The is a railway line in

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

, Japan, operated by the

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 Kōhoku Station in Kōhoku,

Saga Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...

to Sasebo Station in

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

. It is part of the route connecting Sasebo with

Saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

and

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, 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. ...

. Most of the line runs parallel to National Routes 34 and 35. From 1898 to 1934 the Kōhoku - Haiki section was part of the original

Nagasaki Main Line The , or simply known as the Nagasaki Line, is a railway line owned by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) connecting Tosu Station in Saga Prefecture to Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. There is a separate branch of this line ...

History

The

Kyushu Railway was a company that built and operated railways in Kyushu, one of four main islands of Japan. Most of its lines came under the control of Japanese Government Railways following nationalization in 1907, and many are now operated by Kyushu Railway ...

Co. opened the Yamaguchi (present-day Kōhoku) - Takeo (present-day Takeo-Onsen) section in 1895 as part of the original

. It was extended to Haiki in 1897, and to Sasebo the following year. The company was nationalised in 1907. In 1934 the Hizen-Yamaguchi (present-day Kōhoku) - Isahaya line opened as the new Nagasaki Main line, with the line being renamed the Sasebo Line. The history of the line beyond Sasebo is covered under the Matsuura Line. The entire line was electrified in 1976, and freight service ceased between Haiki - Sasebo in 1985, Arita - Haiki in 1987 and on the balance of the line in 1996. The section between Takahashi station and Omachi station will be double-tracked as the current compromise until the construction of the Kyushu Shinkansen Nagasaki route between Takeo-Onsen and Shin-Tosu can be decided.

Former connecting lines

* Takahashi station - Yutoku Railway Co. opened a 24.2 km 915mm (3') gauge line to Yutoku Inari Shrine between 1904 and 1907, and a 1.5 km branch line to the south of Hyakkan Bridge in 1909. Both lines closed in 1931. The 9.8 km 1067mm gauge Hizen Electric Railway Co. line to Ureshino, electrified at 600 VDC, connected to this line and operated between 1915 and 1931. * Sasebo station - A 5 km line to a US Forces Japan oil storage facility operated between 1950 and 1978.

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 Kōhoku to Sasebo: 48.8 km (30.3 mi) ** JR Freight *** From Kōhoku to Arita: 28.2 km (17.5 mi) *

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: 14 * Double-track: Ōmachi - Takahashi * Electrified track: Whole line * Maximum speed: 120 km/h (75 mph)

Rolling stock

* 783 series (whole line,

limited express A limited express is a type of express train or express bus service that stops at fewer locations compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese ...

'' Midori''/''

Huis Ten Bosch Huis ten Bosch (, ; ) is a royal palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch monarch; the two others being the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. Huis ten Bosch was th ...

'') * 787 series (between Kohoku and Takeo-Onsen,

'' Relay Kamome'') * 885 series (between Kohoku and Takeo-Onsen,

'' Relay Kamome'') * 415 series (whole line) * 813 series (between Hizen-Yamaguchi and Haiki) *

817 series The is an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated on commuter and local services by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan since 2001. The design was based on the earlier 815 series, with transverse seating replacing the previo ...

(whole line) * KiHa 66/67 DMUs (between

and Haiki) * KiHa 200 DMUs (between Sasebo and Haiki)

Stations

:●： Station stop

References

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