.12 from Kotohira). The travel time is 61 minutes each way. With an 11-minute turnaround time in Kotohira and 17 minutes and in Takamatsu-Chikkō, one trainset needs 2,5 hours to make the round trip, which means there are five trainsets needed to run the half-hourly service.
During the daytime, there is an additional half-hourly service between Ichinomiya and Takamatsu-Chikkō. This daytime service has a 21-22 minute travel time, with a turnaround time of less than a minute in Ichinomiya and 17 minutes in Takamatsu-Chikkō, meaning one trainset would need one hour to make the round trip. However, when both services are running, the trains can make a 2-minute turnaround in Takamatsu-Chikkō (the train coming in from Ichinomiya goes back as a Kotohira service and vice versa). This saves one trainset, so that there are six trainsets needed for the daytime service.
During the morning and evening peak hours (roughly between 6.00 - 8.00 and 18.00 - 20.00), the Ichinomiya service is extended to Takinomiya. The travel time of the Takinomiya service is 41 minutes each way. With a 21-minute turnaround time in Takinomiya, there are eight trainsets needed for the peak hour service.
During the busiest morning peak (roughly between 7.45 and 8.45) there is an additional 15-minute service between Busshozan and Takamatsu-Chikkō, with the round trip taking 45 minutes, which would mean three additional trainsets needed, but here again, Kotoden made an optimised schedule: the 7.45 outbound Takinomiya service ends in Ichinomiya and this trainset is used for the inbound Busshozan service. In total the full peak service is operated with ten trainsets.

Nagao Line

Basically, all trains run end to end, but shorter workings (starting/ending in Hiragi or Kawaramachi) are used to get the trains in and out of the depots. Three trains start and end in Nagao, three trains in Kawaramachi and one train in Hiragi. The eighth trainset starts/ends in Takamatsu-Chikkō (empty running from/to the main Busshozan depot for cleaning/maintenance). All trains run in a two-car formation.

The basic interval on the Nagao Line is 24 minutes. During peak hours, the frequency is doubled, giving a 12-minute interval. The travel time is around 40 minutes, with a turnaround time of 8 minutes in Takamatsu-Chikko and 6 minutes in Nagao, resulting in a round trip of 96 minutes. This means 8 trainsets are needed for the peak hour service.

Shido Line

Except for the extra peak hour services, all trains run end to end. Two trains start in Shido and four trains in Kawaramachi (Imabashi depot). All trains run in a two-car formation.

The basic interval on the Shido Line is 24 minutes. This interval is the same as on the Nagao Line, allowing for good connections between the two lines in Kawaramachi. Unfortunately, the timetables of both lines do not share the same symmetry minute. Therefore, a good connection (4–6 minutes changing time) is only provided from Shido to Takamatsu-Chikkō. In the other direction, long waiting times occur during the off-peak periods. The travel time on the Shido line is around 38 minutes, with a turnaround time of 16 minutes in Kawaramachi and 3 minutes in Nagao, resulting in a round trip of 96 minutes. This means four trainsets are needed for the basic service.
During the busiest morning peak, three additional train pairs are added between Kawaramachi and Omachi, reducing the interval on that section to 12 minutes. With a running time of 26 minutes and a turnaround time of 3 minutes in Omachi, it is not possible to do the return trip within 48 minutes. Nevertheless, this service can run with only two extra trainsets, because a short turnaround of 4 minutes is possible in Kawaramachi when both services are running. In total, the peak service is operated with six trainsets.

stationsop	53
headquarters	Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
locale	Shikoku, Japan
start year	November 1, 1943
end year	present
predecessor line	Takamatsu Electric Tramway (1909) Tosan Electric Railway Company (1910) Kotohira Electric Railway (1924)
gauge	(1945–present) (until 1945)
electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary (1945–present) 600 V DC overhead catenary (until 1966)
length	60 km

Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad

History

Lines and infrastructure

Train services and rolling stock planning

Kotohira Line

Nagao Line

Shido Line

Rolling stock

Other

External links

References