Fukubu Line

The is a 21.4 km railway line operated by Fukui Railway in Fukui Prefecture. The line runs from Echizen-Takefu Station in Echizen to and stations in Fukui. Although it has its own right-of-way for most of the route, the Fukubu Line runs with traffic as a tram line past Fukui-Shin Station.

History

The opened the Fukubu Line on 23 February 1924 for the purposes of transporting soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army Sabae 36th Regiment between and (now ) stations.

* 23 February 1924: Fukubu Electric Railway opens the Fukubu Line between and Heiei (now ).
* 26 July 1925: Heiei – Fukui-Shin (now ) section opens.
* 5 June 1927: Sanjūhassha Station opens.今井恵介監修『日本鉄道旅行地図 6号 北信越』新潮社、2008年、p.25
* 5 October 1927: Mizuochi Station opens; former transfer station for the Seiho Electric Railway.
* 13 August 1929: Kami-Sabae (now ), Shimo-Sabae (now ) stations open.
* 15 October 1933: Fukui-Shin – section opens.
* 1 October 1935: Tobanaka Station opens; Nishi-Tobanaka Station (between Heiei and Tobanaka) closes.
* April 1939: Heiei Station is renamed Chūō Station.
* 1 April 1941: Express service begins.
* 1 August 1945: Fukubu Electric Railway merges with Seiho Electric Railway to form Fukui Railway.
* June 1946: Chūō Station renamed Shinmei Station.
* 12 July 1950: Hanandō – Fukui-Shin section double-tracked.
* 27 November 1950: Honmachi-dōri — Fukui-Shin section opens. Daimyōmachi Station is renamed Honmachi-dōri Station.
* 1 April 1962: Keyamachi Station moved and renamed Kōenguchi Station. Fujishima-Jinja-mae Station (between Kidayotsutsuji and Kōenguchi) closes.
* 11 December 1964: Matsumoto-dōri Station (between and Tawaramachi) closes. Saibanshomae Station moved towards Tawaramachi.
* 1 September 1969: Service between Hanandō, Fukui-Ekimae, and Tawaramachi abolished; all trains run through to Takefu-Shin Station.
* 2 October 1979: Freight services discontinued.
* 10 April 1980: Centralized traffic control (CTC) introduced.
* 1 August 1985: Driver-only operation introduced on morning and evening services.
* 10 April 1987: Shimo-Sabae Station renamed Nishiyama-Kōen Station.
* 1 October 1989: Hanandō-Minami Station opens.
* 20 January 1993: All trains equipped with ATS.
* 15 April 1993: Hanandō-Minami Station renamed Bell-mae Station.
* 20 September 1997: Harmony Hall Station opens.
* 30 November 1998: Daytime service interval changed to 20 minutes.
* 15 July 2002: Honmachi-dōri Station (between Kōenguchi and Shiyakushomae) closed.
* 1 December 2003: Part of Shiyakushomae — Fukui-Ekimae section single-tracked due to construction around Fukui Station.
* 30 September 2004: Semi-express service abolished.
* January–March 2006: All station platforms modified to serve low-floor vehicles.
* 1 April 2006: Low-floor trains enter service. Last departure time brought forward 30 minutes.
* 16 December 2007: Daytime shuttle trains begin service between Fukui-Ekimae and Tawaramachi.

On March 25, 2010, Sports-Kōen Station was established between the Nishi-Takefu and Iehisa stations. At the same time, five stations were renamed: Takefu-Shin to Echizen-Takefu; Nishi-Takefu to Kitago; Kami-Sabae to Sundome-Nishi; Fukui-Shin to Sekijūjimae; and Saibanshomae to Jin'ai-Joshikōkō.平成22年3月25日 ダイヤ改正！
Fukui Railway.

Station list

*All stations are located in Fukui Prefecture.
*Express (急行) trains stop at stations marked "●", pass those marked "｜", and only a few stop at those marked "○". Most local trains stop at all stations but some pass those marked "○".
*Staff:
** ◎ - Present all day
** ○ - Present except early mornings and late nights
** ◇ - Present during peak hours only
** △ - Present during holidays only
** × - Unstaffed
** ※ - Present during events only

* Note that distances for Jin'ai Joshikōkō and Tawaramachi Stations are measured from Shiyakushomae Station.

References

External links

Fukui Railway
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Railway lines opened in 1924
Railway lines in Japan
Rail transport in Fukui Prefecture
1067 mm gauge railways in Japan