B727 CREW CROSSES HOLD LINE FOR RWY 31 AT BNA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

VFR/NIGHT CONDITIONS. BNA IS A NEW FIELD FOR OUR CARRIER. EXPECTED DEP ON RWY 20R PER THE ATIS. CALLED GND AND TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 31 VIA TXWY K. ACR HAS RECENTLY SWITCHED TO NEW COMMERCIAL APCH PLATES; THE ARPT OPERATIONAL INFO PAGE STATES 'COMPLY WITH ALL HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS PARTICULARLY AT TXWY L8 AND RWY 31.' THIS LED TO AN EXPECTATION OF A HOLD SHORT POS AT L8 AND RWY 31. IN THE VICINITY OF L7 AND TXWY K; WE NOTICED A HOLD SHORT LINE AND APPARENTLY MISIDENTED IT AS THE ILS CRITICAL AREA HOLD SHORT LINE. THIS IS SOME DISTANCE FROM THE END OF THE RWY. WE TAXIED PAST IT; AND TWR CLRED US FOR AN IMMEDIATE TKOF WITH 'TFC ON A 3 MI FINAL.' WE SPOTTED THE TFC; AND TOLD TWR WE WOULD HOLD POS; WE FELT THE TFC WAS A LITTLE TOO CLOSE. THE CTLR THEN INFORMED US THAT WE WERE IN THE RWY CLR ZONE; AND SENT THE FINAL TFC ON A GAR. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR TKOF. I BELIEVE MY MISTAKE WAS CAUSED BY SEVERAL FACTORS: 1) THE CHART STATEMENT REGARDING HOLDING AT L8 LED ME TO EXPECT A HOLD SHORT LINE AT L8. 2) I WAS OVERLY COMFORTABLE WITH BNA; HAVING FLOWN THERE FOR OVER 20 YRS IN PREVIOUS ACFT/CARRIERS. HOWEVER; I HAD NOT BEEN TO BNA IN OVER A YR; AND HAD RARELY USED RWY 31; AND THEN USUALLY FROM THE OTHER SIDE (TXWY L). ON SOME APCH PLATES; THE APCH HOLD LINE IS CLRLY SHOWN ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM ON THE TXWY L SIDE. IT IS NOT DEPICTED ON TXWY K. 3) APCHING THE HOLD SHORT LINE; I SAW THE FIRST HOLD SHORT LIGHTS AND SIGN; AND THEN LOOKED FORWARD TO THE L8 AREA AND SAW ANOTHER RED SIGN; WHICH I MISIDENTED AS THE HOLD SHORT LINE. IT APPARENTLY WAS THE RWY ENTRY WARNING SIGN. AS SUCH; I FAILED TO CORRECTLY IDENT THE MARKINGS AND SIGN IDENT THE ACTUAL HOLD SHORT LINE. FORTUNATELY; THE CTLR WAS ALERT AND PROMPTLY SENT AROUND THE ACFT ON FINAL. ALTHOUGH THE TXWYS AND SIGNS ARE PROPER; THE APCH PLATES COULD BE BETTER MARKED TO ADVISE OF THE ACTUAL HOLD SHORT POS AS THEY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY SHORT OF THE RWY; IN MUCH THE SAME FASHION AS AN ILS CRITICAL AREA. THE FACT THAT THE HOLD SHORT LINE IS MARKED ON TXWY L ON SOME ARPT DIAGRAMS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR PAX CARRIERS OPERATING FROM THE TERMINAL RAMP. THE NEW CHART DOES NOT SHOW EITHER; AND THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED REMARKS ON HOLDING SHORT AT 'L8 AND RWY 31' COULD BE CONFUSING.