Kagoshima Main Line

Kagoshima Main Line
Ariake limited express train
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
Locale	Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kagoshima Prefecture
Termini	Mojikō, Sendai Yatsushiro, Kagoshima
Stations	90
Operation
Opened	1889
Owner	JR Kyushu, JR Freight
Operator(s)	JR Kyushu, JR Freight, Hisatsu Orange Railway
Rolling stock	415 series, 811 series, 813 series, 815 series, 817 series, 783 series, 787 series, 883 series, 885 series, KiHa 72, Hisatsu Orange Railway HSOR-100
Technical
Line length	285.3 km (177.3 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	20 kV AC 60 Hz overhead
Operating speed	130 km/h (80 mph)
Route map

Mojikō station (terminus)

The Kagoshima Main Line (鹿児島本線 Kagoshima-honsen) is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its two termini; however, with the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen on March 13, the section between Yatsushiro and Sendai was transferred to the third-sector Hisatsu Orange Railway Company. The line is an important line in Kyushu, connecting Fukuoka (Hakata Station) to many other major cities. It is the main line through the Fukuoka urban district, and as such many long-distance express trains from all parts of Kyushu use the section between Kokura Station (Kitakyushu) and Tosu Station, where the Nagasaki Main Line meets the Kagoshima Main Line.

Stations

Mojikō – Arao

Station name	Japanese	Total distance (km)	Semi rapid[Note 1]	Rapid[Note 1]	Transfers	Location
Mojikō	門司港	0.0	+	+	Mojikō Retro Kankō Line (Kyushu Railway Museum)	Moji-ku, Kitakyushu	Fukuoka
Komorie	小森江	4.0	+	+
Moji	門司	5.5	+	+	Sanyō Main Line
Kitakyūshū Freight Terminal	北九州貨物ターミナル	6.9	-	-
Higashi-Kokura Freight Terminal	東小倉(貨)	9.4	-	-		Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu
Kokura	小倉	11.0	+	+	Nippō Main Line Sanyō Shinkansen Kitakyūshū Monorail
Nishi-Kokura	西小倉	11.8	+	+	Nippō Main Line
Hama-Kokura Freight Terminal	浜小倉(貨)	13.4	-	-
Kyūshūkōdaimae	九州工大前	15.3	-	-		Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu
Tobata	戸畑	17.2	+	+
Edamitsu	枝光	20.0	-	-		Yahata Higashi-ku, Kitakyushu
Space World	スペースワールド	21.1	*	*
Yahata	八幡	22.2	+	+
Kurosaki	黒崎	24.9	+	+	Chikuhō Electric Railroad Line (Kurosaki-Ekimae) Fukuhoku Yutaka Line	Yahata Nishi-ku, Kitakyushu
Higashi-Orio Yard	東折尾(信)	26.8	-	-
Jinnoharu	陣原	27.1	-	-	Fukuhoku Yutaka Line
Orio	折尾	30.1	+	+	Chikuhō Main Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line, Wakamatsu Line)
Mizumaki	水巻	32.2	+	-		Mizumaki, Onga
Ongagawa	遠賀川	34.3	+	-		Onga, Onga
Ebitsu	海老津	39.4	+	*		Okagaki, Onga
Kyōikudaimae	教育大前	44.6	+	-		Munakata
Akama	赤間	46.5	+	+
Tōgō	東郷	50.7	+	+
Higashi-Fukuma	東福間	53.9	-	-		Fukutsu
Fukuma	福間	56.6	+	+
Chidori	千鳥	58.5	-	-		Koga
Koga	古賀	60.6	+	+
Shishibu	ししぶ	62.0	-	-
Shingū-Chūō	新宮中央	63.7	-	-		Shingū, Kasuya
Fukkōdaimae	福工大前	65.1	+	+		Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
Kyūsandaimae	九産大前	68.1	-	-
Kashii	香椎	69.8	+	+	Kashii Line Nishitetsu Kaizuka Line (Nishitetsu Kashii)
Chihaya	千早	71.0	+	+	Nishitetsu Kaizuka Line (Nishitetsu Chihaya)
Chihaya Yard	千早操車場	71.3	-	-
Hakozaki	箱崎	75.0	-	-
Yoshizuka	吉塚	76.4	+	+	Sasaguri Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line)	Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Hakata	博多	78.2	+	+	■ Kūkō Line (Fukuoka City Subway) Kyushu Shinkansen, Fukuhoku Yutaka Line Hakata Minami Line, Sanyō Shinkansen
Takeshita	竹下	80.9	-	-
Sasabaru	笹原	83.3	-	-		Minami-ku, Fukuoka
Minami-Fukuoka	南福岡	84.9	+	+		Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Kasuga	春日	86.1	-	-	Tenjin Ōmuta Line (Kasugabaru)	Kasuga
Ōnojō	大野城	87.4	+	+		Ōnojō
Mizuki	水城	88.8	-	-
Tofurōminami	都府楼南	91.0	-	-		Dazaifu
Futsukaichi	二日市	92.4	+	+	Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line (Nishitetsu Futsukaichi)	Chikushino
Tenpaizan	天拝山	94.3	-	-	Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line (Asakuragaidō)
Haruda	原田	97.9	+	+	Chikuhō Main Line (Haruda Line)
Keyakidai	けやき台	99.9	-	-		Kiyama, Miyaki	Saga
Kiyama	基山	101.4	+	+	Amagi Railway Amagi Line
Yayoigaoka	弥生が丘	103.5	-	-		Tosu
Tashiro	田代	105.6	-	-
Tosu Freight Terminal	鳥栖貨物ターミナル	105.6	-	-
Tosu	鳥栖	106.8	+	+	Nagasaki Main Line
Hizen-Asahi	肥前旭	110.4	-	-
Kurume	久留米	113.9	+	+	Kyushu Shinkansen, Kyūdai Main Line (Yufu Kōgen Line)	Kurume	Fukuoka
Araki	荒木	118.8	+	+
Nishimuta	西牟田	122.6	-	-		Chikugo
Hainuzuka	羽犬塚	126.1	+	+
Chikugo-Funagoya	筑後船小屋	129.7	+	+	Kyushu Shinkansen
Setaka	瀬高	132.2	+	+		Miyama
Minami-Setaka	南瀬高	135.2	-	-
Wataze	渡瀬	139.1	-	-
Yoshino	吉野	141.9	-	-		Ōmuta
Ginsui	銀水	144.3	-	-	Nishitetsu Tenjin-Ōmuta Line (Nishitetsu Ginsui)
Ōmuta	大牟田	147.5	+	+	Nishitetsu Tenjin-Ōmuta Line
Arao	荒尾	151.6	+	+		Arao	Kumamoto

