Kitakinki Tango Railway Corporation Co., Ltd (北近畿タンゴ鉄道)
Kitakinki Tango Tetsudo Kabushiki-gaisha is a public-private joint venture, located in and part financed by Kyoto Prefecture, operating both the Miyafuku Line and Miyazu Line (the former was laid by the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation, and the latter was once designated as a Specified Local Line of the Japanese National Railways (JNR)). Its English translation is Kitakinki Tango Railway Corporation Co., Ltd, or KTR for short. Its head office is located at 118-1, Amada, Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture (the fifth floor of JR West Building), and the administrative office of the railway business is located at 2065-4, Tsuruga, Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture (the second floor of Miyazu Station).
The word "Tango" in the corporate name originates from the name of the area the line operated in, the Tango Province, which was formerly a Japanese administrative district based on the legal codes called ritsuryo in the Nara and Heian periods; it is also a word play on the dance music, tango.
The company has been in the red massively since fiscal year 1990 because of its depreciation of the newly manufactured rolling stock for limited expresses.
History
September 22, 1982: Company founded as Miyafuku Railway Corporation.
July 16, 1988: Miyafuku Line opened.
August 1, 1989: Company renamed Kitakinki Tango Railway Corporation Co., Ltd. in preparation for takeover of JR Miyazu Line.
April 1, 1990: Company took over JR Miyazu Line and renamed it as KTR Miyazu Line. Limited Express 'Tango Explorer' service commenced.
March 16, 1996: Company electrified and reopened the entire Miyafuku Line and a part of Miyazu Line from Miyazu Station to Amanohashidate Station. Limited Express 'Tango Explorer' service commenced.
It also began the direct driving of the services of Limited Express 'Hashidate' and 'Monju.'
October 2, 1999: Company interchanged the driving system of 'Tango Explorer' with that of 'Tango Discovery' in accordance with the electrification and reopening of JR Maizuru Line.
September 1, 2007: Company moved its headquarters from the West Annex of Kyoto Prefectural Office in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, to JR West Building (West Japan Railway Company Fukuchiyama Branch) at Amada, Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture.
Railway
KTR Miyafuku Line: between Miyazu Station and Fukuchiyama Station; totaling up to 30.4 km in distance. KTR Miyazu Line: between Nishi-Maizuru Station and Toyooka Station; totaling up to 83.6 km in distance.
Rolling stock
All rolling stock owned by KTR are diesel cars manufactured in Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, whose rolling stock manufacturing business and others were transferred to Niigata Transys Co., Ltd. in 2003. The entire Miyafuku Line and a part of Miyazu Line from Amanohashidate Station to Miyazu Station are electrified, but the corporation has no electric train. In the electrified section, the KTR track is shared by the rolling stock of West Japan Railway Company (JR West), such as the JNR Limited Express Series 183.
Rolling stock currently owned by KTR
KTR Limited Express Diesel Cars Type KTR001 (Tango Explorer)
KTR Limited Express Diesel Cars Type KTR8000 (Tango Discovery)
KTR Diesel Cars Type KTR700 & 800
KTR Diesel Cars Type MF100 & 200
*The words put in parenthesis above are the nicknames of each car.
Rolling stock formerly owned by KTR
Type KTR1000, Type KTR2000 (Rainbow Resort;
JNR/JR Diesel Cars Series Kiha 28 & 58 formally owned by Japanese National Railways Settlement Corporation and JR West)
Rolling stock owned by JR West and currently sharing KTR track
JNR/JR Limited Express Series 183 (Limited Express 'Hashidate' & Limited Express 'Monju')
JNR/JR Suburban Trains Series 113
JNR/JR Suburban Trains Series 115
Rolling stock owned by JNR/JR and formerly sharing the KTR track
JNR/JR Limited Express Diesel Cars Series Kiha 181 (Limited Express 'Asashio' & (occasionally) Limited Express 'Tango Explorer')
JNR/JR Diesel Cars Type Kiha 65 (Special Limited Express 'Edel Tango' & the temporary train for the fireworks site)
JNR/JR Diesel Cars Series Kiha 58 (This was operated as Express 'Tango,' Express 'Miyazu,' Express 'Hashidate,' 'Intercity Train around Four Cities' without a conductor, or the rolling stock linked with local trains for their assistance.
It was also operated as a substitute or temporary train, or for group trips)
JNR/JR Diesel Cars Series Kiha 53 (Rapid Train 'Hashidate')
JNR/JR Diesel Cars Series Kiha 40 (second generation) Type Kiha 47 (local train called, 'Intercity Train around Four Cities')
JR West Suburban Trains Series 221 (operated as Temporary Rapid Train 'Rainbow,' Temporary Rapid Train 'Amanohashidate Holiday' and also the train for group trips to Tenrikyo)
JR West Suburban Trains Series 223 (Temporary Rapid Train 'Rainbow' and Special Rapid Train 'Amanohashidate Holiday')
JR West Limited Express Series 281 (as the Emperor's train)
JR West Limited Express Series 681 (as the test driving train)
JNR/JR Suburban Trains Series 211, nicknamed Super-Saloon 'Yumeji' (as the group trip train called 'Miyazu Citizens' Train')
Fare and charge
Ordinary fare for an adult (fare for a child is half price, rounded up to nearest ten yen)
The list below is the fare as of April 1, 2007.
Limited Express fare for an adult (fare for a child is half price, rounded up to nearest ten yen)
The list below is the charge as of April 1, 2007. When getting on an ordinary car of a limited express, you have to buy a basic ticket and a limited express ticket.
Green Car charge for an adult (it's the same for an child)
The list below is the charge as of April 1, 2007. When getting on the Green Car of a limited express, you have to buy a basic ticket, a limited express ticket for a reserved seat (this ticket costs the same as the limited express ticket for a non-reserved seat on the Shinkansen) and also, a Green ticket.