The is a railway line in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

, Japan, operated by

Kyushu Railway Company 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 (JR Kyushu), Beetle hydrofoil service across th ...

(JR Kyushu). It connects Wakamatsu Station in

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuk ...

with Haruda Station in Chikushino. Between

Orio Station is a junction passenger railway station located in Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan, operated by the JR Kyushu. Lines Orio Station is served by the Kagoshima Main Line and Chikuhō Main Line. It is located 30.1 km from the start of th ...

and Haruda Station, as well as from Keisen Station via the Sasaguri Line to Yoshizuka Station, the line functions as an alternate route to the

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojiko Station, Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it ...

Line data

As of 2021, the Chikuho Main Line is the third shortest of all

Japan Railways Group The Japan Railways Group, commonly known as the or simply JR, is a network of railway companies in Japan formed after the Corporate spin-off, division and privatization of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. ...

lines named Main (or trunk) Line (not counting the

JR Shikoku The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four Prefectures of Japan, prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Jap ...

main lines, which were stripped of their designation after JR Shikoku started operating). For comparison, the shortest is

Hidaka Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Tomakomai Station in Tomakomai and Samani Station in Samani, running along the coast of Hidaka Subprefecture. Services on the 116.0 ...

(30.5 km), after the closure of 116.0 km due to storm damage in 2015. The line is divided into three sections. Each section has an alias. ;Wakamatsu Line: Wakamatsu–Orio, 10.8 km ; Fukuhoku Yutaka Line: Orio–Keisen, 34.5 km ;Haruda Line: Keisen–Haruda, 20.8 km

Stations

Wakamatsu–Orio (Wakamatsu Line)

Orio–Keisen (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line)

Some rapid trains pass the stations marked "X".

Keisen–Haruda (Haruda Line)

Rolling stock

A pre-series two-car BEC819 series AC battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) was tested on the line from April 2016, and entered revenue service on 19 October 2016. This will be followed by six more trainsets, entering service in spring 2017.

History

The 39 km Wakamatsu to Iizuka section was built by the Chikuho Kogyo Railway, opening between 1891 and 1893, with the 12 km extension to Chikuzen Uchino opening in 1895. The company was nationalised in 1907, with the 15 km Chikuzen Uchino to Harada section opening in 1929. The 25 km section from Wakamatsu to Nogata was double-tracked between 1893 and 1896, with the 4 km Nogata to Kotake section double-tracked between 1904 and 1906. The 8 km Kotake to Iizuka section was double-tracked between 1942 and 1944. The 35 km Orio to Keisen section was electrified in 2001.

Former connecting/transfer lines

*Orio Station: the Nishitetsu Kitakyushu Line, a gauge line electrified at 600 V DC was opened from Orio - Moji (29 km) between 1911 and 1914. It connected to a 10 km loop line opened between 1912 and 1929, and closed in 1985. The Moji - Sunatsu section closed in 1985, the Sunatsu - Kurosaki section closed in 1992, and the remainder (except for the 1 km Kurosaki - Kumanishi section, which is part of the Chikuho Electric Railway line) closed in 2000. *Nakama Station: the 3.5 km Katsuki Line opened in 1908, with passenger services being introduced in 1912. Freight services ceased in 1974, and the line closed in 1985. A 3.8 km line from Katsuki hauled coal from 1915 until the mine closed in 1954. *Nogata Station: A 14 km gauge line to Fukumaru operated from 1914 until 1938. *Katsuno Station: the 5 km Miyata Line opened in 1902. Freight services ceased in 1982, and the line closed in 1989. A 2 km branch to Sugamuta served the Kajima coal mine from 1904 until 1977. *Kotake Station: the 8 km Kōbukuro Line to Futase opened in 1894 as a horse-drawn line servicing the Tetsuji mine. Steam locomotion was introduced in 1912, and passenger services in 1913. The line closed in 1969. *Iizuka Station: the 26 km Kamiyamada Line opened to Shimoyamada in 1898, extended to Kamiyamada in 1929, and to Buzenkawasaki (as a passenger-only section) in 1966. Freight services ceased in 1980, and the line closed in 1988. A 2 km gauge line from Okuma - Okumamachi operated from 1924 until 1933.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chikuho Main Line Lines of Kyushu Railway Company 1067 mm gauge railways in Japan Railway lines opened in 1891