Arao – Yatsushiro

Station name	Japanese	Total distance (km)	Rapid Kumamoto Liner[Note 2]	Rapid Super Orange[Note 3]	Transfers	Location
Arao	荒尾	151.6	+			Arao	Kumamoto
Minami-Arao	南荒尾	154.8	-
Nagasu	長洲	159.4	+			Nagasu, Tamana
Ōnoshimo	大野下	164.1	-			Tamana
Tamana	玉名	168.6	+
Higo-Ikura	肥後伊倉	172.8	-
Konoha	木葉	176.7	+			Gyokutō, Tamana
Tabaruzaka[Note 4]	田原坂	180.2	-			Kita-ku, Kumamoto
Ueki	植木	184.6	+
Nishisato	西里	188.8	-
Sōjōdaigakumae	崇城大学前	191.7	+			Nishi-ku, Kumamoto
Kami-Kumamoto	上熊本	193.3	+		■ Kumamoto City Tram Route 3; Kumamoto City Tram Kami-Kumamoto Line (Kami-Kumamoto-Ekimae) Kumamoto Electric Railway Kikuchi Line
Kumamoto	熊本	196.6	+	+	Kyushu Shinkansen, Hōhi Main Line (Aso Kōgen Line) ■ Kumamoto City Tram Route 2; Kumamoto City Tram Tasaki Line and Kumamoto City Tram Trunk Line (Kumamoto-Ekimae)
Kumamoto Freight Terminal	熊本(貨)	197.9	-	-
Nishi-Kumamoto[Note 5]	西熊本	199.8				Minami-ku, Kumamoto
Kawashiri	川尻	201.9	+	-
Tomiai	富合	205.3	+	-
Uto	宇土	207.5	+	-	Misumi Line	Uto
Matsubase	松橋	212.3	+	-		Uki
Ogawa	小川	218.5	+	-
Arisa	有佐	223.5	+	-		Yatsushiro
Senchō	千丁	227.6	+	-
Shin-Yatsushiro	新八代	229.5	+	-	Kyushu Shinkansen
Yatsushiro	八代	232.3	+	+	Hisatsu Orange Railway Line Hisatsu Line (Ebino Kōgen Line)

