The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, connecting Meinohama Station in

Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. The area has long been considered th ...

(and via a subway through service, Fukuoka itself) to Karatsu Station in

Karatsu, Saga is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese language, Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies i ...

, and from Yamamoto Station in Karatsu to Imari Station in Imari, Saga. Trains from Karatsu to Imari use the

Karatsu Line The is a regional railway line in Saga Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects in Saga, Saga, Saga City to in Karatsu, Saga, Karatsu City, both in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The line was originally ...

to Yamamoto.

Route data

*Operators and distances **

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

***From Meinohama to Karatsu: ***From Yamamoto to Imari: *

Track gauge In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges ...

: *Stations: 29 *Double-track: From Meinohama to Chikuzen-Maebaru *Electrified track: Meinohama to Nishi-Karatsu only; Yamamoto to Imari is unelectrified

Station list

Eastern section

:●: Stops, ｜: Does not stop :Rapid Service: Stops at every station on the Airport Line. :Through service by Fukuoka City Subway commuter trains ends at Chikuzen-Maebaru.

Western section

All trains running on this section stop at all stations.

Rolling stock

JR Kyushu

* 103-1500 series six-car EMUs (since 1982) * 303 series six-car EMUs (since 22 January 2000) * 305 series six-car EMUs (since February 2015) A fleet of six new 305 series six-car

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

(EMU) commuter trains was introduced on the Chikuhi Line from February 2015. File:JR kyushu 103-1500 E17 1.jpg, 103-1500 series set E17 in August 2008 File:JRKyushu-303-K02-20091102.jpg, 303 series set K02 in November 2009 File:JR Kyushu 305 series W1.jpg, A 305 series set on the Chikuhi Line in January 2016

Fukuoka City Subway

* 1000 series (since 1981) * 2000 series (since 1992) * 4000 series (since 29 November 2024) Through service to Chikuzen-Maebaru. File:Fukuoka-Series1000_09.jpg, A 1000 series set in December 2021 File:Fukuoka-SeriesN2000_22.jpg, A 2000 series set in December 2021 File:Fukuoka_City_Subway_Series_4000_at_Meinohama_Station_(20241027_Opening_Day).jpg, A 4000 series set in October 2024

History

The Kita-Kyushu Railway opened the Fukuyoshi to Hamasaki section in 1923, extending it west to Higashi-Karatsu (situated on the east bank of the Matsuura River, opposite the

on the west bank) by 1925 and east to Hakata by 1926. The line was again extended west to Yamamoto where it junctioned with the Karatsu line (establishing Higashi-Karatsu as a reversing station in the process) in 1929, and to Imari in 1935. The company was nationalised in 1937 after which

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national rail transport, railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese ...

(JGR) designated the track as the Chikuhi Line. In 1983, the Hakata to Meinohama section was closed and replaced by a link to the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line. A new line from Nijinomatsubara to Karatsu opened (including a new station called Higashi-Karatsu, situated about southeast of the original station of that name) and the entire section was electrified at 1,500 V DC to allow through running to Fukuoka via the subway. At the same time, the original Nijinomatsubara to Yamamoto section closed.

References

{{Kyushu Railway Company Lines Lines of Kyushu Railway Company 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan