Tenjin Ōmuta Line

Tenjin Ōmuta Line
Series 8000 EMU for Limited Express crossing Yabe River
Overview
Type	heavy rail line
Locale	Fukuoka Prefecture
Termini	Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station Ōmuta Station
Stations	49
Operation
Opened	April 12, 1924
Owner	Nishi-Nippon Railroad
Operator(s)	Nishi-Nippon Railroad
Technical
Line length	74.8 kilometres (46.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 millimetres (4.708 ft)
Route map ← Fukuoka City Subway：■Kūkō Line → km Tenjin Station 0.0 Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station Tenjin-Minami Station ↓ Fukuoka City Subway：■Nanakuma Line Yakuin New River Watanabe-dōri Station → 0.8 Yakuin Station ← Fukuoka City Subway： ■Kūkō Line ↑ 1.8 Nishitetsu Hirao Station Chikuzen-Takamiya Station → ← JNR：Chikuhi Line → 2.9 Takamiya Station Wakahisa River 4.3 Ōhashi Station Naka River ← JR West：Hakata Minami Line → ↓ JR Kyūshū：Kagoshima Main Line → 6.1 Ijiri Station ／ Sasabaru Station → Morōka River 8.0 Zasshonokuma Station ／← Minamifukuoka Station 9.5 Kasugabaru Station ／← Kasuga Station Ushikubi River 10.8 Shirakibaru Station ／← Ōnojō Station 11.6 Shimoōri Station ／← Mizuki Station Hirata River Mikasa River Mikasa River 13.8 Tofurōmae Station ／← Tofurō-Minami Station Dazaifu Station Dazaifu Line → 15.2 Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station ／← Futsukaichi Station 16.1 Murasaki Station Takao River ← Asakuraki Road：Mainline → 17.6 Asakuragaidō Station ／← Tempaizan Station Yamaguchi River 19.4 Sakuradai Station ← JR Kyūshū：Chikuhō Main Line → 20.8 Chikushi Station ↑↓ JR Kyūshū：Kagoshima Main Line Chikushi Rail Yard 23.0 Tsuko Station Hōju River 24.1 Mikunagaoka Station 25.6 Mitsusawa Station 27.0 Ōho Station Takahara River Ōitai River Bank Tsukichi River ← Amagi Railway : Amagi Line → 28.7 Nishitetsu Ogōri Station ／ ← Ogōōri Station ← Asakuraki Road → 30.7 Hatama Station Hōman River 33.7 Ajisaka Station Amagi Station Amagi Line → 36.5 Miyanojin Station Amagi Line ↓ Chikugo River 37.7 Kushiwara Station ← Amagi Line ↑ 38.6 Nishitetsu Kurume Station ← Fukushima Line → 39.5 Hanabatake Station Kanamaru River 40.1 Shikenjōmae Station ← JR Kyūshū：Kyūdai Main Line → ← JR Kyūshū：Kyūshū Shinkansen→ ← JR Kyūshū：Kagoshima Main Line → ← Ōkawa Line 41.4 Tsubuku Station 42.8 Yasutake Station Ontsuka Station Service stopped - Date unknown Hiro River 45.1 Daizenji Station ← Ōkawa Line 46.9 Mizuma Station 48.0 Inuzuka Station Yamanoi River 50.6 Ōmizo Station 52.9 Hacchomuta Station Hanamune River 55.5 Kamachi Station 57.3 Yakabe Station ← JNR：Saga Line → Okinohata River 58.4 Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station Yanagawa Rail Yard Shiotsuka River 59.7 Tokumasu Station 61.1 Shiotsuka Station (63.1) Nakashima Signal Station 63.5 Nishitetsu Nakashima Station Yabe River 65.1 Enoura Station Kusuda River / JR Kyūshū：Kagoshima Main Line ↑↓ 66.6 Hiraki Station ／ Wataze Station → Kuma River 67.9 Nishitetsu-Wataze Station 69.6 Kuranaga Station ／ Yoshino Station → 70.8 Higashi-Amagi Station Shirogin River Ginsui River 72.1 Nishitetsu Ginsui Station ／ Ginsui Station → Dōmen River 73.7 Shin-Sakaemachi Station ← Mīgetetsu Line → Sakaemachi Station 1970 removed Ōmuta River 74.8 Ōmuta Station ↑↓ JR Kyūshū：Kagoshima Main Line

The Fukuoka Tenjin terminal

Series 3000 EMU

The Tenjin Ōmuta Line (天神大牟田線, Tenjin Ōmuta sen^?) is a heavy rail line in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan, being the main line of a Japanese private railway company Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu). The line is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station^[1] in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, stretching south to Ōmuta Station in Ōmuta. Until 2000 the line was Ōmuta Line (大牟田線, Ōmuta sen^?).

