Iga Railway

Iga Railway (伊賀鉄道 iga tetsudō) is a small single-line railway that connects the Kintetsu Osaka Line (Iga-Kambe Station) with the JR Kansai Main Line (Iga-Ueno Station) while passing through the heart of Iga and Ueno.

History

It was owned by Kintetsu until Oct 01 2008, however due to lack of revenue it was sold off to the City of Iga government and is now partially supported by tax-payer money.

Service

• All trains are locals and stop at every station.
• Trains run between Iga-Kambe (Kintetsu Osaka Line) and Uenoshi twice per hour (three during rush hour) in each direction, designed to hook up well with Kintetsu trains at Iga-Kambe.
• Trains run between Iga-Ueno (JR Kansai Main Line) and Uenoshi once per hour (two during rush hour) in each direction, (poorly) designed to hook up well with the JR trains at Iga-Ueno.

Most trains do not run all the way between Iga-Kambe and Iga-Ueno, most are bound for Uenoshi and start/end there.

Ninja Train

Two of the trains that run on the line are the so-called "ninja trains", with ninja-inspired decorations lining the outside of the carriage.

Stations

• Iga-Kambe (伊賀神戸) - Transfer to the Kintetsu Osaka Line (to most of Mie or Osaka via Nabari)
• Hido (比土)
• Uebayashi (上林)
• Maruyama (丸山)
• Inako (依那古)
• Ichibe (市部)
• Idamichi (猪田道)
• Kuwamachi (桑町)
• Kayamachi (茅町)
• Hirokōji (広小路)
• Uenoshi (上野市) - Downtown Ueno, home to Ueno Park and ninja galore. Most trains end here.
• Nishi-Ōte (西大手)
• Nii (新居)
• Iga-Ueno (伊賀上野) - Transfer to the JR Kansai Main Line (Osaka via Nara or Nagaoya via Kameyama)