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Oito Line

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Introducing

The Oito Line is a 105.4 km long line connecting Matsumoto Station in Nagano Prefecture to Itoigawa Station in Niigata Prefecture. The 70.1 km route between Matsumoto Station and Minami-Kotani Station, which is under the jurisdiction of JR East, is well-known as a stop for customers visiting the mountain climbing and snow resort areas represented by Shinano-Omachi and Hakuba.

The "Super Azusa" limited express train runs directly from Shinjuku Station, and the line is also used as a commuter and school route in the Matsumoto area. From the driving scenery, you can experience the changing scenery of Shinshu from winter to spring with the magnificent snow-capped Northern Alps, cherry blossoms along the tracks, and rice paddies filled with water for the summer.

Key data

  • Line length:  70.1 km
  • Number of stations: 33
  • Safety system: ATP-P / ATS-Ps
  • Train model: 211 series
  • Max speed:
    • Matsumoto ~ Shinano Omachi : 95 km/h
    • Shinano-Omachi ~ Minami-Otari : 85 km/h
  • Max speed after signals:
    • Reduced speed (green/yellow): 65 km/h
    • Caution (yellow): 45 km/h
    • Speed restriction (yellow/yellow): 25 km/h
  • Routes:
    • Matsumoto ~ Minami-Otari (5329M): "Local" - 3 cars - 33 stations - 70.1 km
    • Matsumoto ~ Hotaka (3113M): "Local" - 3 cars - 11 stations - 16.2 km
    • Matsumoto ~ Shinano-Omachi (3241M): "Local" - 3 cars - 20 stations - 35.1 km
  • In-train announcements : Yes
  • Driver announcement (pointing-and-calling) : NoYes

The ATS-P section only covers the link between the first 2 stations (Matsumoto - Kita-Matsumoto). The rest of the line is ATS-Ps.

This train uses 2 levers: a power lever and a brake lever. This allows the brakes to be released only when the engines are powered up (and avoids backing up slightly). However, apart from the keyboard, the mouse and joysticks manage them as if there were only one lever.

Console detail

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To the left of the console, we have car numbers and door opening status (red indicator = doors open).

In the center, we have :

  • At the top, the ATS-Ps display
  • Bottom left, speed dial
  • In the center, the lock indicator and a bit of the pocket watch
  • Bottom right: brake cylinder pressure (black arrow) and compressed-air reservoir pressure (red arrow).

Note that the speed-limiting brake is located on the brake lever, between neutral and brake level 1.

Finally, on the far right, we have the brake level (with emergency brake indicator in red and speed limitation indicator in yellow).

At the top, next to the TIMS display is the ATS-P panel.

Consult the MON/TIMS/INTEROS screen page for more details about the TIMS screen.

Movie

Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Cito_Line 

Driver's guide : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HrP2b5rDiIn5zPMiYtB48x8VqJmd1hYuBGAQKlmt3Q4/edit#gid=1281070402

Timetables (in japanese):