Overview

• Length: 74.8km
• Gauge: 1435mm
• Track
  • Double: Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) - Shikenjōmae, Daizenji - Kamachi, Hiraki - Ōmuta
  • Single: the rest
• Traction: Electric 1500V DC

Entirely this line parallels to the Kagoshima Main Line of Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu), but connection of the lines is poor.

History

The Kyūshū Railway (九州鉄道, Kyūshū Tetsudō^?)^[2] built and operated the first Interurban railway line in Kyushu from Fukuoka, destined to Kumamoto, but this plan was later abandoned.

• April 12, 1924: Fukuoka (presently Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin)) - Kurume (presently Nishitetsu Kurume) opened by Kūshū Railway (II). 1435mm gauge, electrified, double tracked
• December 28, 1932: Kurume - Tsubuku opened, single tracked
• June 22, 1937: Ōkawa Railway was merged to Kūshū Railway. Kamikurume - Tsubuku - Daizenji - Enokizu became a part of Kūshū Railway network, single tracked, 1067mm gauge
• October 1, 1937: Tsubuku - Daizenji of ex-Ōkawa Railway regauged to 1435mm (the remainder abandoned later). Daizenji - Yanagawa (presently Nishitetsu Yanagawa) opened
• December 1, 1938: Fukuoka - Tsubuku from Tram Act to Local Railway Act
• September 1, 1938: Yanagawa - Nakashima (presently Nishitetsu Nakashima) opened
• October 1. 1938: Nakashima - Sakaemachi (presently Shin-Sakaemachi) opened
• July 1, 1939: Sakaemachi - Ōmuta opened, the line completed
• September 19, 1942: Kyūshū Electric Tramway (九州電気軌道, Kyūshū Denki Kidō^?) merged, under wartime condition, Kyūshū Railway and some other railway companies in Fukuoka Prefecture
• September 22, 1942: Kyūshū Electric Tramway renamed to Nishi-Nippon Railroad, the line became its Ōmuta line
• November 11, 1951: Nishitetsu Kurume - Shikenjōmae track doubled
• March 20, 1960: Kuranaga - Nishitetsu Ginsui track doubled
• April, 1961: Nishitetsu Ginsui - Sakaemachi track doubled
• June 21, 1961: Sakaemachi - Ōmuta track doubled
• November 20, 1965: Hiraki - Kuranaga track doubled
• February, 1967: Daizenji - Mizuma, Ōmizo - Kamachi track doubled
• January 15, 1997: Mizuma - Ōmizo track doubled
• January 1, 2001: proper names changed to Tenjin-Ōmuta Line from Ōmuta Line, Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station (with Tenjin in parentheses) from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station
• March 27, 2010: The Rapid Express (快速急行, Kaisoku Kyūkō^?) and Non-Stop (直行, Chokkō^?) services were discontinued

Operation

Rapid service

The operator Nishitetsu offers two types of rapid trains as well as Local trains. Abbreviations are tentative for this article.

Local (普通, Futsū^?)

Stops all stations. Between Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Chikushi or Daizenji inside the line, Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Dazaifu of Dazaifu Line, Amagi of Amagi Line and Ōmuta. Trains inside the line and Dazaifu Line with 4-7 car EMU, through trains to Amagi Line with 2-car EMU 7000 and 7050 series

Express (急行, Kyūkō^?) (Ex)

Operated all day. Some Expresses are operated as Locals in southern part (Ōmuta side). In day hours, 2 per hour per direction between Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Nishitetsu Ogōri, and 2 between Nishitetsu Fukuoka and Hanabatake. Five-car EMU 3000 series, 6-car EMU 2000 and 5000 series

Limited Express (特急, Tokkyū^?) (LE)

Between Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) and Ōmuta, 2 service per direction per hour. Seven-car EMU 8000 series in day hours, 5000, 6000 and 6050 series in the morning and evening hours

Number of trains

In day hours around 10 to 16, numbers of trains per direction per hour are as follows:

Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) - Nishitetsu Futsukaichi

2 LE, 4 Ex, 6 Lo

Nishitetsu Futsukaichi - Chikushi

2 LE, 4 Ex, 4 Lo

Chikushi - Nishitetsu Ogōri

2 LE, 2 Ex, 2 Lo (north of Chikushi as Ex), 2 Lo

Nishitetsu Ogōri - Miyanojin

2 LE, 2 Ex, 2 Lo

Miyanojin - Hanabatake

2 LE, 2 Ex, 2 Lo, 2 Lo through to Amagi Line

Hanabatake - Daizenji

2 Lo, 4 Lo

Daizenji - Ōmuta

2 LE, 2 Lo

Stations

• lower case shows some trains stop
• e1: Expresses only for Chikushi stop
• e2: Expresses only down for Nishitetsu Ogōri, some ups from Hanabatake, Shikenjōmae, Tsubuku, Nishitetsu Yanagawa stop

Station		Distance (km)	Stop	Connections	Location
Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin)	西鉄福岡 (天神)	0.0	Ex LE	Fukuoka City Subway Kūkō (Airport) Line (Tenjin Station) Nanakuma Line (Tenjin Minami Station)	Chūō-ku, Fukuoka	Fukuoka Prefecture
Yakuin	薬院駅	0.8	Ex LE	Fukuoka City Subway: Nanakuma Line
Nishitetsu Hirao	西鉄平尾駅	1.8
Takamiya	高宮駅	2.9			Minami-ku, Fukuoka
Ōhashi	大橋駅	4.3	Ex
Ijiri	井尻駅	6.1
Zasshonokuma	雑餉隈駅	8.0			Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Kasugabaru	春日原駅	9.5	Ex		Kasuga
Shirakibaru	白木原駅	10.8			Ōnojō
Shimoōri	下大利駅	11.6	Ex
Tofurōmae	都府楼前駅	13.8			Dazaifu
Nishitetsu Futsukaichi	西鉄二日市駅	15.2	Ex LE	Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu): Dazaifu Line	Chikushino
Murasaki	紫駅	16.1	e1
Asakuragaidō	朝倉街道駅	17.6	Ex
Sakuradai	桜台駅	19.4	e1
Chikushi	筑紫駅	20.8	Ex
Tsuko	津古駅	23.0	e2		Ogōri
Mikunigaoka	三国が丘駅	24.1	e2
Mitsusawa	三沢駅	25.6	e2
Ōho	大保駅	27.0	e2
Nishitetsu Ogōri	西鉄小郡駅	28.7	Ex	Amagi Railroad
Hatama	端間駅	30.7	e2
Ajisaka	味坂駅	33.7	e2
Miyanojin	宮の陣駅	36.5	Ex	Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu): Amagi Line	Kurume
Kushiwara	櫛原駅	37.7	e2
Nishitetsu Kurume	西鉄久留米駅	38.6	Ex LE
Hanabatake	花畑駅	39.5	Ex LE
Shikenjōmae	試験場前駅	40.1	ex
Tsubuku	津福駅	41.4	ex
Yasutake	安武駅	42.8	ex
Daizenji	大善寺駅	45.1	Ex LE
Mizuma	三潴駅	46.9	ex
Inuzuka	犬塚駅	48.0	ex
Ōmizo	大溝駅	50.6	ex		Ōki
Hatchōmuta	八丁牟田駅	52.9	ex
Kamachi	蒲池駅	55.5	ex		Yanagawa
Yakabe	矢加部駅	57.3	ex
Nishitetsu Yanagawa	西鉄柳川駅	58.4	Ex LE
Tokumasu	徳益駅	59.7
Shiotsuka	塩塚駅	61.1
Nishitetsu Nakashima	西鉄中島駅	63.5
Enoura	江の浦駅	65.1			Miyama
Hiraki	開駅	66.6
Nishitetsu Wataze	渡瀬駅	67.9			Ōmuta
Kuranaga	倉永駅	69.6
Higashi-Amagi	東甘木駅	70.8
Nishitetsu Ginsui	銀水駅	72.1
Shin-Sakaemachi	新栄町駅	73.7	Ex LE
Ōmuta	大牟田駅	74.8	Ex LE	Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu): Kagoshima Main Line

Footnote

1. ^ Until December 31, 2000, Nishitetsu Fukuoka was the official name. In order to clarify the station is in Tenjin district of the downtown Fukuoka, the proper name now carries the location in parentheses.
2. ^ This company was the second. The first built and operated, in Meiji period, nearly all the railway lines in Kyushu, and was nationalized in 1907.