JR West (also known by it’s full name: Western Japan Railway Company) was formed in 1987 with the privatization of JNR, and runs railway services west of Mie and Gifu prefectures, all the way to Yamaguchi, including the metropolitan areas of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. It operates also in Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama prefectures.
JR West has the lowest revenue/kilometer ratio among the top three JR Group companies (East, Central and West), as it has to compete with fierce private railways such as Hankyu, Keihan, Kintetsu and Hanshin even on inter-city services (contrary to the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, where private railways operate mainly suburban networks, and inter-city competition with JR East is scarce).
As a result of this, JR West cannot afford to make large-scale replacements like JR East or JR Central did, and to this day it runs the largest fleet of ex-JNR stock still in operation.
Trivia:
Due to the strong competition with private railways, JR West is infamous for pushing it’s schedules, crews and rolling stock to the limit, and employing harsh penalties (Nikkin Kyuko – “Retraining”) for those that fail to keep up to those extremely tight schedules. As a result of this, crews are under constant pressure (especially on main lines around Osaka), and such company-induced stress often causes accidents or even disasters (such as the 2005 Amagasaki Derailment).
In other words, JR West is famous for being a dick to it’s own employees.
Shinkansen
San’yo Shinkansen, Hakata-Minami Line
Keihanshin area Urban Network
Tokaido Line (JR Kyoto and Kobe Lines)
Raicho, Super Raicho and Thunderbird Limited Expresses (Osaka to Kanazawa)
Kitakinki and Kounotori limided expresses (Shin-Osaka to Kinosaki-Onsen)
Local services
Rapid services
Osaka Loop Line, Sakurajima Line (and trough-services between the two).
Hanwa Line (trough-services on the Osaka Loop Line to Osaka and Tennoji)
Yamatoji and Nara Lines (trough-services on the Osaka Loop Line to Osaka and Tennoji)
Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line)
Kitakinki, Kounotori , Kinosaki, Tamba, Hashidate, Maizuru and Monju limited expresses (Shin-Osaka or Kyoto to Kinosaki-Onsen, Fukuchiyama, Toyooka, Higashi-Maizuru or Amanoashidate)
Local services (with some trough-services with the JR Kyoto line)
Regional Trunk Lines
Hokuriku Main Line
Hakutaka limited express (Fukui or Kanazawa to Echigo-Yuzawa via the Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line)
Shisaragi limited express (Nagoya to Kanazawa)
Kosei Line
Raicho, Super Raicho and Thunderbird Limited Expresses (Osaka to Kanazawa)
Local services and rapid trough-services with the JR Kyoto Line
Local trough-services from the JR Kyoto Line
San’in Main Line, Sagano Line
Kyoto – Kinosaki-Onsen electrified section only
Kitakinki, Kounotori , Kinosaki, Tamba, Hashidate, Maizuru and Monju limited expresses (Shin-Osaka or Kyoto to Kinosaki-Onsen, Fukuchiyama, Toyooka, Higashi-Maizuru or Amanoashidate)
Local services
non-electrified section only
Seto-Ooashi Line
“Marine Liner” rapid services
San’yo Main Line, Ako Line
Kansai Main Line
Takayama Main Line
Local Lines
Obama Line
Nanao Line
Wakayama, Sakurai and Kisei Lines
Kakogawa Line
Uno Line
Fukuen Line
electrified section (Fukuyama to Fuchu)
non-electrified section (Fuchu to Miyoshi)
Etsumi-Hoku Line (trough-services on the Hokuriku Main Line up to Fukui)
Oito Line
Kisuki Line
Hakubi Line
Tsuyama Line, Inbi Line, Kishin Line
Geibi Line
Mine Line
Charter and tourist trains
Defunct lines
Toyamako Line
(converted into the Toyama PortTram Line in 2006)
Sanko Line
(closed in 2018)
Diesel Locomotives
Train icons made by Curoka
