Hitahikosan Line

The Hitahikosan Line (日田彦山線, Hitahikosan-sen) is a railway line in Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Jōno Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture with Yoake Station in Hita, Ōita Prefecture. The line is named after Hita and Mount Hiko.

Hitahikosan Line
Overview
Native name日田彦山線
StatusIn operation
OwnerJR Kyushu
LocaleKyushu
TerminiJōno
Yoake
Stations23
Service
TypeRegional rail
Operator(s)JR Kyushu
Rolling stockKiHa 40 series DMU
History
Opened1899
Technical
Line length68.7 km (42.7 mi)
Number of tracksEntire line single tracked
CharacterMostly rural with a few urban areas
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationNone
Operating speed85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map
Hitahikosan Line

Stations
●: Stops, ｜: non-stop
No. Station Distance
(km)		 Rapid Transfers Location
Hitahikosan Line
JI  04  Jōno 0.0 ● Nippō Main Line Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū Fukuoka Prefecture
JI  05  Ishida 3.3 ｜  
JI  06  Shii-Kōen 5.1 ｜ Kitakyushu Monorail (Kikugaoka Station) - 400 m away
JI  07  Shii 6.8 ｜  
JI  08  Ishiharamachi 9.0 ●  
JI  09  Yobuno 12.3 ｜  
JI  10  Saidōsho 18.1 ｜   Kawara
JI  11  Kawara 23.4 ●  
JI  12  Ipponmatsu 25.0 ｜  
JI  13  Tagawa-Ita 27.4 ● Heisei Chikuhō Railway Ita Line, Tagawa Line Tagawa
JI  14  Tagawa-Gotōji 30.0 ● Gotōji Line
Heisei Chikuhō Railway Itoda Line
Ikejiri 32.2 ｜   Kawasaki
Buzen-Kawasaki 34.7 ●  
Nishi-Soeda 38.3 ｜   Soeda
Soeda 39.5 ●  
Kanyūsha-Hikosan 41.6    
Buzen-Masuda 43.2    
Hikosan 47.2    
Chikuzen-Iwaya 55.1     Tōhō
Daigyōji 59.3    
Hōshuyama 61.3    
Ōtsuru 62.9     Hita Ōita Prefecture
Imayama 65.4    
Yoake 68.7   Kyūdai Main Line

History

The Toyo-shu Railway Co. opened the Tagawa-Ita - Buzen Kawasaki section as part of the Tagawa Line in 1899. That company merged with the Kyushu Railway Company in 1901, which extended the line to Soeda in 1903. The company was nationalised in 1907.

The Jono - Tagawa-Ita section was opened in 1915 by the Kokura Railway Co., that company being nationalised in 1943. The Soeda - Daigyoji section opened between 1937 and 1946, and the Daigyoji - Yoake section opened in 1956.

CTC signalling was introduced on the entire line in 1984. Freight service ceased beyond Tagawa-Gotōji in 1986, and totally in 1999.

Typhoon damage

On 5 July 2017, torrential rainfall damage resulted in the closure of the section between Kanyūsha-Hikosan and Imayama. The line remains disconnected as of the start of 2020. On 12 February 2020, it was proposed by JR Kyushu to not restore the rail service, due to low passenger use and high maintenance costs, and permanently replace it with bus rapid transit (BRT).[1] JR Kyushu has formally announced that agreements have been made with local authorities, and the line will be replaced with BRT.

Former connecting lines

Buzen Kawasaki Station: The 26 km Kamiyamada Line opened from Iizuka (on the Chikuho Main Line) to Shimoyamada in 1898, extended to Kamiyamada in 1929 and to Buzen Kawasaki (as a passenger-only section) in 1966. Freight services ceased in 1980, and the line closed in 1988. This line had two connections:

  • A 2 km 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line from Okuma (16 km from Buzen Kawasaki) - Okumamachi operated between 1924 and 1933.
  • The 8 km Urushio line from Shimokamoo (14 km from Buzen Kawasaki) - Shimayamada (connecting to the Gotoji Line) opened in 1943, and closed in 1986.

Soeda station - The Ogura Railway Co. opened a line to Ipponmatsu in 1915. The line was nationalised in 1943 and closed in 1985.

References
  1. https://trafficnews.jp/post/93720

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

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