Kumamoto Electric Railway
The Kumamoto Electric Railway (熊本電気鉄道, Kumamoto Denki Tetsudō) is a public transport company in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is abbreviated as Kumamoto Dentetsu (熊本電鉄) or Kumaden (熊電). The company was founded in 1909. The company operates railway and bus lines.
| Kumamoto Electric Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 A 6000 series train | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operational | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Kumamoto Electric Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Kumamoto Prefecture | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 15 August 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 13.1 km (8.1 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 600 V DC overhead catenary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 50 km/h (30 mph)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lines
- Kikuchi Line (菊池線)
- Kami-Kumamoto — Miyoshi: 10.8 km (6.7 mi)
- Fujisaki Line (藤崎線)
- Kita-Kumamoto — Fujisakigū-mae: 2.3 km (1.4 mi)
A short section of the Fujisaki Line shares its track with public road, like a tram line.
Rolling stock
- 200 series EMU (former Nankai 22000 series)
- 5000 series EMUs (former Tokyu 5000 series)
- 6000 series 2-car EMUs (former Toei 6000 series)
- 01 series 2-car EMUs (former Tokyo Metro 01 series, since March 2015)[2]
- 03 series EMUs (former Tokyo Metro 03 series) since May 2019.
A 01 series train in May 2015
Three former Tokyo Metro 03 series EMU trains are scheduled to be purchased and introduced on the line between 2018 and 2020.[3]
History
The forerunner of the company, Kikuchi Tramway (菊池軌道), was established in on 15 August 1909, and opened the 914 mm (3 ft) gauge steam-hauled line from Ikeda Station (池田駅) (close to the present-day Kami-Kumamoto Station) to Sendanbatamachi Station (千反畑町駅) (present-day Fujisakigū-mae Station) on 1 October 1911.[1] On 27 August 1913, the line between Ikeda and Waifu Station (隈府駅) (later named Kikuchi) was opened.[1]
From 31 August 1923, the line was converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and electrified at 600 V DC.[1]
The current section of the Kikuchi Line between Kita-Kumamoto and Kami-Kumamoto opened on 1 October 1950, resulting in two lines between those stations, the original via Fujisakigū-mae and the new line.[1] In June 1953 the original line from Kami-Kumamoto to Fujisakigū-mae closed.[1] The 13.5 km Miyoshi to Kikuchi section closed on 16 February 1986 due to falling patronage.[1]
See also
References
- Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄: 全国私鉄165社局掲載 データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
- Kekke, Manabu (June 2015). 熊本電気鉄道01形 [Kumamoto Electric Railway 01 series]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 44 no. 374. Japan: Kotsu Shimbun. pp. 44–47.
- 中古車両、熊本電鉄で「第二の人生」５車種すべて移籍組 東京メトロの３編成導入へ [Old rolling stock to spend new life, 5 different types already transferred, 3 Tokyo Metro trains to be introduced] (in Japanese). Japan: Nishinippon Shimbun. 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)