The Shinetsu Main Line (信越本線 Shin'etsu-honsen) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. Originally one continuous line, the first section (29.7 km) connects Takasaki Station to Yokokawa Station in Gunma Prefecture, the second section (9.3 km) connects Shinonoi Station to Nagano Station in Nagano Prefecture and the third section (136.3 km) connects Naoetsu Station to Niigata Station in Niigata Prefecture. Additionally, there are three freight branches; from Echigo-Ishiyama Station to Niigata Freight Terminal, from Kami-Nuttari Junction to Nuttari Station, and from Kami-Nuttari Junction to Higashi-Niigata-kō Station. The name of the line refers to the old names for Nagano and Niigata Prefectures, Shinano (信濃) and Echigo (越後). The original line was separated into two sections as a result of the abandonment of the section between Yokokawa and Karuizawa and the reassignment of operations over the section between Karuizawa and Shinonoi to the third-sector Shinano Railway, both occurring on October 1, 1997 in conjunction with the opening of the Nagano Shinkansen between Takasaki and Nagano stations. The abandoned section through the Usui Pass was famous for its steep 66.7‰ gradient. When the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension to Kanazawa opened on 14 March 2015, the portion of the Shinetsu Main Line between Nagano and Naoetsu was also spun off to two third-sector railway operators, the Shinano Railway in Nagano Prefecture, and the Echigo Tokimeki Railway in Niigata Prefecture. This resulted in the present status of the line with three separate sections.

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