Sendai – Kagoshima

Station name	Japanese	Total distance (km)	Rapid:[Note 6]	Liners[Note 6]	Transfers	Location
Sendai	川内	0.0	+	+	Hisatsu Orange Railway Line Kyushu Shinkansen	Satsumasendai	Kagoshima
Kumanojō	隈之城	2.6	-	+
Kobanchaya	木場茶屋	5.7	-	-
Kushikino	串木野	12.0	+	+		Ichikikushikino
Kamimuragakuenmae	神村学園前	14.2	-	-
Ichiki	市来	16.6	-	+
Yunomoto	湯之元	20.4	-	+		Hioki
Higashi-Ichiki	東市来	22.9	-	-
Ijūin	伊集院	28.8	+	+
Satsuma-Matsumoto	薩摩松元	34.1	-	-		Kagoshima
Kami-Ijūin	上伊集院	36.5	-	-
Hiroki	広木	41.5	-	-
Kagoshima-Chūō	鹿児島中央	46.1	+	+	Ibusuki Makurazaki Line, Kyushu Shinkansen ■ Kagoshima City Tram Route 2; Kagoshima City Tram Dai-Ni-Ki Line and Kagoshima City Tram Toso Line (Kagoshima-Chūō-Ekimae)
Kagoshima	鹿児島	49.3			Nippō Main Line ■ Kagoshima City Tram Route 1 and ■ Kagoshima City Tram Route 2; Kagoshima City Tram Dai-Ikki Line (Kagoshima-Ekimae)

Footnotes

1. All trains stop at stations marked "+". Some trains stop at "*". Most trains do not stop at "-". Some rapid/semi rapid trains, however, make stop at all the stations northward from Hakata or Minami-Fukuoka, or southward from Hakata, Futsukaichi, or Kurume.
2. All the trains stop at stations marked "+". Some trains stop at "*". Most trains do not stop at "-". Some Kumamoto Liner rapid trains, however, make stop at all the stations southward from Kumamoto.
3. Through service to Hisatsu Orange Railway Line.
4. Some local trains do not stop at Tabaruzaka.
5. Opening spring 2016
6. All the trains stop at stations marked "+". Some trains stop at "*". No trains (other than local) stop at "-". Rapid trains always run from Kagoshima-Chūō to Sendai, never the opposite direction. "Liners" here refers to Sawayaka Liner and Ohayō Liner.

Former Yatsushiro – Sendai section

This section was transferred to the Hisatsu Orange Railway Line from March 13, 2004. Some through services operate over this section.

Yatsushiro - Higo-Kōda - Hinagu (Hinagu-Onsen) - Higo-Futami - Kami-Tanoura - (Tanoura-Otachimisaki-Kōen) - Higo-Tanoura - Uminoura - Sashiki - Yunoura - Tsunagi - (Shin-Minamata) - Minamata - Fukuro - Komenotsu - Izumi - Nishi-Izumi - Takaono - Nodagō - Origuchi - Akune - Ushinohama - Satsuma-Ōkawa - Nishikata - Satsuma-Taki - Kusamichi - Kami-Sendai - Sendai

• Names in brackets are stations newly built or renamed after the line was transferred.

History

The Kyushu Railway opened the 197 km Moji - Hakata - Kumamoto section between 1889 and 1891, and extended the line south to Yatsushiro by 1896. The Moji to- Kokura section was double-tracked in 1987, and the company was nationalised in 1907. At the southern end the line from Kagoshima to Hayato (now part of the Nippo Main Line) opened as part of the Hisatsu Line in 1901. The Hayato to Yoshimatsu section of the Hisatsu line opened in 1903, the Yatsushiro to Hitoyoshi section opened in 1908, and the Hitoyoshi to Yoshimatsu section in 1909, providing the original connection from Kagoshima to Yatsushiro.

The 114 km Moji to Kurume section was electrified in 1961, extended to Kumamoto in 1965, and to Kagoshima in 1970.

In 2004, following the opening of the Kagoshima to Shin Yatsushiro section of the Kyushu Shinkansen, the Yatsushiro to Sendai section was transferred to the third-sector Hisatsu Orange Railway.

References

This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia.